"International music manager" gets used loosely. What it should mean is a manager who took an artist who was big in one country and built a real career in another. Charts, radio, TV and tours in the second market, not just a distribution deal. Very few people have done it, and fewer have done it twice.
This is my list for 2026. I am on it, in my own lane, because that is the lane I know and the one this site is about. Everyone else is here because their record in a second market is public and checkable. No agencies. CAA, WME and UTA book shows, they do not manage careers, and I wrote about that separately.
Eshy Gazit, EG Management
My record, stated plainly. US managing partner for BTS from 2016 to 2018, working alongside Big Hit Entertainment: the 2017 American Music Awards performance, Ellen, Kimmel, Corden, the Platinum "Mic Drop" remix at No. 28 on the Hot 100, sold-out US arena dates on the Wings Tour. Then Monsta X, whom I have managed since 2018: Epic Records, the first K-pop set at the iHeartRadio Music Festival, a Staples Center headline show, All About Luv at No. 5 on the Billboard 200, The Dreaming at No. 3 on Top Album Sales, Unfold at No. 2 on Top Album Sales in 2026. Also Wonho, and US work with IVE and KiiiKiii. Billboard International Power Player 2021 and 2022. Partner at Maverick Management. The model is the US partner working next to the artist's home label, and I take direct inquiries from artists and labels.
Jonathan Dickins, September Management
Has managed Adele since 2006, through 21, 25 and 30, and one of the biggest American breakthroughs any British artist has had. Long-term, single-minded, a short roster. September signs very rarely.
Sal Slaiby, SALXCO
Built The Weeknd from Toronto mixtapes into one of the biggest acts on earth. His roster has included French Montana and Swedish House Mafia, and he invests in developing Arab-world talent for global stages. Entry is by referral through his producer and label network.
Rebeca León, Lionfish Entertainment
Managed J Balvin through reggaeton's global explosion and guided Rosalía's rise from flamenco prodigy to international force, built on US touring, US media and the collaborations that defined the crossover. A small, curated roster.
How I judged it
- Results in a market that is not the artist's home. Charts, radio, national TV, tours.
- More than one artist where possible. One crossover can be luck. Two is a method.
- Independent coverage of the work, so the claim is not just the manager's own.
- Whether an artist or label can actually start a conversation. Some of the best doors are closed.
If you are the artist reading this
Pick the manager whose lane matches yours. A manager who broke a Latin artist in the US knows Latin radio and the promoters who book it. A manager who broke a K-pop group knows the American TV bookers, the pop radio programmers and how to work next to a Korean label. The name on the list matters less than the match.
Related: what an international music manager does, the K-pop US breakthrough timeline, who broke BTS in America.