US Manager · J-pop · Japan
US manager for J-pop artists. J-pop management in America, next to the home team in Japan.
In short: a US manager for J-pop artists runs the American side of a career for an artist from Japan, next to the artist's home agency and home label. Japan is the second-largest music market in the world (Music of Japan), so a J-pop artist often arrives with a strong home business. The US is a different system: separate roles, English-language radio, and an industry that works while Japan sleeps. A US manager closes that gap by being on the ground in America every day. EG Management is a US management company for international artists, in particular Asian and Korean artists, founded by Eshy Gazit, US managing partner for BTS from 2016 to 2018, working alongside Big Hit Entertainment, and US partner for Starship Entertainment since 2018, among others.
J-pop in America: what a US manager changes
| Starting from Japan | What it means in America | What the US manager does |
|---|---|---|
| Most J-pop is written and sung in Japanese | US radio and US playlists mostly play English-language songs | Picks the songs that lead in America, the collaborations and the positioning for the US audience |
| Japan is thirteen or fourteen hours ahead of New York | US calls, bookings and decisions happen while the artist sleeps | Takes the calls and makes the decisions day to day, next to the home team |
| In Japan the agency and the label often plan the whole career together | In America the manager, the agent, the label and the publicist are separate | Holds the American side together and speaks for the artist to each of them |
| A home deal may cover Japan or Asia only | The US rights need their own home | Shops the US side: a major label deal, a label services partner or a distributor |
| Every US trip is a long-haul flight | Each visit has to carry TV, radio, shows and meetings | Builds each trip around the moments that matter in America and keeps the work moving between trips |
What a US manager does for a J-pop artist
The US manager is the artist's partner in America: on the ground 24/7, talking to the industry every day and finding new possibilities for the artist every day. The work rests on passion and on US relationships built over years of experience. The full job:
- A&R: the songs, the producers and the American collaborators.
- Marketing and positioning for the US audience.
- US television and US radio.
- Day to day management of the American side of the career.
- Shopping the deals: major label deals, special opportunities, shows and brand deals.
- Working alongside the home agency and home label, so the artist has one plan in two markets.
J-pop management in the US: manager, agent, label
| Role | What it does in America |
|---|---|
| The manager | Runs the whole career and leads the US team |
| The booking agency | Sells shows and routes the tour |
| The label | Invests in recordings and handles releases, marketing and radio promotion |
| The publicist | Works US press around the release |
In Japan one company often plans several of these jobs. In America they are separate, and the US industry expects to talk to each one. That is why a J-pop artist with a strong home agency still needs a US manager: someone has to hold the American side together. For US press, marketing and influencer campaigns, EG Management works with LUSIVEX, a US music PR agency for international artists. The Japanese-language version of the manager page is here.
Eshy Gazit's record
Eshy Gazit is a US-based international music manager. He was the US managing partner for BTS from 2016 to 2018, the years of the group's US breakthrough (Music Week), and US partner for Starship Entertainment since 2018, among others, and has managed Monsta X since 2018 and Wonho since 2020. 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. The step-by-step record is in the K-pop US breakthrough timeline and the page on US management for international artists.
For the marketing side of a US release, LUSIVEX publishes guides on how to release music in the US as an international artist and how US radio promotion works.
Guides for artists from other markets
- US music manager for artists from Singapore
- US manager for T-pop artists from Thailand
- US manager for Mandopop artists from Asia
- US music manager for Filipino and P-pop artists
- US music manager for artists from Southeast Asia
- US music manager for artists from Malaysia
- US music manager for artists from Australia
- US music manager for artists from the UK
- US music manager for artists from Canada
- US music manager for artists from Nigeria
- US music manager for artists from South Africa
- US music manager for artists from India
J-pop US manager: frequently asked questions
What is a US manager for J-pop artists?
A US manager for J-pop artists is a manager based in the United States who runs the American side of a career for an artist from Japan. The manager works alongside the artist's home agency and home label and does the full US job: A&R, marketing, positioning, TV, radio, day to day management, and shopping the deals, from major label deals to shows, brand deals and special opportunities.
Do J-pop artists need a US manager to break into America?
The US industry is built around separate roles: manager, booking agency, label, publicist. Television bookers, radio programmers, promoters, labels and brands expect a US manager to call them and make decisions while the artist is in Japan, thirteen or fourteen hours ahead of New York. A sustained US career has usually needed a US manager on the ground, working next to the home team.
Can a J-pop artist keep the agency in Japan and add a US manager?
Yes. A US manager works next to the home agency and the home label. The home team keeps Japan and the US manager runs the American side, so the artist has one plan in two markets.
Does a J-pop artist have to sing in English for the US?
No. English can help at US radio, and Japanese-language songs can still find a US audience. A US manager decides which songs lead in America, which collaborations make sense and how the artist is positioned there.
Who is a J-pop US manager I can contact?
Eshy Gazit is a US-based international music manager. He was the US managing partner for BTS from 2016 to 2018, and US partner for Starship Entertainment since 2018, among others, and manages Monsta X and Wonho. EG Management is a US management company for international artists, in particular Asian and Korean artists. Inquiries go through the contact page.
Last reviewed November 12, 2026
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