It’s a new dawn for Justin Bieber. He just dropped an album, and most importantly, he just settled his $8 million debt.
Bieber’s recent financial woes have been well documented. In 2022, he sold his entire music catalogue for $200 million, and according to Page Six, even that decision was motivated by his rising debt that reportedly placed him on the brink of going broke. TMZ executive producer Harvey Levin portrayed the sale as a desperate last resort for the “Sorry” singer.
The financial woes reportedly also made him lose something else that he probably expected to have for the rest of his life: his friendship with Scooter Braun. At this point in pop culture, Braun is probably known for his very public spat with Taylor Swift about ownership of her music. Although that was recently concluded amicably for all the parties involved, for some fans, he’ll always be considered a shady music executive.
However, Braun played a completely different role in Justin Bieber’s life. He discovered Justin Bieber through a YouTube cover video and had been shepherding his career and acting as a mentor for the star since. Everything changed when Bieber dropped out of the 2022 world tour Justice because of exhaustion. He had reportedly signed a $40 million advance for the tour and had already been loaned $26 million, which, upon cancellation, he had to pay back.
The singer reportedly also owed Scooter Braun half of $11 million for unpaid commission over the years. Page Six was able to access an audit report by PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC) that revealed Bieber was still $8.8 million in the red with Braun. But recent reports have come out suggesting that the two parties have reached a settlement on the debt owed, and Bieber is expected to clear it soon.
Seemingly, that back and forth has taken a toll on the two’s relationship, and now Braun describes his dynamic with the hitmaker as “not the same as it was.” “I think you get to a point as a man where you want to show the world you can do it on your own. And I completely respect that,” he said.
The music mogul assured that he will always be rooting for Bieber, despite the two no longer doing any business together or having any relationship in general.
Business is business, at the end of the day. Friendships that are rooted in business tend to fall by the wayside when there’s no longer any business to be done. As for Bieber now, he’s released a new album called Swag. The antiquated name aside, the album is being well received online, with fans crediting it for sounding more like his rarely tapped R&B talents that were actually how he was discovered. In the album, he’s made a number of songs celebrating his wife, Hailey Bieber. She’s also been a part of the album art, and this will probably put a momentary rest to all the rumors surrounding their marriage.
As long as he keeps making good music and can prioritize some rest, Justin Bieber will be just fine.
