K-pop powerhouse forms joint venture with African music veterans as it expands multi-genre strategy
Hybe announced Tuesday that it has formed a new joint venture, NFO LLC, and entered a global management partnership with Tyla, marking its latest move to expand beyond K-pop into fast-growing international music markets.
Tyla, a South African singer-songwriter born in 2002, won best African music performance at the 2024 Grammy Awards and has emerged as one of the most prominent Gen Z pop artists worldwide.
Under the partnership, Hybe will oversee Tyla’s global management while providing integrated support across touring, marketing and promotion. The company also plans to explore synergies in recording, publishing, brand partnerships and merchandise, while establishing a system to discover and nurture emerging African artists, contributing to the growth of local music ecosystems.
NFO LLC was jointly established with Brandon Hixon and Colin Gayle, both veterans of the African music industry with extensive global networks and experience. The two are expected to work closely with Jennifer McDaniels, president of management at Hybe America, to shape the joint venture’s vision and diversified portfolio.
Hybe CEO Lee Jae-sang described the partnership as “an important turning point in Hybe’s global expansion strategy.”
“By combining the expertise of Brandon Hixon and Colin Gayle with Hybe’s global network and resources, we aim to build a sustainable bridge that allows the artistic talents of African artists to reach fans around the world.”
Hixon and Gayle said the launch of NFO LLC would serve as a strong platform to expand Hybe’s presence in the rapidly growing African music and Afrobeats markets.
“Access to Hybe’s world-class talent pool and infrastructure presents a major opportunity for both K-pop and African music, creating meaningful synergies across genres and regions,” they added.
The move is also seen as an extension of Hybe Chair Bang Si-hyuk’s “multi-home, multi-genre” strategy, which has already borne fruit through projects such as Katseye, the US-based girl group that debuted last year. The multinational group formed in partnership between Hybe and Geffen Records is often cited as proof of Hybe’s ability to export its production and development system beyond K-pop.
According to a World Bank report on the African music industry, streaming revenue for African music in the US is projected to reach around $500 million in 2025, roughly five times higher than the 2017 figure. The global rise of African artists has been fueled by digital platforms such as YouTube and TikTok, while the creation of the Grammy Awards’ best African music performance category and Billboard’s US Afrobeats Songs chart underscores the genre’s growing commercial influence.
Hybe has been actively transplanting its K-pop production model into overseas markets. Through Hybe America and Geffen Records, it launched Katseye, while Hybe Japan has found success with Japanese boy groups &Team and Aoen. In Latin America, Hybe recently debuted boy group Santos Bravos and a coed band Musza, and in September, the company established Hybe India, signaling its ambitions in the world’s most populous market.
jaaykim@heraldcorp.com
