All-Filipino idol group HORI7ON wants to make Philippines proud with debut in South Korea  

The all-Filipino idol group HORI7ON has officially entered the South Korean entertainment industry with its debut in Seoul on Monday, July 24.

HORI7ON is made up of seven members who were discovered and selected via Dream Maker, the survival reality-talent search jointly mounted Korean talent management agency MLD Entertainment and the Philippine media company ABS-CBN.

With ages ranging from 14 to 23, the members are Vinci (leader/lead vocalist), Kim (vocalist), Kyler (vocalist), Reyster (main rapper), Winston (vocalist), Jeromy (main dancer) and Marcus (vocalist).

Prior to their debut, HORI7ON members lived and spent the past three months in Korea to undergo 100 days of the so-called K-system — a pre-debut program for aspiring idols — under MLD Entertainment (the company behind the K-pop girl group Lapillus, whose members include the Filipino-Argentinian Chanty). The training includes Korean language lessons.

To introduce themselves to K-pop fans and industry watchers, HORI7ON held a press showcase and album showcase for fans at the Olympic Hall, a popular concert venue in Seoul.

With ages ranging from 14 to 23, the members are Vinci (leader/lead vocalist), Kim (vocalist), Kyler (vocalist), Reyster (main rapper), Winston (vocalist), Jeromy (main dancer) and Marcus (vocalist).

They also dropped their official debut single SIX7EEN, the music video of which has since generated two million views in 24 hours. The song comes from their first studio album titled Friend-Ship, a 21-track package described as the “group’s first sail,” carrying the septet and their fans’ “dreams and hopes,” as they move towards the direction of “world pop.” The album also features Filipino songs Salamat and Mama.

“HORI7ON’s debut carries a special significance for the Korean industry as it expands into the global music scene,” The Korea Herald wrote.

Meanwhile, the group was still on a high from the events the day before when The Philippine STAR interviewed them via Zoom on Tuesday afternoon.

If you ask the members, the debut is certainly the biggest highlight yet from their entire journey as an idol group — the fruit so far of their sacrifices and hard work.

“We’re so happy, overall, with everything,” Marcus said. “We successfully debuted after all the hard work.”

“We sacrificed a lot and nakita po namin yung bunga ng sinakripisyo namin,” Kim shared. “And we’re so happy kasi parang dumadami na yung Anchors dito sa Korea and na-appreciate ng mga Koreans yung performance namin.”

Further referring to their fans who call themselves as “Anchors,” Marcus said, “We’re so happy for the Anchors. We see how happy they are, and we see how much they love our new album Friend-Ship. We really did work hard for this album. So, I’m happy.”

The Anchors, for the band’s leader Vinci, are the reason why they were able to cope with the unimaginable pressure as a foreign act trying to gain attention in the “epicenter” of the K-pop industry.

In the days leading to the debut, Vinci recalled, “I feel like yung Anchors talaga ang nag-motivate sa amin to push through until our debut happens.

“They are the ones who are telling us to keep moving forward. Because, of course, not all the time we’re up to it, we sometimes feel down. But when we see how hard they work for us, that’s when we want to reciprocate the love back.”

After getting one foot inside the door of the K-pop industry, Vinci said that moving forward, “we want to be artists that other artists and other people look up to, you know, to be a role model.

“And also to showcase the different sides of what we can do because we have so many members that offer different strengths and unique personalities. Yan po yung gusto namin maipakita that we’re one entity, we’re so much better together.”

They also admitted that with every performance, their mindset is to make fellow Filipinos proud.

“Gusto namin maging inspiration for, you know, maybe future Filipinos who want to be idols as well. We’re doing something that’s not really done before… It’s something new, we want to be a pioneer for that… we are really doing our best every day to reach for our dreams.”

Having commenced promotional efforts for their music in the entertainment powerhouse that is Korea, hopes are up that HORI7ON will reach a wider international audience.

So, what’s next for HORI7ON? They teased that they will be performing in more music shows in Korea, which “will happen very, very soon.”

They earlier taped for Music Core, a TV show being aired by Munhwa Broadcasting Corp. (MBC). A Korean reality show 100 Days Miracle, which documented their pre-debut preparations, is also available on M2 YouTube Channel, M-Net TV Channel digital studio.

In previous interviews, it was mentioned that there are plans to bring them to international markets besides Korea. For one, they are set to perform at a festival in Mexico City in August alongside other K-pop idols. A homecoming in the country is also in the works.