Singer Emaza Gibson alleges that Jason Derulo promised her a record deal but then pressured her for sex in exchange for her career advancing — this all charged in a bombshell lawsuit.
“I’m at this point in my life right now, it’s very heartbreaking,” Gibson, 25, told NBC News on Wednesday.
Gibson moved to Los Angeles in 2008 to pursue a music career with her sister, as the music act Ceraadi. Their YouTube channel has over 1 million subscribers.
Gibson’s sister no longer works in music, but Gibson was hoping to pursue a solo career.
In a lawsuit filed Thursday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, Gibson alleges that Derulo eventually dropped her deal after she rejected his sexual advances and invitations to dine out and drink alcohol.
Gibson accuses the “Watcha Say” singer of quid pro quo sexual harassment.
“I have anxiety; I’m traumatized. I’ve dealt with inhumane work situations. … I’m at this point where I’m back to zero and I have nothing,” she said.
According to the lawsuit, in August 2021, Derulo reached out to Gibson for a venture between his music imprint, Future History, and Atlantic Records.
The filing also said that her contract required her to have a single featuring Derulo, and it required her to produce a mixtape in four months and an album in six.
She began working with Derulo to create music to present to Atlantic Records executives, she said.
During this time, Derulo often invited her to drinks and dinner at a members-only lounge. She turned down these invitations, hoping to keep their relationship professional, she alleged.
According to the lawsuit, he also began inviting her to drink during their studio sessions.
In September 2021, she agreed to have a drink with Derulo in the studio and was given “inappropriately large amounts of alcohol,” the suit says.
“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,” Gibson said. “It’s, like, pressure at this point.”
In November of 2021, Gibson traveled to New York City in November to meet with Atlantic executives and finalize her deal.
Before the meeting, Derulo allegedly told Gibson that a woman named Rosa would be joining them.
According to the suit, the woman told Gibson that Derulo invited her along because he was on “some f— shit,” implying that Derulo was in an intimate relationship with Rosa. Derulo then showcased Rosa’s music, the lawsuit alleges.
Gibson saw this as a sign of career progress, “because you’re sleeping with his dude,” she said.
“So I noted that, as well, because, OK, she’s advancing,” she said.
When Gibson commented that she was “thrown off” by Rosa, Derulo allegedly “lost control and began aggressively hitting his arm rests screaming, ‘What does she have to do with you!? We weren’t going to tell you anything! We don’t have to tell you anything!” according to the suit, and he went “radio silent” following this exchange, failing to assign Gibson a project manager for her work, and ignoring messages.
According to the lawsuit, Gibson spoke to an executive from Atlantic records who said,“the Atlantic team wants you to win, but I can’t say the same for Jason.”
Gibson was dropped from Atlantic on Sept. 6, 2022.
Gibson’s lawyer, Ron Zambrano, said Derulo “not only broke promises and breached contracts, but his threats of physical harm and unconscionable sexual advances toward this young woman who is just trying to break into the industry were outrageous and illegal.”
The Post reached out to Jason Derulo and Atlantic Records for comment.
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