Brandishing a lifelong passion for music, fresh perspective on the business, and boundless vision, James Dai exemplifies a new vanguard of music executive equally attuned to artistry and strategy. 

At just 28-years-old, Dai is just as comfortable in the studio as he is in deal negotiations. This combination of love for the artform and proven business acumen has yielded multiplatinum success and household name recognition for a bevy of genre-busting acts, including keshi, boywithuke, Chezile, and more. 

As a kid in Oakland County, MI, music was always his calling from a very young age. At eleven-years-old, he received his first “clip-on MP3 player” as a gift. He learned as much as he could about artists via Google and studied the iTunes Charts, watching who made what hits and when. Post-high school, he achieved a scholarship to attend Soka University of America in Orange County, CA. He did everything he could to begin a career in music, working at the local radio station, promoting for a nightclub, and interning in music publishing. An internship with the Gordy Family proved particularly inspiring as Kerry Gordy encouraged him to pursue management. 

He spent countless hours looking for new music online, discovering keshi before the artist had even started a YouTube account. James assumed management duties in 2018, working with the rising phenomenon to tell his story and build an immersive world in the process. As buzz grew, keshi landed a deal with Island Records. “During the signing dinner, I was still too young to drink,” laughs James. Nevertheless, he shepherded keshi from headlining a 150-cap venue in his native Houston to selling out Madison Square Garden in New York and Kia Forum in Los Angeles within seven years together. Under his watch, keshi delivered the acclaimed Gabriel [2022] and Requiem [2024], scoring consecutive Top 30 debuts on the Billboard 200 and tallying billions of streams. Simultaneously, he ignited the rise of BoyWithUke who took flight with the Platinum-certified “IDGAF” [feat. blackbear], Double Platinum-certified “Toxic,” and Gold-certified “Two Moons.” Other management successes included Xavier Weeks’s smash “Team” and Chezile—renowned for the hit “Beanie.” In total, his clients have cumulatively generated over 9 billion worldwide streams, achieved 8 RIAA-Certified Gold or Platinum Records, and sold out over a dozen arenas globally.