Get to know HORI7ON—P-pop's next big deal

P-Pop boy group HORI7ON held Hundred Days Miracle: HORI7ON First Fan Meeting at Quezon City's New Frontier Theater on Saturday, April 22.

Tickets to the event sold out less than a week since they became available, with the venue fully seated from corner to corner.

Here, the boys of HORI7ON—Vinci, Kim, Kyler, Reyster, Winston, Jeromy, and Marcus—gave their all in performances, challenges, and surprises for their fans.

The biggest treat, however, was HORI7ON finally revealing their official fandom name: ANCHOR. This proved to be the greatest gift for their loyal and ever-supportive ANCHOR during their last official stage in the Philippines before making their debut in South Korea later this year.

HORI7ON also held a press conference on April 18 in anticipation of its first fan meet, where PhilSTAR L!fe was able to have an exclusive interview with them.

To prepare you for their upcoming debut, PhilSTAR L!fe prepared a members profile of HORI7ON based on the latest official information. This mainly uses primary sources, including our exclusive interview with the members, on top of statements that the boys made during their latest media conference and during their first fan meeting.

@philstarlife Get to know the #HORI7ON boys as they do the #passthephonechallenge ! #HORI7ONFirstFanmeeting ♬ original sound - philstarlife

Who is HORI7ON?

HORI7ON identifies as a global world pop boy group.

Affiliated with MLD Entertainment, the group was formed through the ABS-CBN idol reality survival show Dream Maker. The name HORI7ON (pronounced Horizon) refers to the dreams of seven boys who started on the same line with the same goal.

Filipino "dream makers" selected the top 7 winners out of 62 young male contestants who competed in the 26-episode program from Nov. 19, 2022, to Feb. 12. Ranked in order of their final placements, these are Jeromy (1st), Marcus (2nd), Kyler (3rd), Vinci (4th), Reyster (5th), Kim (6th), and Winston (7th).

The group held its official fandom name contest between April 7 to 13, before formally announcing the winner on April 22.

During Hundred Days Miracle: HORI7ON First Fanmeeting, the meaning behind ANCHOR was explained: "This is a very special fandom name that comes from the sincere hearts of fans who want to help Makers navigate toward their dreams and goals."

Other presented options included SUNRISE (RISE), AURORA, XPLORERS, MAYA, CELESTIAL, SKIES, L7NEARS, 7H, GA7ERS or GAZERS, LILAC, SUN8HINE, RIZON, and SKYLERS.

We finally have a fandom name! HELLO, #ANCHOR ❤️

#HORI7ON #HORI7ONFirstFanmeeting @HORI7ONofficial pic.twitter.com/jyrZbtvSsW

— PhilSTAR L!fe (@philstarlife) April 22, 2023

Aside from the oldest member and leader Vinci, the official positions for each member have yet to be announced. However, the boys individually said what their target positions were as of April. "For now, we don't have positions yet, but we're working on it. I think every one of us has prospects kung ano po talaga 'yung gusto nila maging position," Winston told L!fe.

After winning Dream Maker, the final members of HORI7ON allot much of their time to training. They mostly spend as much as 12 hours a day honing their dance skills while they're in the Philippines. Once they're in South Korea, they would take up vocal lessons and learn their language, while still allotting time for studies.

Meanwhile, they're also learning soft skills like how to adapt to Korean culture, including arriving at least five minutes before the call time and avoiding placing their hands in their pockets during training.

They have since released their pre-debut tracks Dash and Salamat with accompanying music videos that each have over 2 million views. As for their debut date, Vinci told L!fe that the exact date remains tentative: "There's no specific date when, but it's in July."

The group also toured at least 10 mall shows nationwide from March to April prior to their first official fan meeting, including Batangas, Cavite, Nueva Ecija, Rizal, Laguna, Pampanga, Koronadal, Gensan, and Zamboanga.

Get to know each member below.

