It’s been a wild morning for fans of pop icon Taylor Swift

Earlier this morning, Swift posted a photo of Justin Bieber alongside his longtime manager Scooter Braun on her Instagram Story.

The photo, in which Braun was circled, read “This is Scooter Braun, bullying me on social media when I was at my lowest point. He’s about to own all the music I’ve ever made.”

The story then encouraged fans to swipe up, which lead them to a Tumblr post Swift made, giving the full explanation behind her story.

For years I asked, pleaded for a chance to own my work. Instead I was given an opportunity to sign back up to Big Machine Records and ‘earn’ one album back at a time, one for every new one I turned in. I walked away because I knew once I signed that contract, Scott Borchetta would sell the label, thereby selling me and my future. I had to make the excruciating choice to leave behind my past. Music I wrote on my bedroom floor and videos I dreamed up and paid for from the money I earned playing in bars, then clubs, then arenas, then stadiums. 
Some fun facts about today’s news: I learned about Scooter Braun’s purchase of my masters as it was announced to the world. All I could think about was the incessant, manipulative bullying I’ve received at his hands for years. 
Like when Kim Kardashian orchestrated an illegally recorded snippet of a phone call to be leaked and then Scooter got his two clients together to bully me online about it. (See photo) Or when his client, Kanye West, organized a revenge porn music video which strips my body naked. Now Scooter has stripped me of my life’s work, that I wasn’t given an opportunity to buy. Essentially, my musical legacy is about to lie in the hands of someone who tried to dismantle it.
This is my worst case scenario. This is what happens when you sign a deal at fifteen to someone for whom the term ‘loyalty’ is clearly just a contractual concept. And when that man says ‘Music has value’, he means its value is beholden to men who had no part in creating it. 
When I left my masters in Scott’s hands, I made peace with the fact that eventually he would sell them. Never in my worst nightmares did I imagine the buyer would be Scooter. Any time Scott Borchetta has heard the words ‘Scooter Braun’ escape my lips, it was when I was either crying or trying not to. He knew what he was doing; they both did. Controlling a woman who didn’t want to be associated with them. In perpetuity. That means forever. 
Thankfully, I am now signed to a label that believes I should own anything I create. Thankfully, I left my past in Scott’s hands and not my future. And hopefully, young artists or kids with musical dreams will read this and learn about how to better protect themselves in a negotiation. You deserve to own the art you make.
I will always be proud of my past work. But for a healthier option, Lover will be out August 23. 


Sad and grossed out,
💔
Taylor

Taylor Swift on Tumblr

Posted just two hours ago, Swift’s blog entry has gone viral, and now is receiving the support of various fellow pop stars, including Katy Perry, Ariana Grande and Rihanna.

Halsey has also come out to support Swift, with a comment about how often similar situations happen to female artists.

Today’s post is not the first time Swift has spoken out regarding treatment of women in the entertainment industry, either.

Following her feud with Kanye West, at the 2016 Grammy Awards, Swift made a compelling speech advising all young fans to be weary of who they trust and remember who actually helped them in their times of need.

In 2017, Swift infamously sued- and won against- a radio DJ who groped her during a meet and greet.

And years prior to either of these instances Swift pulled her music from all streaming services in an effort to raise awareness to how little artists were paid for their streams.

This is also not the first time that Braun has been publicly denounced.

In 2010, the manager was arrested after turning himself in on charges of child endangerment and criminal nuisance following a stampede and mob at a Justin Bieber mall event.

Recently, Braun has been continuing to build his clientele, recently signing fellow pop star Demi Lovato.

Neither Braun, Bieber or Lovato have commented on Swift’s post, but Bieber has deleted the caption from the post Swift shared.