Scooter Braun Reacts to Justin Bieber's Album After Financial Settlement
Scooter Braun thinks Justin Bieber hit the sweet spot with his new album.
Days after the “Baby” singer agreed to pay his former manager $31.5 million for show cancellations and unpaid commissions following the end of their business relationship in 2023, the former Hybe America CEO shared his thoughts on Justin’s latest album, Swag.
“This is, without a doubt, the most authentically Justin Bieber album to date,” Scooter wrote on his Instagram Stories July 12. “It’s beautiful, raw, and truly him. And that matters.”
After all, it was Scooter that discovered the Grammy winner in the late aughts after stumbling upon one of his performance videos on YouTube. And while the two have since cut ties for good, the 44-year-old—who also worked with Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande and Demi Lovato before retiring from music management last year—made it clear that he will never stop cheering Justin on.
“I’ve had the privilege of witnessing his growth for almost two decades,” Scooter gushed. “Along every journey, there comes a time when an artist fully steps into their own—and that’s what he’s done here. He poured his soul into this project, and you can feel it in every single run.”
Even when it came to how the “Beauty and a Beat” singer dropped his seventh studio album with very little warning on July 11, Scooter commended the thoughtfulness and care that went into all aspects of the project.
“The way he chose to release it is just as intentional as the music itself—and I’m happy to see him do it his way,” he continued. “I have played no role in this one, but as someone who’s always believed in him, I’m incredibly proud and impressed and genuinely enjoying the music.”
As for how Justin’s wife Hailey Bieber—with whom he shares 10-month-old son Jack Blues Bieber—reacted to his album? Since the cover art features a black-and-white snap of their baby boy and the lyrics include subtle nods to the singer’s personal life, the Rhode Beauty founder was happy that the album was quieting some of the breakup rumors on social media.
“Is it finally clocking to you f--king losers?,” she wrote on her Instagram Stories July 10, referencing a viral video of Justin confronting paparazzi for following him while he took an evening trip to Malibu beach.
"You're not getting it, it's not clocking to you," Justin told photographers in the June 13 clip. "It's not clocking to you that I'm standing on business."
To see how else Justin has stood on business throughout his career, keep reading…
When Bieber released Under the Mistletoe, his first holiday album and second studio album, in 2011, he found himself decidedly on Santa's Nice List. The LP debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, making it the first Christmas album released by a male artist to ever do so. It would eventually be certified Double Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for selling over 2 million units.
In early 2013, Bieber surpassed Lady Gaga to become the most followed person on Twitter. Later that same year, Katy Perry's follower count would eclipse his, but he'd eventually bounce back. Bieber still ranks as the most followed musician on the social media platform and only fifth most followed person overall.
Given the popularity of the concert flick in the early 2010s, it came as no surprise that Bieber would land himself one. And when Justin Bieber: Never Say Never was released in 2011, it broke box office records as the documentary with the biggest opening weekend of all time. Earning $73 million in the United States alone, the movie stood as the highest grossing concert film until Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour film dethroned it in 2023.
In 2013, the RIAA revealed that "Baby," Bieber's smash hit off his 2010 debut album My World 2.0, was the highest certified single of all time at 12x Platinum. Thanks to the then-novel inclusion of streaming numbers, the song surpassed Elton John's "Candle in the Wind 1997," which sat at 11x Platinum. It would eventually be dethroned by another song involving Bieber, but more on that in a minute.
With the debut of "What Do You Mean?"—the lead single off Bieber's fourth album Purpose—atop the Billboard Hot 100 in 2015, it marked the star's first No. 1 hit. As Bieber had only just turned 21, the success of the trop-house bop made him the youngest male artist to debut a track at the top of the chart.
Two years after a somewhat challenging appearance as host of Saturday Night Live, Bieber allowed himself to be the brunt of the joke when he was the guest of honor at a Comedy Central Roast in 2015. The youngest celebrity to ever be the subject of one of the specials, he delivered in the ratings. The broadcast stands as the third-highest rated, just under Jeff Foxworthy in 2003 and Charlie Sheen in 2011.
In 2017, Bieber jumped on a remix of Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee's "Despacito," helping propel the track to the top of the Billboard Hot 100. The success marked the first time a song sung primarily in Spanish had reached No. 1 in the U.S. in over 20 years, following in the footsteps of Los del Rio's 1996 hit "Macarena." The song would spend 16 weeks atop the chart, tying the record held by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men's "One Sweet Day." (That record would, of course, be broken by Lil Nas X's "Old Town Road" in 2019.) The song became the first Latin song to receive a diamond certification from the RIAA, eventually going on to unseat "Baby" as the highest-certified single of all-time in the U.S.
"Despacito" also helped Bieber make another bit of history himself. Reaching the chart's peak a week after "I'm the One," his collab with DJ Khaled, did the same, it made him the first artist to ever notch new No. 1s in back-to-back weeks. The track has sold over 13 million units in its run, per RIAA.
Branching out from entertainment, Bieber launched clothing brand Drew House in 2019 alongside friend and former stylist Ryan Good and designer Gianpiero D'Alessandro. The collection of tees, hats, coats and stickers are all usually emblazoned with a yellow smiley face logo or, simply, the word "drew." Bieber later separated from the brand in 2025, instead launching Skylrk.
In January 2020, the Biebs began releasing a 10-part docuseries on YouTube titled Justin Bieber: Seasons. The first episode broke the all-time record for the most-watched premiere in its first week, amassing more than 32 million views. The in-depth look at the performer detailed his physical and mental health issues as well as his battle with drug addiction. Bieber not only starred but also executive produced.
When Changes, Bieber's fifth studio album, was released in early 2020, it debuted atop the Billboard 200 chart. Factoring in remix albums Never Say Never: The Remixes and Believe Acoustic, the LP marked Bieber's seventh to hit No. 1 in his career, making him the youngest solo artist to ever do so in the United States. Justice later spent two weeks at No. 1, breaking his own record.
Of course, we'd bet that if you asked Bieber himself, none of these achievements over the last 10 years even hold a candle to his partnership with wife Hailey Baldwin. After years of on-off dating with Selena Gomez, he started dating the model in 2015. Though they split in 2016 and he and Gomez briefly gave their romance another shot, Bieber and Baldwin reunited in May 2018 and were quickly engaged. They got married in a civil ceremony that September, holding a lavish wedding exactly one year later.
As he told Apple Music's Zane Lowe in February 2020, "I got the best wife in the world. She supports me through so much. I'm really honored to be her husband."
And in 2024, two became three when the couple welcomed their son Jack Blues.
The Biebs' next album, Justice, debuted atop the charts of ten countries. If you haven't lost count, this marked his eighth No. 1 album. At just 27 years old, he became the youngest soloist to achieve eight No. 1 albums in the U.S. But that's not the only record the singer broke. With the release of "Peaches," Bieber became the first solo male artist to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard 200 chart simultaneously.
On The Zach Sang Show, Bieber said his goal with the album was "to inspire, to uplift, and to provide joy in this time." It clearly resonated with audiences everywhere.
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