Latest news with #Nashville
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Business
- Yahoo
A Complete Timeline of Taylor Swift and Scooter Braun's Feud: Music Ownership Battle and More
The bad blood between Taylor Swift and Scooter Braun has inspired song lyrics, forced celebrities to take sides and incurred the wrath of Swifties. The drama came to a head in June 2019 when it was announced that Braun's media company, Ithaca Holdings, had acquired Scott Borchetta's Big Machine Label Group for $300 million. Through the deal, Braun became the new owner of Swift's first six albums with Big Machine Records: her self-titled debut, Fearless, Speak Now, Red, 1989 and Reputation. Swift condemned the business deal via Tumblr, calling it her 'worst case scenario' and claiming that she'd faced 'incessant, manipulative bullying' from Braun for years. That August, the singer announced her plans to rerecord her first six albums in an attempt to regain the rights to her masters. 'I think artists deserve to own their own work,' she told Robin Roberts during an appearance on Good Morning America. Scooter Braun's Ups and Downs Over the Years: Taylor Swift Feud, Divorce, Client Drama and More Keep scrolling for a complete timeline of Swift and Braun's feud: Justin Bieber shared a since-deleted photo via Instagram of him FaceTiming Braun and Kanye West, who was then a client of Braun's. 'Taylor Swift what up,' he captioned the snap. The post came amid Swift's infamous feud with West. After Braun's acquisition of Big Machine made headlines in July 2019, Swift slammed the business deal via Tumblr. In the lengthy blog post, the musician claimed that 'for years,' she'd 'pleaded for a chance to own my work' but was instead 'given an opportunity to sign back up to Big machine Records and 'earn' one album back at a time, one for every new one I turned in.' Swift, who became Big Machine's first client in 2005, continued: 'I walked away because I knew once I signed that contract, [Big Machine Records founder and CEO] Scott Borchetta would sell the label, thereby selling me and my future. I had to make the excruciating choice to leave behind my past.' The 12-time Grammy winner then claimed that she found out Braun had purchased her masters after the deal was made public. 'All I could think about was the incessant, manipulative bullying I've received at his hands for years,' she wrote. 'Now Scooter has stripped me of my life's work, that I wasn't given an opportunity to buy. Essentially, my musical legacy is about to lie in the hands of someone who tried to dismantle it. This is my worst case scenario." Scooter Braun Jokes About Not Receiving an Invite to Taylor Swift's Rhode Island House Swift also included a screenshot of Bieber's infamous 'Taylor Swift what up' Instagram post, writing, 'This is Scooter Braun, bullying me on social media when I was at my lowest point.' That same month, Bieber apologized for the post via Instagram saying that it was 'distasteful and insensitive.' He also defended Braun, claiming that the music executive 'didn't have anything to do with' the post. 'In all actuality he was the person who told me not to joke like that,' Bieber wrote. Swift shared an update on the feud and directly asked her fans for help. In a letter shared via Twitter, she claimed that Borchetta and Braun told her she wasn't allowed to perform any music from her first six albums during her American Music Awards performance. 'I've been planning to perform a medley of my hits throughout the decade on the show,' she wrote of the then-upcoming performance.. 'The message being sent to me is very clear. Basically, 'Be a good little girl and shut up. Or you'll be punished.'' Swift then asked fans to reach out to celebrities who work with Braun in hopes that they could help her get permission to play her songs. 'Scooter also manages several artists who I really believe care about other artists and their work,' she penned. 'Please ask them for help with this — I'm hoping that maybe they can talk some sense into the men who are exercising tyrannical control over someone who just wants to play the music she wrote.' Later that month, Big Machine denied Swift's claims in a lengthy statement. 'At no point did we say Taylor could not perform on the AMAs,' the label claimed. 'In fact, we do not have the right to keep her from performing live anywhere.' Less than a year and a half after acquiring them, Braun sold Swift's master rights to Shamrock Holdings for over $300 million. That same month, Swift shut down rumors that she'd purchased her catalog from Braun, revealing that the sale had occurred without her knowledge. 'He would never even quote my team a price. These master recordings were not for sale to me,' she claimed via Twitter. Swift made good on her promise to rerecord her first six albums and released Fearless (Taylor's Version) in April 2021. "I've spoken a lot about why I'm remaking my first six albums but the way I've chosen to do this will hopefully help illuminate where I'm coming from," she wrote in the album's prologue letter. "Artists should own their own work for so many reasons, but the most screamingly obvious one is that the artist is the only one who really knows that body of work." Swift went on to release Red (Taylor's Version) in November 2021 and Speak Now (Taylor's Version) in July 2023. In August 2023, she announced that 1989 (Taylor's Version) will be released in October 2023. Braun shared his side of the story during an interview for a Variety cover story. "I regret and it makes me sad that Taylor had that reaction to the deal,' he told the outlet, claiming that the details Swift shared about the acquisition were 'not based on anything factual.' He continued: "I don't know what story she was told. I asked for her to sit down with me several times, but she refused.' Braun added that he was most hurt by Swift's characterization of him as a bully. 