Last November, stories started to spread that Lady Gaga split with her longtime manager, Troy Carter, due to "creative differences." The split came right around the release of her third album, ARTPOP, though Gaga was allegedly phasing out Carter's role months before they made it official.
Carter played an integral role in Lady Gaga's success, to say the least. He signed on as her manager in 2007 and was there every step of the way to her become a mega pop star. And then, just like that, she dropped him. It's been nearly three months since their split, and Carter hasn't talked about it publicly. Until now. In an interview with Fast Company, the 41-year-old talent manager and entrepreneur opens up about his work with Gaga. How's he holding up? Pretty good, actually.
For starters, Carter is worth an estimated $30 million. Over the years he's made significant investments in companies like Lyft, Dropbox, Spotify, and Pop Water. His own company, Atom Factory, manages John Legend, emerging Los Angeles band Ceremonies, as well as the newly added John Mayer. He's also reportedly aligning with Justin Bieber's manager, Scooter Braun, in a $120 million investment fund that includes other major players. So yeah, life after the Fame Monster isn't so bad. Still, Carter is grounded as he plans his next moves. "Money doesn't make me tick," he says. "This definition of success doesn't make me tick. Managing some of the biggest stars in the world doesn't make me tick. Making my family proud makes me tick."
An interesting note about Carter's life story; his history with rap runs pretty deep. A native of West Philadelphia, Carter worked with Will Smith and DJ Jazzy Jeff for some time before becoming a concert promoter. One of his clients was The Notorious B.I.G., who he helped when the Brooklyn rapper was in the area. Carter also used to manage Eve, who he signed to his talent-management company when the Philadelphia rapper was just 19. The two had a great run together, until Eve fired him in 2007. While the move initially left Carter bankrupt, he eventually landed on his feet.
Read the full interview with Troy Carter here.
[via Fast Company]
RELATED: Lady Gaga Releases New Version of "Do What U Want" With Christina Aguilera
RELATED: Rick Ross Jumps on Lady Gaga's "Do What U Want" Featuring R. Kelly
RELATED: Lady Gaga's artRave: An Expensive Multimedia Extravaganza
