K-pop giant HYBE just teamed up with Brandon Hixon and Colin Gayle, the duo managing Grammy-winning South African artist Tyla, to build out a full management operation targeting African talent for global markets. The partnership gives HYBE its first real foothold on the continent after the company already set up shop in Japan, the US, Latin America, China, and India over recent years.
Tyla becomes the flagship artist under this setup, and she keeps her existing managers while getting access to HYBE's touring infrastructure, marketing muscle, and brand partnership network. The deal lets them sign fresh acts and create what they are calling a pipeline for both emerging and established African musicians.
This move breaks from HYBE's usual playbook of training rookies from scratch using K-pop methods. Instead, they are backing proven management expertise and riding the wave of African music growth, which saw Sub-Saharan streaming revenues jump past $100 million last year with genres like Afrobeats and Amapiano blowing up worldwide.
Tyla becomes the flagship artist under this setup, and she keeps her existing managers while getting access to HYBE's touring infrastructure, marketing muscle, and brand partnership network. The deal lets them sign fresh acts and create what they are calling a pipeline for both emerging and established African musicians.
This move breaks from HYBE's usual playbook of training rookies from scratch using K-pop methods. Instead, they are backing proven management expertise and riding the wave of African music growth, which saw Sub-Saharan streaming revenues jump past $100 million last year with genres like Afrobeats and Amapiano blowing up worldwide.
