Scooter Braun admits he ‘feels a lot of guilt’ over young artists he managed

Music manager revealed he now believes his artists should have had access to a therapist while touring

Scooter Braun has revealed that he still “feels a lot of guilt” towards the young artists that he previously managed.

Speaking to Steven Bartlett on the latest episode of The Diary of a CEO podcast, Braun, 43, looked back at his management career overseeing the likes of one-time child stars Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande.

Braun, who became embroiled in a high-profile feud with Taylor Swift in 2019 after he bought the rights to the master recordings of her first six studio albums, also worked with artists such as Demi Lovato, J Balvin and Carly Rae Jepsen.

“At this age, I feel a lot of guilt,” he told Dragon’s Den star Bartlett. “I feel a lot of guilt because I worked with so many artists and like I told you, I hadn’t taken the time to look at myself or do the therapy myself until I was older.”

“So I didn't understand at 25 years old, at 27 years old, at 30 years old, that they each were coming from very unique backgrounds of their own stuff with their own families and their own childhoods and growing up this way, and being seen by the whole world.”

Braun announced his retirement from music management last year (Getty Images)

The former manager, who announced his retirement from the industry last year, said that he now has a greater understanding of the importance of good mental health.

He also suggested that if he could go back to the earlier stage of his career, he would ensure that all his artists had access to a therapist while on tour.

“I’m very proud of the job that we did and how much we cared and how much the team cared for all the years that we did it,” he said.

Braun helped launch Justin Bieber’s music career (AFP via Getty Images)

“But it doesn’t mean I don’t look back and wish that I knew what I know now. I think I would have had a therapist on the road for all of us.”

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“I would’ve slowed down all of us,” he added.

Last month, Swift announced that she had finally bought back the rights to her masters, almost six years after their sale to Braun, who then sold them to Shamrock Capital in 2020.

“I am happy for her,” Braun said in a statement to The Independent.