In a recent episode of the Second Thought With Suzy Weiss podcast, music executive Scooter Braun reflected on his highly publicized dispute with Taylor Swift and spoke about how the controversy transformed him into what he described as “a villain.”
The conflict began in 2019 when Braun acquired Taylor Swift’s first six albums through his purchase of Big Machine Label Group, a deal reportedly worth more than $300 million. At the time, Swift said the transaction had “stripped me of my life’s work.”
During the interview, Braun explained that the backlash dramatically changed how people viewed him. He said he went from being “loved and appreciated for over a decade to literally a villain the next night.”
Braun also addressed his limited personal connection with Swift, revealing that despite widespread assumptions, the two barely knew each other. “I don’t want to go into that, I will say something that will really sum it up that I don’t know if I’ve ever really said: I don’t know Taylor Swift. I think I’ve met her in my life three times. I have never had a substantial conversation with her in my life. I, one time, got invited to a private party by her. She told me she had the utmost respect for me. I told her I had the utmost respect for her. You don’t spend $300 million buying a label that she’s on unless you’re excited at the opportunity to work with her. I will never truly understand that situation, to this day. I wish her nothing but the best.”
Braun went on to say that the experience ultimately became a learning opportunity. He explained that he gained “a tremendous amount from it” and chose to use the situation as a chance for personal growth. He also pushed back against the perception that he and Swift had a long standing working relationship. According to Braun, many people are surprised to learn that he never managed her career, rarely interacted with her, and never truly knew her on a personal level.
“And like I said,” he continued, “I think I met her three times in my life, and I think I spoke to her really once for like more than two minutes. But it was a very nice conversation. And beyond that, nothing ever. And then the three years prior to us buying Big Machine, she and I had no contact. I think it was two years. The party was like two years earlier or three years earlier, and then never had any contact through the whole thing. So I’m just as confused that this is part of my life as you are. But I choose to learn and grow from it.” Watch the full interview below.
Following Braun’s acquisition of her catalog, Swift launched her ambitious re recording project, releasing “Taylor’s Version” editions of Fearless, Red, Speak Now, and 1989. In May 2025, she revealed that she had successfully regained ownership of the masters for her first six albums after purchasing them from Shamrock Capital, nearly five years after the investment firm acquired them from Braun.