'I'm firmly against anyone ever being bullied. I always try to lead with appreciation and understanding. The one thing I'm proudest of in that moment was that my artists and team stood by me. They know my character and my truth. That meant a lot to me,' he said. Demi Lovato, who previously defended Braun in July 2019 when Swift called him out for bullying, was one of several high-profile clients to reportedly cut ties with Braun in August 2023 along with Ariana Grande and Bieber. An insider with knowledge of the situation told Us at the time that 'all of Scooter Braun's clients are under contract and negotiations have been going on for several months as Scooter steps into his larger role as Hybe America CEO.' Swift's fans were quick to theorize that the reports were indicative of trouble ahead for Braun. 'How Taylor Swift is sleeping knowing Scooter Braun's empire is crumbling #karma,' one Twitter user wrote alongside a photo of the titular mouse from Tom and Jerry snoozing soundly in a bed. Another chimed in: 'Justin Bieber, Demi Lovato and Ariana Grande leaving Scooter Braun?????!!?!?! Oh honey, this is better than revenge,' referencing Swift's 2010 track of the same name. In June 2024, it was announced that Braun and Grande would be 'continuing their long-standing business partnership and pursuing creative opportunities in Weverse and REM Beauty,' adding, 'Grande in this new chapter will continue to be managed exclusively by Brandon Creed/Good World Management.' Swift reflected on her feuds with Braun and West in her TIME 2023 Person of the Year cover story, saying, 'Make no mistake — my career was taken away from me.' She continued, 'Nothing is permanent. So I'm very careful to be grateful every second that I get to be doing this at this level, because I've had it taken away from me before. There is one thing I've learned: My response to anything that happens, good or bad, is to keep making things. Keep making art. But I've also learned there's no point in actively trying to quote unquote defeat your enemies. Trash takes itself out every single time.' Swift went on to state she believed Braun purchased her masters for 'nefarious reasons,' adding, 'I was so knocked on my ass by the sale of my music, and to whom it was sold. I was like, 'Oh, they got me beat now. This is it. I don't know what to do.' … It's all in how you deal with loss. I respond to extreme pain with defiance.' Swift and Braun's drama was the subject of a Disney+ docuseries titled Taylor Swift vs. Scooter Braun: Bad Blood. Us Weekly confirmed a statement shown at the end of the series was issued by Swift's spokesperson. The message read, 'None of these men will ever be able to take anything away from Taylor's legacy as a songwriter, singer, director, philanthropist and advocate for artists' rights. Taylor has completely moved on from this saga, and has turned what started out as an extremely painful situation into one of the most fulfilling endeavors of her life.' Shortly before the show's premiere, Braun announced his retirement from music management, clarifying he would remain CEO of Hybe America. Braun addressed the Taylor Swift vs. Scooter Braun: Bad Blood docuseries at a Bloomberg Screentime event in Los Angeles, stating that he was urged to watch it by his parents after initially being hesitant to do so. 'Look, it's five years later,' he said. 'I think, everyone, it's time to move on. There were a lot of things that were misrepresented.' Braun also noted the importance of people communicating 'directly with each other' when dealing with conflict. He said, 'I think doing it out on social media and in front of the whole world is not the place. I think when people actually take the time to stand in front of each other and have a conversation, they usually find out the monster's not real. And that has not happened.' Amid fan demand for her final two rerecorded albums, Swift announced in a lengthy letter shared via her website that she had gained ownership of her masters. 'I almost stopped thinking it could ever happen, after 20 years of having the carrot dangled and then yanked away,' she wrote. 'But that's all in the past now. I've been bursting into tears of joy at random intervals ever since I found out that this is really happening. I really get to say these words: All of the music I've ever made … now belongs … to me.' In addition to her masters, Swift also gained full ownership of her concert films, album art and photography and unreleased songs. She also revealed that while she completed rerecording her self-titled debut album, she kept putting off finishing Reputation (Taylor's Version). 'There will be a time (if you're into the idea) for unreleased Vault tracks from that album to hatch,' she clarified. Braun reacted to the news in a statement to Us, simply stating, 'I am happy for her.'
