HYBE Bets on African Music With Tyla Management Deal

HYBE, the South Korean entertainment company behind BTS, SEVENTEEN and KATSEYE, said on December 15 that it is moving into the African music market through a new global partnership with the team that manages Grammy-winning South African singer Tyla. The deal is billed as the first step in a longer-term pipeline for emerging and established African talent.

Under the arrangement, HYBE is teaming with Tyla's co-managers Brandon Hixon and Colin Gayle. The Korean company will supply international infrastructure — including touring, marketing, digital strategy, multimedia production, brand partnerships and creative development — while Hixon and Gayle keep day-to-day artistic control of the acts they represent.

HYBE chief executive Jason Jaesang Lee described the tie-up as a turning point for the company's global ambitions, praising the two managers as partners whose vision could help carry African artistry onto the world stage. Hixon, founder of the management firm We Make Music, said HYBE's global reach complements the way he and Gayle build careers, while Gayle, who leads the Africa Creative Agency, argued that African artists are entering a moment of vast potential.

Tyla, 23, will be the first artist supported under the collaboration. She will continue to be guided by Hixon and Gayle while gaining access to HYBE's worldwide network at a time when her single "Chanel" is climbing the charts, recently reaching No. 26 on the Billboard Global 200. The singer already has ties to the Korean scene, having featured on "When I'm With You" from BLACKPINK member Lisa's solo album and appeared on South Korean variety programming.

The company framed the venture as pairing Black-led creative leadership with a global entertainment operation, adding that it opens the door to collaboration across HYBE's roster and further diversifies the group's catalogue beyond K-pop. Analysts have watched closely as HYBE searches for growth engines outside its established markets in Korea, Japan and the United States.

The African push caps a year of rapid international build-out for HYBE, which has stood up units including HYBE China and HYBE India and debuted the Latin American boy band Santos Bravos. The moves set the stage for a pivotal 2026, when the company has confirmed a March comeback for BTS, an ENHYPEN EP due in January and new boy- and girl-group projects developed with outside collaborators.