MANILA, Philippines – American music mogul Scooter Braun, who has managed pop stars Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, and Demi Lovato, announced his retirement from his 23-year career in artist management, saying that it’s “time to step into a new role.”

In a series of Instagram posts on Monday, June 17, Braun detailed the reason behind his career move. 

He recalled how he started being an artist manager when he was 19 years old and spent his entire adult life being “on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.” However, his kids with ex-wife Yael Cohen are now getting older and he’d like to spend more time with them. Braun described his three kids, Jagger, Levi, and Hart, as the “3 superstars I wasn’t willing to lose.”

The music mogul also looked back on his feats in his two decades of managing artists, sharing some of his memories with the stars he worked with, among them, Tori Kelly, David Guetta, Quavo, and Dan + Shay.

A huge chunk of his post focused more on the “ride” he took with singers Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande. Before the “Baby” and “God is a Woman” hitmakers became such big names, Braun remembered them as a 13-year-old kid busking in Canada and a Nickelodeon young actress, respectively.

“To see them both come up to be the legends that they are today will forever be one of my greatest honors,” he said. 

In August 2023, Bieber and Grande, together with Idina Menzel and Demi Lovato, parted ways from Braun’s management. Both Bieber and Grande were managed by Braun for more than a decade.

“Every client I have had the privilege of working with has changed my life, and I know many of them are just beginning to see the success they deserve. I will cheer for every single one of them,” Braun wrote on Instagram. 

While he explained that he’d been thinking of stepping down from managerial duties for “the past two years,” Braun shared that he will be succeeded by Allison Kaye and Jennifer McDaniels. 

He then revealed that he will be focusing on his duties as a board member of HYBE and CEO of HYBE America. South Korean entertainment conglomerate HYBE bought the parent company of SB Projects, Ithaca Holdings, in 2021, which led to Braun taking charge of HYBE America.

In his post, Braun said that it’s his “absolute honor” to work with Jungkook and other members of BTS. He also listed several K-pop acts under HYBE such as SEVENTEEN, NewJeans, TOMORROW X TOGETHER, and LE SSERAFIM, noting that the “future is bright.” 

Together with HYBE executives Bang Si-hyun and Jiwon Park, Braun declared that they’ll grow the company into a “worldwide multifaceted entertainment platform it is destined to be.” 

Braun, 43, founded Ithaca Holdings in 2013, and has been managing the company since. 

The music executive has also been under public scrutiny when he purchased pop phenomenon Taylor Swift’s masters in 2019. Despite the backlash from Swift’s fans, Braun sold the masters to Shamrock Holdings in 2020. – with additional reports from Fore Esparanza/Rappler.com

Fore Esperanza is a Rappler intern.