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Rajah Caruth wins NASCAR Truck race at Nashville in tense finish
Rajah Caruth has earned his first victory of the 2025 season and just the second of his career, fending off both Corey Heim and Layne Riggs in the closing laps at Nashville. Driving the No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet, Caruth grabbed the lead on pit road at the end of the second stage. The driver made the most of what his pit crew did for him, never surrendering the race lead. Advertisement "I didn't expect that at all," said Caruth. "Those guys were breathing down my neck the whole run. My pit crew won that race -- Jarius, Zico, Dawson, Josh, Cody -- they won that race for us. Thanks to them, thanks to everyone at the men and women at Spire Motorsports. We've been off this year but good to get a dub tonight, man. I'm out of breath." Heim is the winningest driver of the 2025 season with four wins in the first 11 races, including last weekend's event at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Speaking on the runner-up finish at Nashville, he said, "I feel like clean air was the thing (we needed) tonight. With the third stage being so straightforward, and the lack of strategy going green there, it was tough to come back from not having the lead. I slid through my box in the last stop and didn't do my guys any favors. Just something to reflect on -- on my part. "But big congrats to Rajah. He did an awesome job managing from the lead and I was really free behind him and he made pretty much the right choice every time as for where I was gonna go. It's nice racing against people that aren't going to wreck you, racing for the race lead." Layne Riggs finished a close third with Daniel Hemric fourth and Corey Day fifth. Kaden Honeycutt, Chandler Smith, Ty Majeski, Bayley Currey, and Grant Enfinger filled out the remainder of the top ten. Advertisement Kyle Busch, who had to fight back from a penalty for a restart violation, finished 15th. A straightforward race Rajah Caruth, Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Rajah Caruth, Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Sean Gardner / Getty Images Sean Gardner / Getty Images The race itself got off to a slow start after Frankie Muniz's #33 truck dumped oil all over the track, with Muniz forced to pull out of the race without completing a single lap under speed. The only on-track accident occurred on Lap 55 when Jack Wood and Akinori Ogata spun. Riggs went on to win the opening stage while Heim claimed the Stage 2 win, adding another playoff point to his impressive total. While Caruth never lost the lead in the final 47-lap run, Heim certainly came close as he got to the outside of him with just six laps to go. Caruth ran him high and Heim chose to lift. From that point onward, he had his hands full with Riggs in the battle for second and never got back alongside Caruth. Read Also: Time to worry: Playoff hopes are slipping away for these NASCAR Cup drivers To read more articles visit our website.
Washington Post
3 hours ago
- General
- Washington Post
Riley Nelson hits go-ahead homer in 7th, top national seed Vanderbilt avoids upset against Wright St
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Riley Nelson hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the eighth inning, JD Thompson struck out 12 in eight innings and No. 1 national seed Vanderbilt completed its fifth straight come-from-behind victory at home with a 4-3 victory over Wright State on Friday in the Nashville Regional. Vanderbilt used three late home runs to avoid becoming the first national No. 1 seed to lose a regional opener since the tournament went to its current format in 1999. The top-seeded teams are now 26-0 in openers.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
‘An embarrassment': Tennessee House Republican reacts to Nashville's sanctuary city label by DHS
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — A Tennessee House Republican called the Department of Homeland Security's declaration that Nashville and Shelby County are sanctuary jurisdictions 'an embarrassment' and 'a shame.' DHS included Nashville and Shelby County on its list of sanctuary jurisdictions, which was 'created to identify sanctuary jurisdictions, which are determined by factors like compliance with federal law enforcement, information restrictions, and legal protections for illegal aliens,' according to DHS. Rep. Rusty Grills (R-Newbern) called the label 'sad.' Homeland Security identifies Nashville as sanctuary city 'It's a slap in the face to the rest of Tennessee when you have a mayor or city alderman and Nashville Metro that are trying to circumvent federal law. That's not the way Tennessee operates,' Grills said. 'We operate by rules and regulations, and we obey the laws. When you have a mayor who's gone rogue, that's a problem.' Under state law, it's a felony to enact sanctuary city policies. DHS's new declaration that Nashville and Shelby County are sanctuary jurisdictions raises questions about whether the municipalities are in violation of that state law. Grills argues they are. 'Anytime you have someone that's helping a group of people break the law, that's a problem, and I'm concerned when DHS has to come in and say, 'You know what, Tennessee, you've got two counties that are breaking the law.' That's an embarrassment and that's a shame,' Grills said. However, Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell told reporters Friday he isn't concerned about any potential charges or discoveries of wrongdoing. He questioned how DHS came up with the sanctuary jurisdiction label in the first place. 