TSR Investigates
Aspiring singer Emaza Gibson, also known by her stage name Emaza Dilan, made headlines with a recent lawsuit against pop & R&B artist Jason Derulo. As The Shade Room previously reported, the suit accuses Derulo of quid pro quo sexual harassment, retaliation, breach of contract, and other allegations.
While Derulo has denied the accusations, Dilan is sitting down exclusively with The Shade Room’s Justin Carter to detail her side of the alleged events on TSR Investigates.
As reported by Carter, Dilan is “no stranger to the music industry.” Before her independent career, Dilan was a member of the former girl group founded in 2008, Ceraadi. The group consisted of her sisters, Saiyr and Znuie. However, when Ceraadi disbanded around 2017, Dilan continued her solo endeavors, and her popularity skyrocketed.
Around August 2021, the aspiring singer was contacted by singer-songwriter Jason Derulo. Dilan was ultimately signed to Derulo’s label, Future History, created as a joint venture with Atlantic Records.
“I felt like this was destiny for me,” Dilan told Carter.
However, things would not turn out as Dilan expected.
The aspiring singer says she’s “always tried to keep a professional setting with everyone” she’s worked with. However, when her studio sessions began with Derulo in November 2021, it was allegedly apparent that Derulo had other intentions.
“He was Uber-ing me, so they were from like nine to two in the morning,” Dilan explained to Carter. “But with those sessions, he started to text saying, ‘Are you going to have a drink with me?’ And I told him I’m not a drinker, and he wanted me to go out to dinner with him.”
As the interview continued, Dilan recalled an instance when she accepted an in-studio drink from Derulo.
“I know when you don’t accept an offer [inaudible] can get offended, so I took a sip of the drink, but I let him know that this was a large amount of alcohol — it’s super strong,” Dilan explained. “Then he took a sip of the drink, and he confirmed that it was super strong.”
Dilan ultimately declined to participate further. Then, on a separate occasion, the singer allegedly detailed her boundaries to Derulo.
“Something compelled me in a session with him, to tell him, ‘Hey, I’m not going to bend my morals in order to move forward with my career,'” Dilan told Carter. “And he responds with, ‘Oh, we might have to do goat skin and fish tails.”
The aspiring singer explained that she perceived the term “fish scales” to indicate cocaine use. Additionally, she explained that she also believed the “goat skin” mentioned to be indicative of sexual activity.
According to Dilan’s lawsuit, obtained by Justin Carter, Derulo’s “explicit demand for sex-in-exchange-for-success” continued with “subsequent behavior.” After Dilan allegedly failed to comply, she was reportedly dropped by Future History and Atlantic Records on September 6, 2022, per The Shade Room.
Now, in a suit filed on October 5, Dilan is suing Derulo, Future History, and Atlantic Records for “sexual harassment, retaliation, breach of contract,” and other claims. Additionally, the singer is reportedly seeking “unpaid wages, loss of earnings… damages for emotional distress,” and more.
Watch as Emaza Dilan details her full claims against Derulo below.
At this time, The Shade Room has reached out to Atlantic Records for comment and is awaiting a response. Outside of Derulo’s initial video denying Dilan’s claims, released on October 5, the singer is reportedly working on an additional statement to share with The Shade Room.
This is a developing story. Be sure to check back with The Shade Room for updates.
