The septet kicks off their promotion on the Korean music show M Countdown with their hit track, SIX7EEN.
It looks like an all-Filipino K-pop group is set to captivate the hearts of music fans across Asia. Embarking on an international pop journey, members Vinci, Kim, Kyler, Reyster, Winston, Jeromy, and Marcus have finally debuted as the first all-Filipino K-pop group under MLD Entertainment—the same label behind the success of Momoland and Lapillus.
HORI7ON was formed through the idol survival reality show called “Dream Maker,” a collaboration between ABS-CBN Entertainment, MLD Entertainment, and KAMP Global. After the show, the members underwent a rigorous hundred-day “K-training” to better prepare them for their debut.
As the leading exporter and importer of entertainment and media, it is expected that the training in South Korea was much stricter, well-structured, and more synchronized than the ones done in the Philippines. As per group leader Vinci: “We have a fixed schedule every day of what we should do and what we should train for, like vocal, language, and even dance. That’s what makes it a challenge for us.”
HORI7ON Releases First Full-Length Album on Their Debut
On July 24, HORI7ON dropped their first full-length album, Friend-SHIP during their debut media showcase at the Olympic Hall in Songpa-gu, Seoul. The album featured 21 tracks, led by the single SIX7EEN—a clever wordplay of “six”, symbolizing the members’ diverse skills and talents, and “teen”, for their youthful energy to pursue grander ambitions. Additionally, it also includes three pre-released tracks, Dash, Salamat, and Lovey Dovey, which represented their first sail towards the horizon.
Also featured in the album are K-pop girl group Lapillus member Haeun and South Korean Japanese boy group TFN (Try for New) member Noa, who are both working under the same label as HORI7ON. As explained by Vinci, the album contains many charms, group songs, and solo songs. “It also features a strong lineup of collaborations with our ‘seonbaenim’ and we’re proud to show that we’ve also collaborated for our song, “Mama”.”
During the event, the group also officially announced the name of their fandom: ANCHOR. HORI7ON is slated to continue their promotional activities, both in South Korea and in the Philippines. “Moving forward as a global pop group, it’s a very unique case for us because we’re the first all-Filipino group to promote in South Korea, and I think that’s such a rare opportunity for us Filipinos.”As of this writing, HORI7ON’s music video for SIX7EEN has already garnered an astounding 5.1 million views on YouTube. On their debut, the hashtags #HORI7ON_FRIENDSHIP and #호라이즌 were among the country’s trending topics on Twitter.
