For HORI7ON, ‘Lucky’ is a reminder of how far they’ve come

HORI7ON in a concept photo for “Lucky.” Image: Courtesy of MLD Entertainment

When HORI7ON debuted in July 2023, they had a goal to bridge the gap between the Philippines and South Korea through music. The seven-piece act remains firm with this goal eight months later.

The growth of Vinci Malizon, Kim Ng, Kyler Chua, Reyster Yton, Winston Pineda, Jeromy Batac, and Marcus Cabais — clad in their matching denim ensembles — during their comeback showcase in March was undeniable. Their vocals echoed throughout the venue and their movements were sharp as a knife, but they remained effervescent as ever as soon as they sat with INQUIRER.net for a one-on-one interview.

“We will forever have the goal [of bridging the gap between South Korea and the Philippines] in mind. We’re mostly based in South Korea, so we still try to build the bridge in each nation,” recalled Vinci while his bandmates nodded. But he immediately broke into a smile when he looked back at their Asia Artist Awards (AAA) 2023 stint in December 2023.

“When we performed on AAA, people were like, ‘What? They’re Filipinos?’ So we have to work on the Philippine side and that’s what we’re aiming for. We really want to work on the Filipino market and let them know we’re Filipinos,” he continued while adding in jest, “Nagta-Tagalog kami, guys!”

HORI7ON members (from left) Winston, Reyster, Marcus, and Kim. Image: Courtesy of MLD Entertainment

Vinci’s simple quip led the rest of the group to burst into laughter, with some even clapping their hands. He immediately followed up with the popular “Ha, hatdog” — a joke common among Filipinos — prompting the rest group to burst into another fit of laughter.

He then turned serious as soon as the topic of his leadership was brought to light. When asked how he leads HORI7ON, he pointed out that he turns on his “leader switch” when it’s needed. For Vinci, he doesn’t have a specific style of leading the group, but he believes “always wanting to be transparent” is crucial in HORI7ON’s growth.

“I always try to be transparent about the shortcomings we have as a group. We always try to highlight the weaknesses, not just the strengths of each member, so we can improve together,” said Vinci while Kim, Kyler, Reyster, Winston, Jeromy, and Marcus nodded in agreement.

“We really synthesized together as a group to bring out the chemistry that we have. We all have different personalities and backgrounds that I respect as a leader. I want to equalize that para pantay-pantay kami and isang grupo kami (so we can be equal and come together as a group). I’m leaning towards the more critical and tough love side now,” he continued.

‘Lucky’ as a symbol of growth

On the surface, “Lucky” is a vocal and dance extravaganza. HORI7ON, however, believes the track is a display of love for people who matter to them, including their families and dedicated fans or Anchors.

“We really want to emphasize our loved ones and our Anchors. We also want to emphasize that we’re so lucky to have our Anchors by our side at all times,” Marcus said. “We all worked hard for this comeback. We gained a lot of confidence knowing that we’re all prepared to show our efforts to our Anchors.”

Reyster, on the other hand, said the song is another labor of love for the group which explained their desire to do better. “It’s about making effort sa aming ginagawa (It’s about putting effort into the things we’re doing now),” he added.

HORI7ON members (from left) Winston, Kyler, and Jeromy. Image: Courtesy of MLD Entertainment

An overwhelming wave of cheers was then heard from behind the camera. The writer and HORI7ON paused for a moment to listen, with the members almost in disbelief at how much their fanbase had grown.

This led to the group being starry-eyed as they recalled how much their lives had changed since their debut. “Hindi ako makapaniwala sa naging [takbo] ng buhay ko which is maging part ng HORI7ON,” Kyler admitted. (I couldn’t believe at how much my life has changed since joining HORI7ON.)

Meanwhile, Jeromy said performing has been a dream of his, but he didn’t realize that being part of the group would allow him to do so. “I’m so lucky because this is so unexpected. I didn’t expect this to happen. I feel so lucky,” he said. Winston echoed his remarks, saying he’s happy to have a “platform to inspire the youth to go for their dreams.”

Kim, who pondered at his words, said he makes it a point to remind himself that the opportunity to be part of a global pop group is not something that shouldn’t be taken lightly.

“Alam kong opportunity na nabigay sa’min, hindi ito nabibigay sa lahat (This opportunity is not given to anyone). This is why we’re not taking it for granted. We’re giving our best with what we’re doing right now,” he said.

HORI7ON: Courtesy of MLD Entertainment

Moving forward

Another member who shared the same thoughts as Kim was Winston. For him, looking back at the things he had done was a way of remaining humble rather than focusing on how “lucky” he is.

“I always try to look at the past things [we’ve done], and with this, I realize how ‘lucky’ I am to be in this position. This is how I get to show who I truly am,” he added.

But apart from the glamor of idol life are moments of self-doubt and sadness. Marcus admitted that HORI7ON feels down “many times,” but the mix of their youthful nature and “Pinoy mindset” is what pushes them to keep pushing forward toward their goal.

“I think the best way — for us as seven guys — we can all easily say that we’re youthful and energetic. Siyempre, ‘yung pagka-Pinoy namin, we’re very fun. But when we’re feeling sad, we have this thinking na, ‘Tomorrow, babawi tayo.’ And then, we start fresh every day,” said Marcus.

(I think the best way — for us as seven guys — we can all easily say that we’re youthful and energetic. Of course, as Pinoys, we’re very fun. But when we’re feeling sad, we rely upon this thinking, “Tomorrow, we’ll rise again.” And then, we start fresh every day.)

HORI7ON. Image: X/@HORI7ONofficial

Vinci also chimed in, saying the members know each other well whenever they feel down. Instead of coming up with sure-fire ways to cheer up, he believed that “giving them space” allows them to process their emotions.

“We have our way of coping. We all have different problems in life such as being away from our families or training gets very tough sometimes,” he shared, noting the group channels their sadness into different activities. “The younger members play games, some cook at night, and we eat food. Something like that.”

Winston, on the other hand, said coming from the same wavelength (apparently referring to their time in the survival show “Dream Maker”) allowed them to connect as a group as a form of motivation to be better.

“Nanggaling kami sa same situation, naging mas connected kami sa isa’t isa, and naging motivation ito para ituloy lang ang ginagawa namin,” he said. (We came from the same situation. We’re more connected to one another, and this is a motivation to keep going.)

HORI7ON. Image: X/@kpop_sbs

Marcus then shared that being an idol is a reminder for them to be mindful of certain things, such as the “way [they] speak and how [they] show [their] skills onstage.

“We always try our best to look at our mistakes and be better, and practice harder,” he said with a smile.