The aspiring singer, who has accused R&B star Jason Derulo of derailing her career after rejecting his sexual advances, told that his rejection of all her allegations left her angry, “traumatized” and stressed .
Emaza Gibson, 25, filed a lawsuit against the Whatcha Say singer in Los Angeles on Wednesday. The lawsuit said he became cold after she refused to spend time with him or drink alcohol, routinely insulted her in front of production staff, and once angrily attacked her in front of her mother Sandra, 47.
According to her attorney, Ron Zambrano, this was a quid pro quo sexual assault that had a devastating impact on his client.
In an exclusive interview, Gibson – who also goes by Emaza Dilan – shared how excited she was when TikTok star Derulo, 34, approached her in August 2021 with the offer of a record deal as a solo artist – a joint venture between his Imprint, Future History and Atlantic Records.
Emaza Gibson, 25, filed a lawsuit against Jason Derulo, 34, on Wednesday, claiming he derailed her singing career after she rejected his sexual advances
Emaza said she was excited when the “Whatcha Say” singer promised her a record deal in 2021 – until she realized it came with strings attached, according to a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles County Court NBC has seen
“I’m intimidated,” she told . “I’m traumatized.” I’m stuck in a standstill. He was able to go on The Voice and do all these things and do a tour and all the other things that I was promised.
The deal included a collaboration with Derulo, as well as a single within four months and an album within six months.
But she says things quickly went south after she told him she wouldn’t do anything “that goes against my morals” to pursue her music career, and that the saga ended with him cutting her out and her contract last year was terminated in September.
“I experienced so much stress,” she said. “I have to go to therapy now.” I don’t like being with men.
Derulo has denied all of Gibson’s allegations, calling them “false and hurtful.”
“I reject any form of harassment and continue to support anyone who follows their dreams,” he said in a video posted on his Instagram page.
“I have always strived to make my life positive and that is why I sit here before you and am deeply offended by these defamatory allegations,” he added.
But in her interview, Gibson insisted the allegations in her lawsuit were true
“I’m intimidated,” she said. “I’m traumatized.” I’m stuck in a standstill. He was able to go on The Voice and do all these things and do a tour and all the other things that I was promised.
“Everything I worked so hard for was taken away from me, and for him to go online and say and deny everything…” she added, trailing off before the end of the sentence.
“I don’t expect him to admit anything. But one would think that perhaps there was a misinterpretation in his mind of something he did or said.
“He doesn’t even acknowledge it or take any responsibility.” There are so many women who have horror stories going through the same thing I’m going through.
“It’s just super scary to even speak out.” But I’ve had enough and I’m tired. I am tired. I spent months just crying.’
In November 2021, Gibson said she was fed up with Derulo’s advances and told him she was not willing to betray her morals to succeed in the music industry
Gibson said her world was “turned upside down a year ago,” apparently referring to Derulo’s behavior toward her — although she didn’t explicitly reference it at the time
In her lawsuit, Gibson claims Derulo kicked her out of her record deal after she rejected his advances and refused to go out for drinks. She claims Derulo demanded “sex in exchange for success.”
Derulo has denied all of Gibson’s allegations, calling them “false and hurtful.”
In 2021, Derulo was in a long-term relationship with Jena Frumes, the mother of his young son. Their son Jason King was born in May of the same year.
They split just four months later in September – a month after Derulo approached Gibson, who was in a girl group with her sisters Ceraadi at the time.
Now she says she can’t even record music.
“I don’t feel connected to my songs because I feel like they’re being ripped away from me,” she told .
Lawyer Zambrano, who attended the interview, said that if Derulo truly supported someone achieving his dreams, he would acknowledge the pain and suffering he caused Emaza and “want to be a better person.”
“He should be offended by these allegations, like everyone else, including his fans.” “Emaza’s dismissive attitude is certainly offended,” the lawyer added.
“The entire music industry is facing a #MeToo movement.” “This type of behavior is pervasive, but it takes brave people like Emaza to step out of the shadows and tell their stories to finally put an end to this shameful behavior.”
Gibson was born in Iowa City, Iowa, to mother Sandra and father Rowland, 49. She told that Rowland – who she refers to as “my biological father” – was abusive to both her and her mother.