Vinci

Birth name: Gabriel Vincent Malizon

Birthday and location: March 11, 2000 / Batangas, Philippines

Nationality: Filipino

Final rank: 4th

Target position (aside from leader): "Maybe main vocalist. Kasi so far parang ako 'yung napapabirit. Maybe main vocalist, vocalist."

Roommate: None

Musical influences: NCT's Mark Lee and BLACKPINK's Lisa

Fun fact: Vinci's room is full of scented candles.

Kim

Birth name: Kim Huat Ng

Birthday and location: Feb. 17, 2002 / Bacolod, Philippines

Nationality: Filipino

Final rank: 6th

Target position: "Sa'kin naman po, lead dancer. Kaya ko naman po kumanta, kaya ko naman sumayaw. Kahit saan na lang po. Okay na po ako."

Roommate: Reyster

Musical influences: Big Bang's G-Dragon

Fun fact: Kim developed an interest in beats and instruments in his childhood. He has known how to beatbox since he was in sixth grade.

Kyler

Birth name: Kenji Chua

Birthday and location: July 6, 2002 / Quezon City, Philippines

Nationality: Filipino

Final rank: 3rd

Target Position: "For me naman po, aside from being visual, I will try rapping and dancing and singing, because kasi parang kakaiba kapagka kaya mo pong sumayaw, kumanta, t'saka mag-rap. Tapos may charisma ka pa po. Then talagang super parang madadala mo po 'yung buong group."

Roommate: Marcus

Musical influences: SB19 (especially their song Go Up), EXO's D.O.

Fun fact: Kyler enjoys late-night snacks, jokingly being described as the reason the food runs out.

Reyster

Birth name: Reyster Yton

Birthday and location: Feb. 8, 2003 / Cabanatuan, Philippines

Nationality: Filipino

Final rank: 5th

Target position: "Ako po gusto ko po maging lead dancer. Gano'n din po. Kanta, sayaw, lead vocals."

Roommate: Kim

Musical influences: BLACKPINK, ENHYPEN, NCT, BTS

Fun fact: Reyster dances in the comfort room until 2 a.m. His dancing sessions include covers of signature K-pop choreographies.

Winston

Birth name: Winston Pineda

Birthday and location: Feb. 2, 2005 / Samar, Philippines

Nationality: Filipino

Final rank: 7th

Target position: "For me naman po, I want to do like the lead vocalist and then rap. Now, I'm still working on it. So I'm hoping to get that position."

Roommate: Jeromy

Musical influences: BLACKPINK, BTS, ENHYPEN, THE BOYZ, BGYO, BINI, SB19

Fun fact: Winston's Facebook account was hacked. The hacker nearly even tricked Kim into sending them money supposedly to pay Winston's hospital bill.

Jeromy

Birth name: Jeromy Melendres Batac

Birthday and location: Feb. 2, 2009 / Quezon City, Philippines

Nationality: Filipino

Final rank: 1st

Target position: "Ako naman po, kahit anong part po is okay ako. Kasi parang mas gusto ko po na mas ma-improve pa po 'yung mga like singing ko and rapping. Any position po okay ako, kasi naniniwala po ako sa sarili ko na kaya ko pong gawin."

Roommate: Winston

Musical influences: BTS, ENHYPEN, THE BOYZ, BLACKPINK

Fun fact: Jeromy has been dancing professionally for the longest amount of time among the HORI7ON members. He joined international competitions including the Australia-based World Supremacy Battlegrounds where his dance group became a back-to-back champion. All when he was 8 or 9, according to him.

Marcus

Birth name: Marcus Rayden Cabais

Birthday and location: Aug. 31, 2009 / Bataan, Philippines

Nationality: Filipino

Final rank: 2nd

Target position: "Ako po, I'm open naman po for whatever position that I get. Pero siguro po ngayon I'm more comfortable with vocals, dancing, and siyempre I also like rapping as well. Kahit ano pong mapunta sa'kin, I'll be happy."

Roommate: Kyler

Musical influences: BGYO, BTS' Jungkook

Fun fact: Marcus has been to South Korea for work, playing Young Simba in The Lion King musical. Over eight months, he toured Daegu, Seoul, and Busan.