Demi Lovato has decided to split from her manager Scooter Braun and his company SB Projects after working with him for two years. The pop star, who signed with Braun in May 2019, is looking for a new direction in her career and has not yet found a new management team.
A source close to Lovato told The Post that the singer is grateful for her time with Braun and his firm, but wants to explore other opportunities. The source also said that the split happened last month and was not related to any rumor of Justin Bieber leaving Braun, which both Bieber and Braun have denied.
Lovato, who celebrated her 31st birthday on August 20, has released two albums under Braun’s guidance: “Dancing with the Devil… the Art of Starting Over” in 2021 and “Holy Fvck” in 2020. She is also set to release a new album, “Revamped”, on September 15, which will feature rock versions of her hit pop songs.
Braun praises Lovato as one of the kindest souls
Despite the professional breakup, Lovato and Braun seem to be on good terms as the music mogul posted a birthday message for the singer on his Instagram story. He wrote, “Happy Birthday to one of the kindest souls out there. Happy Bday @ddlovato!!”
Braun, who also manages artists like Ariana Grande, Tori Kelly, Carly Rae Jepsen, and Dan + Shay, was initially hesitant to take Lovato as a client in 2019. He revealed in Lovato’s YouTube docuseries, “Dancing with the Devil”, that he had a plan to say no to her and recommend someone else.
However, he changed his mind after meeting with her and realizing that she needed a friend more than a manager. He said, “She didn’t need a manager, she needed a friend. She needed someone who knew what to do, but didn’t need her to work.”
Lovato opens up about her eating disorder and overdose
Lovato has been vocal about her struggles with an eating disorder, substance abuse, and mental health issues. She suffered a near-fatal overdose in 2018 that left her with brain damage and vision problems. She also came out as non-binary in 2021 and changed her pronouns to they/them.
The singer credited Braun for breaking the cycle of controlling her food intake and giving her a birthday cake for the first time in years. She told Ellen DeGeneres in 2020, “I have a new team, and Scooter Braun, my manager, gave me the best birthday cake. I spent it with Ariana Grande, who is one of my good friends, and we just had the best birthday, and I just remember crying because I was finally eating cake with a manager that didn’t need anything from me and that loved me for who I am and supported my journey.”
Lovato also said that it was dangerous to try to control someone’s food when they are in recovery from an eating disorder. She said, “I think at some point, it becomes dangerous to try to control someone’s food when they’re in recovery from an eating disorder.”