All about Scott Borchetta, Taylor Swift's 'Father Figure' on her new album

Pop icon Taylor Swift has included a reference to music executive Scott Borchetta in a track from her newest album, The Life of a Showgirl. Father Figure, listed as the fourth track on the album which was released on October 3 is reportedly based on her relationship with Borchetta, who first signed her as a teenager to his Big Machine Records, according to USA Today.

Borchetta and Swift previously engaged in a public dispute over the ownership of her master recordings from the first six albums that she made with Borchetta’s label. Borchetta first encountered Swift in 2004 when she was playing at Nashville’s The Bluebird Cafe, as per Billboard.

Borchetta, who worked for Universal Music Nashville at the time before founding Big Machine Records, recounted how he began his professional relationship with Swift during a conversation with Billboard, and said,

“I was at Universal then, but I had decided I was leaving. I said, ‘The only promise I can make you tonight is, when I start my label, you have a deal with me.’ She called me 10 days later and said, ‘I’m waiting for you.’”

Taylor Swift and Scott Borchetta feuded when the music executive sold her master recordings to Scooter Braun’s company

Taylor Swift was signed to Scott Borchetta’s Big Machine Records in 2005, and released six albums under the banner, including her first self-titled album, 2008’s Fearless, 2010’s Speak Now, Red in 2012, 2014’s 1989 and Reputation in 2017.

In 2018, Swift signed a multi-album record deal with Universal Music Group (UMG) and its Republic Records. By 2019, Big Machine Records, Swift’s former label, revealed that it was being sold to Ithaca Holdings, a company owned by investor Scooter Braun, according to Vox.

At the time, Swift opened up about her years-long attempt to buy her masters recordings from Borchetta, who she slammed in a post on Tumblr. She wrote,

“For years I asked, pleaded for a chance to own my work. Instead I was given an opportunity to sign back up to Big Machine Records and ‘earn’ one album back at a time, one for every new one I turned in.”

Swift added that she instead chose to walk away from the label. Continuing, she wrote,

“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. Music I wrote on my bedroom floor and videos I dreamed up and paid for from the money I earned playing in bars, then clubs, then arenas, then stadiums.”

Swift also wrote about Braun’s purchase of her former label, and accused him of “incessant, manipulative bullying.”

Around 17 months after acquiring Big Machine Records and Swift’s masters alongside it, Braun sold the master rights in a deal speculated to be worth $450 million, as per Variety. Meanwhile, Swift attempted to gain back some control of her own legacy by re-recording some of her music.

In May this year, Swift surprised her fans with an announcement and shared that she had now bought the masters of her first six albums in addition to other assets related to her music in an extremely fair deal, as per Variety.

Now, with Father Figure, Swift is addressing the alleged betrayal by Borchetta, who was earlier a figure of trust and support for her in the industry. As per USA Today, Swift interpolated George Michael’s hit song of the same name and through her lyrics, to capture her dynamic with Borchetta who betrayed her instead of protecting her.