The manager puts the blame on himself for the struggles faced by Bieber, saying he 'failed' the singer 'day after day.'
- Sep 30, 2017
AceShowbiz - Scooter Braun talked about Justin Bieber's public meltdown. The former So So Def Recordings marketing executive who discovered Bieber felt partly responsible for a lot of troubles that the Canadian star had faced since his rise to stardom.
"Justin's stuff got to a point where it was a problem," the manager opened up to WSJ magazine. "It was worse than people realized." He added, "I failed him day after day. We were living in hell because he was in such a dark place."
"Some of the biggest people in the industry, people invested in Justin's career, told me, 'It's over. Focus on something else. That kid is done,' " he continued. "I made a promise to him when he was 13 that I would never give up on him. I plan on keeping that promise."
"Our relationship really struggled," he admitted, "but I started to learn things that made me a better man." He went on, "When the time came and Justin needed the resources to get back on track, I wanted to make sure I was a rock and someone he could turn to."
"He's family. I think the relationship is more like a big brother, especially because he's become a man," Braun said. "I think he's seen the worst of himself, and to watch him rise out of it was amazing."
Scooter Braun also revealed how he became Kanye West's manager. "I said no nine times when Kanye asked me to work with him, because I liked being friends with him," he said. "Then he put me in a position where I couldn't say no: He just told everyone I was his manager."
He recalled his friends' reaction after signing the rapper as his client. "They told me, 'You're crazy. This is going to kill you,' " he remembered. "But I get joy out of being around the guy. It's not always easy. Nothing great is."
