Ariana Grande has not ‘dropped’ Scooter Braun because she is still contractually tied to her long-term manager for several more years, despite seeking new management with Brandon Creed, insiders have claimed.

It was reported that Grande, 30, had signed with Creed’s newly-launched Good World Management last weekend, months after she allegedly parted ways with Braun, 42, marking a decade since he helped catapult her to fame with her debut album, Yours Truly.

But insiders close to the situation have since told DailyMail.com that despite wanting to part ways with Braun, she is still very much tied to the record executive, at least legally.

‘Although Ariana has indeed found new music management, she has not dropped or cut ties with Scooter because she is tied in contractually,’ they said.

‘She continues to be contractually bound to Scooter as there are several long term contracts still in place.

‘If Ariana were to release a new album tomorrow, she would still be obligated to pay Scooter in addition to Brandon. Nothing has changed there.’

However, it seems that Grande is doing the best she can not to collaborate with Braun, with a second source insisting: ‘She is not working with Scooter.’

In fact, the second insider said that there are currently ‘legal proceedings pending’ over the contract ending, revealing: ‘There are legal proceedings pending over what, if anything, each party is entitled to as a result of the contract ending.’

Still, the popstar is continuing to work.

Earlier this year Grande shared several pictures with her collaborator Max Martin, which fans took as confirmation she is working on her eagerly awaited seventh album.

While Grande began attempting to end her contract with Braun some time ago, the insiders added that she grew further frustrated with him over his handling of the scandal that arose from her romance with her Wicked costar Ethan Slater.

Sources close to Grande however insisted that this was not the reason behind her decision to part ways with the music mogul.

‘Ariana wanted Scooter to do an immediate intervention to salvage her image after being accused of breaking up Ethan’s marriage,’ the source continued.

‘But Scooter was not there for her in her time of need and this just wasn’t right to her.’

The couple met in December last year while shooting the upcoming film adaptation of the smash-hit Broadway musical Wicked in the UK, in which she plays Glinda the Good Witch alongside Slater as munchkin Boq.

Reports that the pair were dating first surfaced in July, amid their respective divorces – Grande from Dalton Gomez, 28, and Slater from Lilly Jay, 29.

The Dangerous Woman singer finalized her divorce from the real estate agent on October 6, nearly two years after they married in an intimate ceremony at their home in Montecito, California.

Documents listed their separation date as February 20, 2023 – which was branded ‘absolutely impossible’ by a separate source close to the singer.

‘Saying she was split with Dalton in February is absolutely impossible,’ they previously told DailyMail.com.

‘Dalton was with her in February and they both gushed over each other for Valentine’s Day. He was in London a couple times after February, including in April when Ariana and Dalton went on double dates with Ethan and Lilly.’

Grande’s camp has denied any suggestion of an affair.

The double Grammy winner is the latest artist to sign on with Creed, who launched his Good World Management in July, after leaving Full Stop Management.

Creed, a ‘longtime friend and colleague’ of Braun’s, also manages Troye Sivan, Mark Ronson, Charli XCX, and Normani.

‘[Ariana] likes that [Brandon] understands her on a different level and between acting and music, she has a lot coming up and is excited to have found a new support system to help her execute her plans,’ an insider told Billboard on Sunday.

A second source added: ‘She wants the focus to be her art and he puts her artistry and vision before anything else. He is the perfect person to help her execute her visions for this next chapter of her life and career.’

Braun managed a roster of talent through his management company, SB Projects, including Justin Bieber, Demi Lovato, Kanye West, J Balvin and Kid Laroi.

Grande’s departure from Braun was first reported by TMZ in August – the same month Lovato and Braun ended their contract as part of an ‘amicable’ agreement.

At the time, a separate source told DailyMail.com this was untrue, claiming that ‘people are spreading rumors based on what they know, but they are off’ in their speculation.

Just hours after the news was revealed, Braun poked fun at his professional predicament on Twitter.

‘Breaking news… I’m no longer managing myself,’ he wrote.

Following Levato’s departure, reports then surfaced that Bieber – who he discovered on YouTube in 2008 – was also leaving the music manager.

Billboard dismissed the reports, confirming that Bieber had signed a seven-year contract with Braun in 2020.

Braun is also involved in Grande’s R.E.M. Beauty through his HYBE America corporation.

In 2021, Braun sold Ithaca Holdings – the parent company to his SB Projects talent management company – to Korean K-Pop entertainment giant HYBE for $1.06 billion.

In August, Braun assumed the role of CEO of HYBE America – forcing him to step back from his former role as a talent manager.

Several months prior, in May, R.E.M. Beauty announced in a press release that the brand had secured funding from major investors including Sandridge Capital, Live Nation, Universal Music Group, and Braun’s HYBE America.

Braun’s sale of Ithaca Holdings – which, in addition to Braun’s former talent management company SB Projects, also owned Big Machine Label Group – which owned the rights to Taylor Swift’s first six albums.

She is currently in the process of re-recording them all under the moniker ‘Taylor’s version.’