Bang Shi-hyuk, chairman of HYBE; Lee Jae-sang, chief executive officer of HYBE; and Isaac Lee, chairman and CEO of HYBE America, were all named to Billboard's 2026 Power 100.
The U.S. music trade publication Billboard on the 28th (local time) on its official homepage announced the "2026 Billboard Power 100" list selecting the most influential figures in the global music industry. On this list, Chairman Bang, CEO Lee and Chairman and CEO Isaac Lee were jointly selected at No. 30 in the "Leaderboard" institutional sector, which names 40 leaders who have had great influence on the global music industry, once again proving HYBE's strong presence in the global entertainment market.
Billboard described HYBE as building overseas bases through a "multi-home, multi-genre" strategy and applying K-pop-style artist and fandom development methods in the global market. Chairman Bang and two other HYBE executives were also ranked fifth in the "Multisector" institutional sector, which evaluates the combined influence across management, concerts and other aspects of music production and consumption.
Chairman Bang has been selected for the list six times in total, in 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 and this year, showcasing his unwavering influence as a leader driving innovation in the global music industry beyond the boundaries of K-pop. Billboard noted that HYBE does not merely export artists produced in Korea to overseas markets such as the United States, and highly evaluated Chairman Bang's K-pop methodology as having taken root as a localized success model in major global markets.
Billboard specifically mentioned the global girl group KATSEYE, produced with Chairman Bang's K-pop methodology, saying, "KATSEYE, produced with Geffen Records, was nominated for the Grammy Award for best new artist." KATSEYE was also simultaneously nominated in the best pop duo/group performance institutional sector, cementing its status as a bona fide global trend group.
First-time listees this year, CEO Lee Jae-sang and Chairman and CEO Isaac Lee, also drew attention. This is seen as recognition of achievements in securing HYBE's future growth drivers and advancing its global business.
CEO Lee led the "HYBE 2.0" strategy, driving industry-leading innovation through the convergence of content and technology, providing fans with new immersive experiences. He also led the establishment of HYBE China and HYBE India last year, accelerating the "multi-home, multi-genre" strategy. Thanks to these achievements, he was named to the 2025 Billboard Power Players list and was recognized by U.S. entertainment magazine Variety as one of the world's most influential entertainment executives last year.
Billboard noted, "It established regional bases in China and India, the two most populous countries in the world," and added, "Last year, not only new artists but Seventeen topped the Billboard top album sales chart with their fifth studio album HAPPY BURSTDAY, and TOMORROW X TOGETHER and ENHYPEN reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200," highlighting the achievements of HYBE Music Group artists.
Isaac Lee, chairman and CEO, is leading HYBE's global strategy in the North American and Latin markets and contributing to the expansion of HYBE's musical territory. Billboard noted Isaac Lee's achievement, saying, "In Latin America, he created the boy band Santos Bravos through a reality series." Santos Bravos, which debuted in October last year after the eponymous reality series, is regarded as a successful fusion of the K-pop system and Latin pop. Isaac Lee, chairman and CEO, was named to the Billboard Latin Power Players 2025 last year.
Meanwhile, the Billboard Power 100 is an annual list in which Billboard selects and announces influential figures in the global music industry, selecting leaders in each institutional sector such as labels, publishing and multisector. This year's list included Lucian Grainge, CEO of Universal Music Group (UMG); Rob Stringer, chairman of Sony Music Group; and Michael Rapino, chairman of Live Nation.
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