UPDATE: Amid conflicting reports about Ariana Grande's status with manager Scooter Braun, a source close to the situation tells E! News she is moving on.
"They are friendly but Ariana has outgrown him and is excited to go in a different direction," the insider says. "Yes there are negotiations happening because of contracts. But this is her choice. It's time for something new."
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Ariana Grande seems to be going with a different pov in her professional life.
One day after Demi Lovato was confirmed to have split from manager Scooter Braun, the "Thank U, Next" singer has also parted ways from the longtime executive after 10 years of working together, according to multiple reports.
However, a source with knowledge of the situation tells E! News that the move is part of a larger shift for Scooter, who also counts Justin Bieber, Black Eyed Peas and Carly Rae Jepsen as clients.
"All of Scooter Braun's clients are under contract and negotiations have been going on for several months as Scooter steps into his larger role as HYBE America CEO," the source shared. "People are spreading rumors based on what they know, but they are off. Scooter's team at SB Projects are still handling both Justin and Ariana as they work through what this new structure looks like."
As for Scooter himself, he responded to the speculation publicly with a tweet shared on X, formerly known as Twitter Aug. 22, that read, "Breaking news… I'm no longer managing myself."
E! News has reached out to Ariana's reps and hasn't received a comment.
The Nickelodeon alum, 30, began working with Scooter on her first studio album, Yours Truly, which debuted in 2013. In fact, the update on their working relationship comes amid the singer celebrating the 10th anniversary of its debut.
As the mogul previously revealed, Scooter signed her after being "blown away by what an incredible voice she had."
"There's kind of a natural beauty about her and this charisma that make you gravitate towards her," he told MTV News that July. "She kind of has this warmth that makes you want to root for her, and that's what you want with an artist. The fact that she has ridiculous vocal range, it was incredible and that she can do it live."
But three years later, as Scooter, 42, would later reveal, the two cut ties briefly before they began working together again.
"With Ariana, I could have said a lot of stuff, and in fact my team wanted me to, because they were pissed," he told Variety in 2018. "But I said, ‘We're not gonna say a word, and this is gonna come back around.' They were like, ‘Never take her back!,' but I just said, "Let's stay quiet and let our truth be our actions."
After noting that the two were able to have a "very honest conversation," he admitted the experience "made him a better manager" moving forward.
"Number one, it allowed me to know that I can be fired, I had never been fired before. It made me know that as much as you give to people in a service business—we do a lot of asset business, but this is a service business—you can never expect anyone to reciprocate. You have to do it for the right reasons, and if you get screwed over in the end, so be it, and hope you had a hell of the ride along the way."
As far as Scooter's relationship with Demi goes, despite the two parting ways four years after she signed with his company, the pair seem to remain on good terms. The entrepreneur recently shared a shoutout to the "Cool for the Summer" singer in honor of her 31st birthday, writing in an Aug. 20 Instagram Story post, "Happy birthday to one of the kindest souls out there."
This story was originally published on Aug. 22, 2023 at 11:46 a.m. PT and updated at 3:59 p.m. PT with information from a source.