South Korea-headquartered entertainment giant HYBE has restructured its Japanese division, HYBE JAPAN, appointing Kenji Shima to the post of Chief Labels Officer and Jeff Miyahara to Chief Creative Officer.
The changes are part of the company’s ‘HYBE 2.0’ strategy, unveiled last year, which focuses on its shift to a “multi-home, multi-genre” approach to its music business. The company has been rapidly expanding beyond its K-pop roots, with a focus on international markets, in particular Japan, the US and Latin America.
Additionally, YX LABELS, HYBE’s recently rebranded Japanese labels division, is being realigned, with HYBE JAPAN CEO Hyunrock Han taking on the additional role of Representative Director at YX.
In his new role as Chief Labels Officer, Shima will oversee all labels under HYBE JAPAN, which is shifting to a multi-label system. A key part of its strategy will be to expand the reach of Japanese artists to international audiences, a project the company refers to as “Beyond Japan.”
“The primary goal of HYBE JAPAN’s labels is to create artists who can succeed globally from Japan,” Shima said in a statement issued on Monday (June 9).
“To achieve this, we will build an integrated ‘solution’ encompassing all elements from creative and marketing to live performances, fan clubs, and e-commerce, thereby comprehensively enhancing artist value. Furthermore, we aim to contribute to the overall enhancement of Japan’s entertainment industry by expanding these HYBE JAPAN solutions to external partners in the future.”
“The primary goal of HYBE JAPAN’s labels is to create artists who can succeed globally from Japan.”
Kenji Shima, HYBE JAPAN
As Chief Creative Officer, Miyahara will oversee all creative aspects at HYBE JAPAN.
“HYBE is known for creating unforgettable experiences powered by extraordinary talent. As global eyes turn toward Japan’s rich culture and creativity, I’m honored to help spotlight the next generation of global stars,” Miyahara said.
“We believe in music—and its power to connect the world.”
Shima brings with him extensive experience in artist management, A&R, marketing, and label operations at numerous music companies, including Sony Music. He established fearless, Inc. in 2017, spearheading artist brand strategies through the development of music, live performances, visuals, fan clubs, and e-commerce.
Miyahara has more than two decades of experience as a music producer, with 700 songs for some 330 artists under his belt. He has worked with renowned artists in the US, Japan and Korea, among them Girls’ Generation, Miyavi, ONE OK ROCK, BoA, Timbaland, and NCT127. He also brings experience from the entertainment technology field, having launched and exited multiple companies and projects that focus on the fusion of music and tech.
By leveraging Shima and Miyahara’s talents, HYBE JAPAN will focus on “enhancing artist brand value and developing powerful IPs,” the company said.
“We believe in music—and its power to connect the world.”
Jeff Miyahara, HYBE JAPAN
The HYBE 2.0 strategy also includes such moves as opening a new HYBE MUSIC GROUP APAC division to oversee all of the company’s music label businesses based in Korea and Japan, and the reorganization of the three “pillars” of its business, previously encompassing Label, Solution, and Platform, into Music, Platform, and tech-driven future growth initiatives.
A key part of HYBE’s strategy is to adapt its formula for music group creation to the new markets where the company is seeking a foothold. Earlier this week, it touted the launch of Pase a la Fama, a TV music competition that pits aspiring musicians from Mexico, Spain and Brazil against each other to form three bands.
The company also announced it had selected 300 competitors, out of thousands of applicants in Mexico, the US, Brazil and Spain, for a boy band project based in Mexico.
Reality shows and other types of competitions for a spot in a new group are staples of the K-pop industry’s methodology for developing new artists. That methodology centers on structured training and mentorship programs.
In February, HYBE teamed up with Grammy Award winner Ryan Tedder to search for and create a new boy group.
An earlier talent search effort resulted in the launch of girl group KATSEYE in the US last year through HYBE’s partnership with Universal Music Group‘s Geffen Records.
On a recent earnings call, HYBE CEO Jason Jaesang Lee said KATSEYE “had the best year in 2024 with their debut album SIS,” with their title track Touch appearing on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 for two weeks and the Global Song Chart for 13 consecutive weeks.
“The success of KATSEYE demonstrate[s] that the K-pop system can work in the US,” Lee said.Music Business Worldwide
