Scooter Braun on Justin Bieber's Past Troubles: "I'm Really, Really Happy That's Over"

"I honestly at that time felt, if he toured, he could die," Braun said of Bieber.

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Complex Original

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Many know Scooter Braun as the man behind Justin Bieber. Braun discovered Bieber on YouTube and has since supported the the young singer throughout his entire career. In a new interview with the The New York Times, Braun opened up about Bieber's past and road to redemption. "[After “Journals,” Mr. Bieber’s 2013 digital compilation,] he wanted to tour, and I honestly at that time felt, if he toured, he could die," Braun said. "The outsiders don’t really know what was happening. It was far worse than people realize. And when he is ready, he will tell what he was going through. But it’s a hard thing to watch someone you care and genuinely love go through that. I’m really, really happy that’s over."

While Braun tried to help Bieber for a while, he realized it was a change that had to come from Bieber first. "I was trying to do that job for a year and a half, and I failed every single day. It wasn’t until something happened that it clicked for him. He made the conscious decision as a young man: 'I need to make a change in my own life.'”

He also explained that it was a 21 year-old intern who came up with the idea to have Bieber roasted on Comedy Central, which marked the beginning of his apology tour leading up to the immensely successful release of Purpose. You can read the rest of Scooter's interview, where he discussed Ariana Grande's #DonutGateTori Kelly, Adele, and more here.

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