Jason Derulo 'sued by artist he dropped from label after she rejected sexual advances'
Emaza Gibson claims she thought she'd found her big break after being contacted by Jason Derulo in 2021 - but was then faced with "sexually, emotionally and physically inappropriate behavior".
Jason Derulo is being sued by a musician who claimed he ‘went cold on her’ after she rejected his sexual advances.
Emaza Gibson, 25, has accused the Swalla singer, 34, of ‘quid pro quo’ sexual harassment - meaning that after he signed her, he made passes at her and repeatedly invited her to drink alcohol with him.
Eventually, she claims he dropped her from his label all together when she refused to agree to his requests.
Gibson has built a solid career online via her group with her sister, Ceraadi, before going forward with solo music.
Her YouTube channel has gained an impressive 1.25million subscribers.
However, she originally thought that Derulo reaching out to her in August 2021 was the beginning of something great, due to his weight in the industry.
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He later offered her a joint venture with Atlantic Records and his own music imprint, Future History, where she was required to do a single with Derulo, given four months to create a mixtape, and six months to make an album.
But, according to the lawsuit, she says that after agreeing the deal with him, she experienced aggressive behavior and dealt with implications that she’d need to have sex with him in order to advance her career.
She filed paperwork with the Los Angeles County Superior Court today (October 5th), suing him for the alleged harassment.
Daily Express US has contacted Derulo’s representatives for comment and clarification.
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Gibson has since spoken to NBC News about her alleged experience, saying that she is “traumatized” and believes her career is “back to zero” after investing her time.
She claims the more time they worked together, the more pressure he would put on her to drink alcohol during and after studio sessions.
"I told him that I wasn’t a drinker … so it’s like, you know, you’re not listening to that the first time I tell you, and you’re still pushing on me,” she told the site.
“It’s, like, pressure at this point.”
Eventually things came to a head in November 2021, during a meeting with Atlantic executives in New York City in which Derulo showcased the music Gibson had made to that point.
However, another woman - known as Rosa - was a last minute addition to the group, and it was implied that she was sleeping with Derulo, according to Gibson.
When Gibson admitted she was “thrown off-guard” by Rosa’s attendance, Derulo got aggressive, and after that went cold on her.
While her deal was signed, Derulo gave her no managerial aid, including a project manager, and by June 2022 had told her she was “worrying about the wrong things” when she asked him about budgets.
She was dropped by Atlantic in September that year.
The lawsuit claims Derulo had exhibited “sexually, emotionally and physically inappropriate behavior” during her time working with him - and that it had been witnessed by multiple people.
Atlantic Records has also been named for numerous civil accusations including sexual harassment, breach of contract and violation of the civil rights act in California.
"I’m just trying to fight for what’s right, because what was done to me was not OK,” Gibson told NBC News. “And I wouldn’t want anybody else to go through what I went through.
“They wasted my time. They promised me things. ... ‘Forget the contract.’ That’s what I was told. But if I wasn’t going to do, if I wasn’t doing my part according to this contract, I would be in trouble. I would be held accountable.”