A review of court records in Iowa, where Rowland still lives, reveals an extensive criminal record dating back to 1993 that includes convictions for domestic violence and loitering, as well as numerous speeding tickets.
His 25-year-old daughter says her father’s behavior only made her more determined to protect herself when she found herself in an uncomfortable situation with Derulo.
She told : “I know abusive men and how they behave. “My biological father was abusive.
“So I know first hand what this is.” And I was put back into that state of mind when he came at me.
“No woman should feel like this.” I felt so insecure. And because my mother was there, you would think that he wouldn’t act the way he did, but he went above and beyond.’
At the time of his allegedly inappropriate advances toward Gibson, Derulo was dating Jena Frumes, the mother of his son. The couple welcomed a baby boy named Jason King on May 8, 2021
“I don’t feel connected to my songs because I feel like they’re being ripped away from me,” Gibson told
Gibbson said Derulo would often work until 2 a.m. and then pressure her to go clubbing with him
Gibson says Derulo initially impressed her when they began recording together shortly after signing with Future History and Atlantic.
She worked on the sessions late into the night – Gibson says they often ended at 2 a.m. or later and were scheduled to begin at 9 p.m.
But as it progressed, Gibson said Derulo often pressured her to go clubbing after work, frequently offered her alcohol and told her she had to partake in “goat skin and fish scales.”
She said she believed “fish scales” was a reference to cocaine, while she realized the meaning of “goatskin” after reading a article about Haiti that described it as one Allusion to rituals involving sex, goat sacrifices and blood. Derulo is the child of immigrants from the Caribbean island.
According to the lawsuit, this explicit reference to sex, as well as an incident in which Derulo made her a cocktail that contained an “inappropriate amount of alcohol” and repeated pressure to go out with him, amounted to an “explicit demand for sex in exchange.” For success.’
Gibson says she was so uncomfortable with it all that she took her mother with her to the recording sessions.
In November of that year, she was ordered to travel from LA to New York for a meeting – one that she thought was just for her, but it soon emerged that it was also with another woman named Rosa.
Gibson says Rosa implied that she had slept with Derulo and when she asked him about her presence, he became angry and yelled, “What does this have to do with you?” at her place.
Although she signed a contract at the meeting, she said Derulo failed to assign her a project manager and ignored her messages – to which she responded by contacting Atlantic executives.
In June 2022, she went to a meeting at his Malibu home, where she said he berated her for asking about the budget allocated to her project and told her he could “always get new records.”
The final straw was a recording session this month that Gibson was late for due to LA traffic.
She says an angry Derulo stormed across the room toward her and insulted her in front of her mother, a videographer and Gibson’s technician, “until he realized how aggressively he was invading plaintiff’s privacy and how inappropriately loud his voice was.”
Gibson says she was crying and shaking in fear, and Derulo left shortly afterward, saying he had to get on a plane.
That was the last time she saw Derulo, and her efforts to speak to executives and Derulo’s manager about his behavior were unsuccessful, she says.
Lawyer Zambrano, who attended the interview, said that if Derulo truly supported someone achieving their dreams, he would acknowledge the pain and suffering he caused Emaza and “strive to be a better person.”
“I don’t expect him to admit anything. “But you would think that maybe there was a misinterpretation in his mind of something he did or said,” Emaza said
On September 6, 2022, she was officially fired from Atlantic and Future History – a decision that devastated her, left her career in tatters and her dreams shattered.
She told : “You have an artist here who has standards and agreements with you.” [Derulo] You agreed, and you’re not even meeting those deadlines.
“And then you don’t even try to keep in touch.” No one from Atlantic could even get in touch with him.
“I don’t understand why he came to me and wanted to sign me and then do all this stuff to me.”
“Because I don’t go out for a drink with him or go to a members’ lounge with him and don’t indulge in goatskin and fish scales, my career suddenly comes to a standstill.”
The 25-year-old told she was devastated that someone she saw as a potential mentor could treat her so badly.
She said: “I was super excited at first. I saw him as someone who was a mentor, a successful artist, someone whose footsteps I wanted to follow in.
“Growing up, I enjoyed his music and when I saw everything he did, I felt like I could achieve the same.”
“I never thought I would be a victim of this aggression and intimidation.” Now. It feels like a nightmare. It really does.’