'I'm puzzled about what criteria they used to include Nashville,' O'Connell said. 'We are not and never have been a sanctuary city. If you look at the state law that defines a sanctuary city policy, there are six factors, and we do not and have not ever had a policy that violates any of those factors.' According to the state law, a sanctuary policy is defined as any rule that prevents state or local officials from working with federal immigration officers, limits sharing information about people's legal status, or blocks ICE from doing its job. 'Metro does not have any legal authority as it relates to immigration enforcement, and we do not impede federal law enforcement actions,' O'Connell said. However, Grills disagrees. ⏩ 'They want to protect criminals, they want to protect rapists, they want to protect murderers, and it's obvious they're willing to create GoFundMe accounts so they can help people that are in this country illegally circumvent the law, that's a problem,' Grills said. Tennessee Congressman Andy Ogles called for a Congressional investigation to uncover any potential wrongdoing by O'Connell. That investigation has begun. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
‘We do comply with the law': Nashville mayor responds to investigation into his office
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell responded Friday to Republicans' claims that the city put Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in danger by sharing their names in a recent report. That document detailed 35 immigration-related interactions between the Metro Nashville Police Department and federal agencies. Nashville criticized for sharing ICE interactions O'Connell said at press conference on Friday, May 30 that it was never the city's intent to make those names public. The information was included in a report created under an executive order that requires Metro employees to let the mayor's office know if they interact with ICE. According to O'Connell, as soon as the names were found, they were immediately scrubbed. 'We've had a training process, and I will say our Metro Nashville Police Department has been very effective in this. We will be reviewing not just how that information is recorded as it comes into publicly available processes, but also then what does get posted,' he explained. 'The interest here is just in transparency. It is not in obstruction or doing anything that would be considered harmful.' Some Republicans have accused O'Connell of putting ICE and Homeland Security Investigations agents in danger. They have also claimed the mayor misused federal money to stop immigration enforcement, but they haven't shared any evidence of that. Metro Nashville appears to quietly remove names from immigration report following GOP criticism O'Connell denied any wrongdoing, insisting no public funds were misused and that Metro has never interfered with ICE operations. 'Metro does not have any legal authority as it relates to immigration enforcement, and we do not impede federal law enforcement actions. In fact, we regularly partner with state and federal law enforcement agencies to take violent criminals off our streets,' O'Connell argued. 'This is the reality. We're very clear-eyed about our legal obligations, and we do comply with the law.' The Department of Homeland Security released a list on Thursday, May 29 of sanctuary jurisdictions 'that are deliberately obstructing the enforcement of federal immigration laws and endangering American citizens.' Nashville was included on that list, along with other major cities like Los Angeles, Denver, and Chicago, as well as Tennessee's Shelby County. However, if Nashville was a sanctuary city, it would be a felony under Tennessee law. 'An embarrassment': Tennessee House Republican reacts to Nashville's sanctuary city label by DHS O'Connell said Nashville does not follow sanctuary city policies: 'I'm puzzled about what criteria they used to include Nashville. As I said at the beginning, we are not and never have been a sanctuary city. If you look at the state law that defines a sanctuary city policy, there are six factors, and we do not and never have had a policy that violates any of those factors.' Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) posted on social media Friday that the federal investigation into the Nashville mayor's office, connected to this month's ICE operation, has begun. Ogles included a letter from two House committees demanding O'Connell turn over documents to Congress by June 12. O'Connell said his office would provide any requested documents to investigators. 'I am not particularly concerned. We're going to, again, respond appropriately to all inquiries, and we have been guided by a full understanding of state and federal law and will continue to be,' he concluded. Ogles claims federal investigation into Nashville mayor has begun U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) also announced Friday that she sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi formally requesting the U.S. Department of Justice launch an investigation into the actions of O'Connell and his office for 'attempting to undermine' President Donald Trump and ICE 'in their work to make Tennessee communities safer by arresting illegal aliens and getting dangerous criminals off the streets.' You can read Blackburn's full letter by clicking here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
