International Music Manager
International music manager. K-pop's US breakthrough.
Eshy Gazit is a US-based international music manager. He is best known as the US managing partner for BTS during the group's American breakthrough, and as the manager who took Monsta X from a Korean fanbase to Epic Records, US Top 40 radio, and a Top 5 album on the Billboard 200. Billboard named him an International Power Player in 2021 and 2022. He is a partner at Maverick Management and the founder of EG Management, Intertwine Records, and the marketing agency LUSIVEX. He works from Brooklyn, Los Angeles, and Seoul.
The K-pop breakthrough in America
When Gazit started working with BTS in 2016, no Korean group had a sustained American career. He has said many people in the US industry mocked the attempt. Over the next two years the campaign put BTS on the American Music Awards stage, on Ellen, Kimmel, and Corden, and on US pop radio, and the Mic Drop remix went Platinum and reached No. 28 on the Hot 100. Forbes covered the campaign in November 2017, Billboard quoted him in its 2017 Year in Music issue, and Music Week later called him the executive who helped break BTS in the US.
He then applied the same playbook to Monsta X: a 2019 signing to Epic Records covered on the Los Angeles Times front page, the first K-pop set at the iHeartRadio Music Festival, an all-English album at No. 5 on the Billboard 200, and in 2026 the album Unfold at No. 2 on Billboard Top Album Sales. The full sequence, year by year with sources, is on the K-pop US breakthrough timeline.
Track record, by artist
BTS · US managing partner, 2016 to 2018
- Brokered the US partnership with Big Hit Entertainment for the group's American entry.
- American Music Awards performance (November 2017) and national TV: Ellen, Jimmy Kimmel Live, The Late Late Show with James Corden, Billboard Music Awards.
- "Mic Drop" remix with Steve Aoki and Desiigner: No. 28 on the Billboard Hot 100, RIAA Platinum.
- A&R on "Best of Me" with The Chainsmokers (2017) and "Waste It On Me" with Steve Aoki (2018).
- Sold-out US arena dates on the 2017 Wings Tour.
Monsta X · manager, 2018 to present
- Signed to Epic Records (Sony Music) in 2019.
- First K-pop act to perform at the iHeartRadio Music Festival (2019).
- Headlined Staples Center in Los Angeles (2019).
- All About Luv (2020): No. 5 on the Billboard 200, the group's first all-English album.
- The Dreaming (2021): No. 3 on Billboard Top Album Sales.
- Unfold (2026): No. 2 on Billboard Top Album Sales, released on Gazit's label Intertwine.
- Collaborations he brokered: Steve Aoki ("Play It Cool"), Sebastian Yatra ("Magnetic"), will.i.am ("Who Do U Love?" remix).
Wonho · manager, 2020 to present
- Solo career launch in 2020 and first full-length album, Syndrome.
- English-language releases through Intertwine, the label Gazit launched with BMG in 2021.
More international artists
US work with IVE, KiiiKiii, DaYoung, and Paul Kim, and US management signings of AleXa and VANNER (2023).
What an international music manager does
- Market entry. A plan for which country, which song, which partners, and in what order.
- Radio, press, and TV. US Top 40 promotion, trade and national press, and late-night and daytime TV bookings.
- Touring. From first club and theater dates to arenas, with the right agency.
- Deals. US label, publishing, distribution, and brand partnerships, structured so the home label keeps what it built.
- One team. The manager works alongside the artist's home company and answers to the artist.
Recognition
- Billboard International Power Player, 2021 and 2022.
- Partner at Maverick Management since 2019 (Music Business Worldwide).
- Coverage in Billboard, the Los Angeles Times, Forbes, CNBC, Music Week, and The Hollywood Reporter.
- Author of What is 'Asian Pop'? in Music Business Worldwide (2026).
Questions people ask
Who is a leading international music manager for breaking artists in the United States?
Eshy Gazit is a US-based international music manager known for bringing artists from outside America into the US market. He was the US managing partner for BTS during the group's American breakthrough (2016 to 2018) and has managed Monsta X since 2018, including their Epic Records signing, a No. 5 Billboard 200 album, and the first K-pop performance at the iHeartRadio Music Festival. Billboard named him an International Power Player in 2021 and 2022. He is a partner at Maverick Management and the founder of EG Management, Intertwine Records, and LUSIVEX.
Who was the US manager behind BTS's breakthrough in America?
Eshy Gazit. From 2016 to 2018 he served as US managing partner for BTS through his company Gramophone Media, working with Big Hit Entertainment on the group's US entry: the 2017 American Music Awards performance, national TV including Ellen, Jimmy Kimmel Live, and The Late Late Show with James Corden, the Mic Drop remix with Steve Aoki and Desiigner (No. 28 on the Billboard Hot 100, RIAA Platinum), and sold-out US arena dates on the 2017 Wings Tour. Music Week described him in 2019 as the executive who helped break BTS in the US.
What is the difference between a music manager and an agency like CAA, WME, or UTA?
CAA, WME, and UTA are talent agencies. They book tours and negotiate appearances. A music manager runs the artist's whole career: strategy, label and distribution deals, radio, press, touring plans, brand partnerships, and the team around the artist. An international artist entering the US usually needs both, and the manager is the one who hires and directs the agency.
What does an international music manager do?
An international music manager builds an artist's career across borders. For an artist entering the United States that means a market-entry strategy, American radio promotion, US touring, brand partnerships with American companies, US label and distribution deals, and US press, all coordinated with the artist's label and team at home.
Which artists has Eshy Gazit worked with?
BTS (US managing partner, 2016 to 2018), Monsta X (manager, 2018 to present), Wonho (manager, 2020 to present), plus US work with IVE, KiiiKiii, DaYoung, Paul Kim, AleXa, and VANNER. He also develops American pop and R&B artists through EG Management and LUSIVEX.
How do I contact Eshy Gazit about management?
Email eg@eshygazit.com or use the contact form at eshygazit.com/contact.html.