HYBE’s New Venture With Grammy-Winning Pop Star Sparks Strong Reactions

Everything regarding her career growth will be managed by HYBE.

K-Pop conglomerate HYBE is gearing up to expand to African music, and Tyla, the Grammy-winning global popstar, will be the first artist to work with them in this partnership.

Tyla | @tyla/Instagram

According to reports on December 16, KST, HYBE announced that it has established a new venture, NFO LLC, with Brandon Hixon and Colin Gayle, that will handle the global management of Tyla.

Born in 2002, Tyla is a Grammy-winning pop star from South Africa. She rose to global prominence with her 2023 single, “Water,” and has enjoyed sustained popularity with follow-up releases, such as “PUSH 2 START” and “CHANEL.”

Under this new management partnership, HYBE will provide integrated support not only for Tyla’s global management but also handle core areas essential to artist growth, including tours, marketing, and promotions. This announcement has drawn a radically divided response from netizens. Internationally, the reactions have been largely negative, with many questioning HYBE’s intention with this deal.

They are about to steal my sister's USB and use the songs for their groups https://t.co/7X9J9PH8np pic.twitter.com/4UOYw62zXh

— . (@buattawin) December 15, 2025

the way hybe is monopolizing global music just like they did with kpop is actually scary asf… https://t.co/rX8dpsikcu

— Pikachu (@quarrelpinks) December 15, 2025

for non kpop fans, this is like tyla getting israels support https://t.co/wVTiEdoYHJ

— strawberry flavoured (@seoyeonpill) December 15, 2025

not hybe trying to become the amazon of the music industry https://t.co/OcdL0bdnYK pic.twitter.com/uvkulY52iR

— ⁷🥀⁺¹ 🎭 (@bratz4mingi) December 15, 2025

On the other hand, Korean fans have expressed their excitement at the possibilities.

| theqoo

• “Isn’t she the singer of ‘CHANEL?’”
• “Daebak! Please make her come to Korea. I love Tyla so much!”
• “I love Tyla.”
• “Good!”
• “Tyla, please come to Korea.”