Who is Scott Borchetta? ‘Father Figure’ trends online as Taylor Swift seemingly hits out at former mentor in new song

American pop icon Taylor Swift has released a new song titled Father Figure which is part of her 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl.

The latest track appears to be about her former mentor, Scott Borchetta, a record executive best known as the founder of Big Machine Records.

"I’ll be your father figure / I drink that brown liquor / I can make deals with the devil / Because my d**k's bigger / You want a fight, you found it / I got the place surrounded,” she sings in the song, which is about power struggles, betrayal, and broken trust, according to USA Today.

"When I found you, you were young, wayward, lost in the cold / Pulled up to you in the Jag / Turned your rags into gold / The winding road leads to the chateau / 'You remind me of a younger me' / I saw potential," Swift continued.

While Taylor Swift hasn’t explicitly named Scott Borchetta in Father Figure, fans and critics online are speculating that it could be about her former mentor and Big Machine Records founder, under whom Swift released her first six albums.

Notably, their relationship turned sour when Borchetta sold his company to Scooter Braun’s Ithaca Holdings in 2019 and later to Shamrock Capital. This deal included Swift’s master recordings.

Earlier this year, Taylor was able to buy back her entire music catalog.

Now, in the wake of Father Figure’s release, both the song’s title and Scott Borchetta are trending online, especially on X.

“Father Figure, being about Scott Borchetta, makes so much sense, and yet I never saw it coming,” a netizen wrote.

“Father Figure is 100% about Scott, and it's about d**n time he got his lashings,” another netizen wrote.

“Who's the father figure now?” a fan asked.

“Father Figure…… OMG Taylor!!!!!! I’m on the floor, send help lol #TSTheLifeofashowgirl,” another fan wrote.

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More about Scott Borchetta as Taylor Swift’s ‘Father Figure’ trends online

63-year-old Scott Borchetta is a record executive who discovered Taylor Swift in 2004, performing at the Bluebird Café in Nashville, Tennessee. The following year, Borchetta signed Swift as the first artist under the imprint Big Machine Records.

Thereafter, he served as the CEO and President of the Big Machine Label Group that encompassed: Big Machine Records, Nashville Harbor Records & Entertainment, The Valory Music Co., and Nash Icon Records.

Scott Borchetta, a native of Burbank, California, also served as an in-house mentor on the 14th and 15th seasons of the music reality TV show, American Idol. He is also a sports car racer who competes in the Trans-Am Series, as well as the owner of the NASCAR Xfinity Series team, Big Machine Racing.

Before Big Machine, Scott served as an executive at several recording labels, including DreamWorks Records, MCA Records, and MTM Records.

Scott and Taylor collaborated on her first six studio albums, during which time she turned from a country music singer and songwriter to a global pop icon. In 2018, when she attempted to purchase her master recordings, the negotiations stalled, and she ultimately left Borchetta’s label.

She soon signed with Universal Music Group and ensured guaranteed ownership of her future masters, beginning with her 7th studio album, Lover. Meanwhile, a legal battle ensued between the two parties.

When Scott Borchetta sold off Big Machine Records to Scooter Braun’s Ithaca Holdings, that also included selling off Taylor Swift’s masters of her first six albums. Later, Shamrock Holdings purchased the same from Braun.

Over the years, Swift has maintained that Borchetta and later Braun have prevented her from owning her master recordings. She wrote an open letter in 2019 where she wrote, in part:

"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."

Taylor Swift continued, “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... 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.”

Meanwhile, in June of that same year, her former mentor issued a public letter where he wrote:

"So, it's time for some truth… Taylor had every chance in the world to own not just her master recordings, but every video, photograph, everything associated with her career. She chose to leave."

Borchetta claimed that he made an “extraordinary” offer to Swift, which she turned down. He added that Taylor was reportedly briefed on the matter and the pending sale to Scooter Braun.

Since May 2025, Taylor Swift has bought back her master recordings from Shamrock Capital and now owns her entire catalog.

Meanwhile, a few hours before Swift announced her engagement to Travis Kelce in August, Borchetta made the news for donating $15 million to Middle Tennessee State University, which renamed its College of Media and Entertainment after him, as per USA Today.

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Swift’s brand-new number, Father Figure, is an interpolation of George Michael’s 1987 song, Father Figure, from his album, Faith. According to USA Today, Taylor has incorporated a portion of Michael’s melody and beginning chorus lyrics into her own version.

George Michael died from heart failure in 2016. However, the team running his posthumous X account posted a message on the platform thanking Taylor Swift for the interpolation.

“Thank you @taylorswift13 for including George in such a special moment. Father Figure (Taylor’s Version) is out tomorrow #TSTheLifeofaShowgirl,” the caption read.

The message continued, “We were delighted when Taylor Swift and her team approached us earlier this year about incorporating an interpolation of George Michael’s classic song 'Father Figure' into a brand-new song of the same title to be featured on her forthcoming album.”

Michael’s team added that when they heard Taylor’s version, they had “no hesitation in agreeing to this association between two great artists.” They also mentioned that George “would have felt the same.” The message ended with George Michael Entertainment wishing Swift “every success” with her new song and album.

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The Life of a Showgirl has a total of 12 tracks and is now available on all music streaming platforms.