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Indian Express

‘My story with Justin Bieber isn't over': Scooter Braun calls singer his family, shuts down Taylor Swift song rumours

Scooter Braun is finally speaking, addressing the massive payout from Justin Bieber over the cancelled Justice tour. The former manager, who recently stepped down as HYBE America CEO and moved into a board role, also cleared the air around Taylor Swift's 2022 Midnights track 'Vigilante S—,' which fans believe was aimed at him. He went on to address all the speculation surrounding his professional ties with artists and his personal life, including his divorce from ex-wife Yael Cohen. Braun defended Bieber just days after the pop star dropped his seventh studio album, Swag. Also read: HYBE America CEO Scooter Braun steps down hours after BTS reveal full-group comeback Braun and Bieber are believed to have cut ties, at least from the pop star's side, after the whole financial fiasco. But Braun sees it differently. He still calls Bieber family. The two parted ways in 2023, and while their final settlement just played out days ago, Braun insists the story's far from over. 'That's what happens with relationships like that,' he said on the Question Everything podcast, July 17. 'They ebb and they flow. They go up and down. Sometimes, they go in one direction and sometimes they go another, but you always keep your heart open to the fact that that's family and you have each other's back in the end.' For Braun, it's clear his career path has shifted for good. He's worked with artists like Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato, J Balvin, and even Taylor Swift, but now, he's moved on. He stepped down as HYBE America's CEO and chose a different path. Bieber, he said, was ready to take control of his own life. 'I respect completely that he is his own man now, and he wants to build his career moving forward the way he sees fit, and he should. In the same way, I respect that I want to build my life a certain way moving forward.' And despite the headlines, despite the payout, reportedly $31.5 million over unpaid commissions, Braun still gave Bieber a social media shoutout. He praised Swag, calling it Justin's most honest work yet. Also read: Justin Bieber's Swag becomes one of his worst-rated albums; it's already crashing on streaming charts Braun and Swift have had a long-standing, very public fallout ever since the Cruel Summer singer accused her former manager of selling her music rights. Back then, Swift, in a Tumblr post, called him out for years of 'incessant, manipulative bullying.' Then came her 2022 Midnights album, and right there was Vigilante S—dropping almost at the same time news of Braun's divorce from Yael Cohen went public. Naturally, Swifties connected the dots. Lyrics like 'She gets the house, gets the kids… thick as thieves with your ex-wife' had fans convinced it was a not-so-subtle dig. The timing was way too clean to be a coincidence. But Braun's now set the record straight on Danielle Robay's podcast. He said he never once thought the song was about him. In fact, he even called his ex-wife one of his best friends. 'So me and my ex-wife laugh about that stuff,' Braun said. 'We don't even call each other ex. That's like my partner. That's the mother of my children.' According to him, they co-parent their three kids and talk every day. He's even got a 'same team' tattoo on his finger post-divorce. Braun dismissed the rumours saying that fans and the media just wanted to stir drama. 'Good strategy move,' he said. 'So no, I never thought that was about us. She never thought it was about us and everyone else kind of feeding into the fire.'