Writer & Editor: Pooja Vishwanathan (Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, India)

HYBE enters India: A Cultural Remix Beyond K-pop

What happens when one of Korea’s biggest entertainment empires sets its sights on India? The worldwide sound of K-pop is about to take a desi turn in an unexpected plot twist. 

In a bold and unprecedented move signaling its South Asia ambitions, HYBE – the parent company of BTS, SEVENTEEN, TXT, and ENHYPEN is preparing to launch an Indian subsidiary by late 2025. With the doors expected to open soon, around September or October, we might be looking at the start of a new cultural era. India represents a unique opportunity for HYBE, not just from a consumer’s point of view, but with a plethora of new talent and cultural fusion. With over 600 million people under the age of 25, skyrocketing internet access, and an increasingly global music palate, India is ripe ground for pop innovation. 

HYBE could soon be exploring Indian artists, teaming with Bollywood, or even experimenting with multilingual tracks that blend Korean, Hindi, and English. This isn’t just another development—it’s a strategic bet on one of the world’s fastest-growing youth markets and economies. The company’s ‘Multi-home, Multi-genre strategy’ is met with both enthusiasm and mixed reactions as it enters the diaspora and plans to expand its division in India. 

Inside HYBE: The Company Reshaping Global Pop Culture

To understand why HYBE’s move into India is such a major moment, it’s important to see how the company evolved from a small Korean label to a global entertainment force.

HYBE. You might have heard the name. Housing some of the biggest K-pop acts in the world, the company started its groundwork from scratch in order to create an empire that stands tall and proud to date. Formerly known as ‘BIG HIT ENTERTAINMENT,’ which was founded on February 4th, 2005 (it’s been nearly two decades) by Bang Si-hyuk, aka Bang PD, it went under construction and got rebranded as HYBE Corporation on March 31st, 2021. Big Hit became ‘BIG HIT MUSIC’ under HYBE’s new label division. The gritty, unpolished aesthetic of early Big Hit videos gave way to a more refined, globally appealing sound and style two years ago. 

With a fresh look, the company soon went global and launched several subsidiaries to make a strong impact. Not wanting to stay behind in Korea, it was Bang PD’s vision to go beyond the borders and do something remarkable. 

HYBE operates as a record label, talent agency, music production company, event management company, and concert production company, including a music publishing house. It has multiple subsidiaries under it, including Big Hit Music, Belift Lab, Source Music, Pledis Entertainment, KOZ Entertainment, and ADOR, collectively known as Hybe Labels.

Tailoring Global Sounds for Local Hearts

This move is a part of Bang PD’s long-held belief that to grow, K-pop needs to evolve and survive globally. The announcement regarding the opening of the Indian subsidiary was made through Korean media on June 30th. In their statement, HYBE iterated, 

We are currently conducting local market research and handling the practicalities of setting up the corporation, with the goal of launching around September or October.

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A post shared by Bang Si-Hyuk (@hitmanb72)

Bang, in the year 2023, talked about the K-pop fandoms and how they are engaged and are very much loyal in terms of intensity and what they do. He said, 

To truly grow, we must remove the ‘K’ from K-pop and meet wider audiences in wider markets.

The idea is to transport that vision of the K-pop production system, which involves a tightly integrated structure of talent scouting, training, music-making, and fandom management, into new markets. India, home to 1.4 billion people and one of the fastest-growing entertainment sectors in the world, is his next major gamble, which seems doable at this point, given the fact that following all localization methods has so far worked in other parts of the world. 

Expanding Beyond Borders: HYBE’s Strategic Shift

HYBE’s global ventures didn’t mold without a vision and a long-term goal of expanding beyond borders and establishing a sense of hope and commitment towards fans, fandom, and the music industry in general. K-pop, as before, is no longer limited to just Korea. It has managed to break barriers and instill a new phenomenal culture of its own. The masses are eager to learn about the Hallyu wave and jump on the bandwagon as part of their escapism, love, and passion for all things similar, and to support idols whom they adore ardently. The fan-centric engagement is such that the global scene is slowly taking shape and transforming into a hub that is both the present and the future. 

It’s more than meets the eye. HYBE’s string of successful launches across the US, Latin America, Japan, and the recent one in Beijing stems from their belief and the fact that people have something new to look up to. Among them, the most tangible one is HYBE America’s girl group Katseye, launched last year in June 2024. They have already made a raucous debut and climbed the dream chart of most pop stars and people alike—“THE BILLBOARD HOT 100”—in less than a year. Similarly, in Latin America, HYBE’s business is slowly taking shape. Having opened a regional office in 2023, they launched two major projects aimed at discovering and onboarding talented artists. Pase a la Fama, a local band audition program created in joint partnership with Mexico’s Telemundo, has already become everyone’s favorite. And another similar creation is underway to form a Latin boy group, keeping in mind the same techniques that the K-pop industry uses. 

HYBE Japan is also enjoying the same level of success with their boy group &team, who have carved a niche for themselves in such a short span and made a name and a place in everyone’s hearts. Following their peers’ footsteps, Aoen, who made their debut in June, also topped the Oricon charts, surpassing the line. The group was formed through audition,  a strategy that aligns with Bang’s belief in localization through familiar media formats.

Lastly, a newly opened branch in China has, as of now, no such plans of creating a launchpad for newbies. They will continue to support and provide all kinds of arrangements for the existing artists and watch and assess the market situation over time. 

A HYBE representative stated that, 

The strategy of establishing footholds in major global music markets and applying this methodology is already producing results. It is predicted that if this trend continues, the landscape of the global music industry, currently dominated by the so-called global ‘Big Three’ businesses, will undergo a significant transformation.

Why India Makes Sense for HYBE’s Global Ambitions

Why does India make sense for this big leap? Housing a population of over 1.4 billion, including a digitally tech-savvy youth, India represents a significant growth opportunity for global music labels. One of the reasons why HYBE is planning to open a subsidiary is how the Indian market is functioning right now. A lot has changed since lockdown, like the increase in the number of fans post-COVID. They got many opportunities and became more sound and aware thanks to the media and the internet. K-dramas like Crash Landing On You, Lovely Runner, Squid Games, Itaewon Class, and Kingdom, etc., added more fuel to the fire, soaring to sudden popularity.

And songs like Dynamite, Butter, Back Door, Psycho, etc., gave the masses additional reason to gravitate towards Korean culture, especially K-pop and K-dramas that have a lot to offer and often give messages of hope, self-love, positivity, and exude a relatability factor, which makes them stand out from the crowd. 

The world’s biggest entertainment players are finally tuning into the country’s frequency—and this time, the volume’s turned all the way up.

What are your thoughts on HYBE’s move into India? Are we on the edge of a cultural crossover—or the birth of something completely new? Drop your thoughts in the comments below!