HYBE said on the 16th that it has established a new joint venture, NFO LLC, and will take charge of global management for pop star Tyla.
Tyla is a Gen Z singer-songwriter born in 2002 who won the Best African Music Performance institutional sector at the 2024 Grammy Awards. From South Africa, she gained global popularity in 2023 when her single "Water" reached No. 7 on the U.S. Billboard main song chart, the Hot 100.
Also, Tyla's full-length album released in March 2024, TYLA, entered the Billboard 200 at No. 24 and that same year earned gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America. Her music, featuring a fresh sound blending Afrobeats, Amapiano, pop and R&B, has accumulated more than 3 billion streams on Spotify alone.
HYBE will provide integrated support not only for Tyla's global management but also for core areas needed for artist growth such as touring, marketing and promotion. In addition, while seeking synergies across various business areas including recording, publishing, brand partnerships and merchandise, it will also establish a system to discover and nurture emerging artists in the African region to help strengthen the local music ecosystem.
To this end, HYBE established the joint venture NFO LLC with African music industry veterans Brandon Hixon and Colin Gayle. The two have wide-ranging experience and networks across the global music industry, and together with Jen McDaniels, head of HYBE America management, they are expected to play a major role in completing NFO LLC's vision and diverse portfolio.
HYBE CEO Lee Jae-sang said, "This partnership will be an important turning point in HYBE's global expansion strategy," and said, "By combining Brandon Hixon's and Colin Gayle's expertise with HYBE's global network and resources, we will build sustainable connections so that African artists' artistic talents can be widely known to fans around the world."
Hixon and Gayle said, "The launch of NFO LLC will be a powerful springboard to increase HYBE's presence in the African music market and the rapidly growing Afrobeats genre in recent years," adding, "The fact that we can leverage HYBE's world-class talent and infrastructure is a tremendous opportunity and competitive advantage for both K-pop and African music, so positive synergy is expected."
Attention is focused on whether the 'multi-home, multi-genre' strategy of HYBE chairman Bang Si-hyuk, proven through KATSEYE, which debuted in the U.S. last year and emerged as a "next-generation pop star," will extend to the African music market beyond North and South America, Japan and India.
According to the World Bank's analysis report on the state of the African music industry, streaming revenue for African music in the United States is estimated to reach about $500 million in 2025. That is about five times the figure in 2017. The spread of digital platforms such as YouTube and TikTok has driven the international rise of African artists. The Grammys' establishment of the Best African Music Performance institutional sector and Billboard's new U.S. Afrobeats Songs Chart show that the commercial impact of African genres is growing.
HYBE is transplanting the K-pop production system into global markets to expand its influence. HYBE America and Geffen Records produced top-tier girl group KATSEYE, and HYBE Japan is enjoying success with boy groups &TEAM and AOEN. HYBE Latin America also recently debuted boy group SANTOS BRAVOS and band Musza. In addition, in September HYBE established HYBE India and announced its entry into the market of 1.4 billion people.
[Photo] Provided by PLEDIS Entertainment Co.
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