Hailey Bieber seemingly shades Scooter Braun with ‘Obsessed’ selfie after his praise of Justin Bieber’s ‘Swag’ album

Justin Bieber recently released his newest album, Swag, on July 11, 2025. The album is the singer's first new album since 2021's Justice. The album was released via ILH Productions and Def Jam Recordings. After its release, the album was received well by critics.

One of those critics was Scooter Braun, the former manager of Bieber, who praised the album in a statement via his Instagram story, here quoted via US Weekly's article on the matter on July 12, 2025:

"This is, without a doubt, the most authentically Justin Bieber album to date. It’s beautiful, raw and truly him. And that matters. I’ve had the privilege of witnessing [Justin’s] growth for almost two decades. Along every journey, there comes a time when an artist fully steps into their own — and that’s what he’s done here."

Scooter Braun continued:

"He poured his soul into this project, and you can feel it in every single run. The way he chose to release it is just as intentional as the music itself. I’m happy to see him do it his way."

Braun added:

"I have played no roll [sic] in the one, but as someone who’s always believed in him, I’m incredibly proud and impressed and genuinely enjoying this music. Justin has a special tone that I have witnessed for almost two decades..."

Scooter Braun's praise for the album came just a few days after Braun and Bieber allegedly reached an agreement surrounding unpaid commissions and a tour loan that Braun paid for Bieber after the latter canceled a tour in 2022.

Hailey Bieber was apparently not impressed by Braun's words and seemingly threw shade at him by posting an exaggerated selfie with Mariah Carey's Obsessed track superimposed over the selfie image:

Scooter Braun discovered Justin Bieber in 2008

Scooter Braun was the manager who discovered Justin Bieber in 2007 and convinced his mother, Pattie Mallette, to allow Bieber to sign with him. This launched Bieber's career as a pop star, with the next few years seeing him rise to become one of the most popular teen idols of the decade.

Bieber would go on to release multiple highly successful studio albums under Braun's management, including Purpose, released in 2015. Purpose remains to this day Bieber's most successful album, with over several million copies sold around the world and a diamond certification in Mexico.

Braun not only helped Justin Bieber manage his music but also other aspects of his life, including helping him tide over his teen years and associated crisis period in 2014 and so on.

As reported by Business Insider in 2022 in their exposé of Braun (published on February 29, 2022), Braun helped manage Bieber's public image, allegedly at the cost of other artists under Braun and his company's management. The article also indicates Braun interfered in the relationship between Bieber and his ex-girlfriend Selena Gomez.

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The relationship between the two started to change after Justin Bieber and Hailey Rhode Baldwin married in 2020. Hailey reportedly took a close interest in her partner's career, leading to rumors that Bieber was seeking new management.

This was shut down by representatives of Bieber, with Billboard in 2023 reporting that Bieber was under contract with Braun and his company till 2027. However, Braun retired in 2024, after most of his artists left SB Holdings, his company.

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