HORI7ON elated to showcase Filipino talent at Asia Artist Awards 2023

HORI7ON. Image: X/@HORI7ONofficial

For HORI7ON, being chosen as one of the local acts to make history at the Asia Artist Awards (AAA) 2023 was a “dream come true,” since they consider the experience as a “blessing” for them to display what Filipino talent is made of.

The septet — consisting of Vinci Malizon, Kim Ng, Kyler Chua, Reyster Yton, Winston Pineda, Jeromy Batac, and Marcus Cabais — made history at AAA 2023 last Dec. 14 at the Philippine Arena when they performed a rock version of their debut single “Sixteen,” and became one of the recipients of the Focus Award under the music category.

As seen from the audience, the global pop group displayed their potential to be performance monsters as they took advantage of the three-minute time limit to show off their live vocals and powerful dance moves.

Still reeling from their AAA 2023 stint, HORI7ON admitted during an exclusive interview with INQUIRER.net that they’re still in disbelief with their appearance, saying it was a “blessing” to represent the Philippines at the star-studded awards ceremony.

“We’re blessed to be given an opportunity to be part of the AAA because it’s the first Korean awards show to be held in the Philippines so there was Filipino representation [at the event]. I’m so glad that HORI7ON is part of that, and we can say it’s a dream come true,” Vinci said.

HORI7ON. Image: X/@HORI7ONofficial

With this in mind, the group’s leader and main vocalist saw their AAA 2023 stint as an “opportunity” to showcase the septet’s capabilities as performers, thus the rock version of their debut single. “We wanted to show HORI7ON in a way of what we’re capable [of doing]. We hyped the Filipino crowd and we loved the feedback we received.”

“It was loud. The energy at the Philippine Arena was amazing,” Vinci recalled, while his bandmates nodded in agreement. Reyster and Kim were noticeably smiling in excitement as if bringing back the unforgettable memory.

“Some of the members went out of their way para magawa namin siya (so we can pull it off). Nakapag-tumbling pa kami nang maayos (We even did tumbling well),” Vinci continued in jest, while the rest of the group burst into laughter. “Props to Reyster and Jeromy who really risked their lives in front of the AAA stage. We did a lot of practice for this.”

HORI7ON. Image: X/@HORI7ONofficial

Filipino representation

Representing the Philippines on the stage might have been overwhelming for HORI7ON but Marcus said the group instead chose to view the AAA as another opportunity to “do [their] best.”

“I think it’s not very different. I think we always just prepare and do our best in preparations so we can show HORI7ON’s best performance to the audience,” he said. “In terms of preparations, I think it’s the same. It’s always just practicing a lot. Our goal at the end of the day was to represent Filipino talent and we practiced everyday.”

HORI7ON. Image: X/@HORI7ONofficial

Meanwhile, Winston admitted that there were moments where they felt nervous while preparing for their AAA appearance. But this ignited the septet to build up endurance and confidence, not only in themselves but also the septet as a whole.

“Given na kakabahan talaga kami kasi nakatanggap kami ng ganitong opportunity pero mas nagiging confident na kami at mas nagiging masaya kami kung anong natanggap namin para mas mabigay ang best namin. After all, it’s [our] way to show what Filipino talent is made of,” he said.

(I think it’s a given that we’ll be nervous because it’s a big opportunity for us. But we eventually became confident and happy about what we receive, as it’s a time for us to give our best. After all, it’s [our] way to show what Filipino talent is made of.)

Shifting the topic to their most unforgettable backstage moments, Jeromy and Kyler couldn’t hide their starry-eyed expressions as they talked about interacting with Seventeen’s DK or Dokyeom — who’s also part of the sub-unit Seventeen BSS — and SB19 backstage.

“For me, ‘yung hindi ko makakalimutan is ‘yung nag-Tiktok kami ni Marcus with Seventeen’s Dokyeom kasi Dokyeom is someone na ina-idolize talaga namin (For me, I couldn’t forget the time when Marcus and I did a Tiktok challenge with Seventeen’s Dokyeom because Dokyeom is someone whom we really idolize),” he said.

The Tiktok video that Jeromy was referring to showed HORI7ON’s youngest members being energetic fanboys while dancing along to “Fighting” by Seventeen BSS, while a bashful DK did a “fighting” pose after their short cover.

On the other hand, Kyler said he and Winston dancing to “Sixteen” with SB19, particularly with Pablo and Justin, was his most unforgettable moment in the event.

“Naka-interact namin ang SB19 [para] sa Tiktok (We interacted with SB19 for a Tiktok video),” he added, before tapping Winston on the shoulder while shaking his head in visible excitement.

It hasn’t been a year since HORI7ON made their debut, but based on their AAA 2023 stint and their upcoming single in January, it’s clear that they’re on their way to carving their path in the music industry.