Hori7on (Korean: 호라이즌; pronounced "horizon"; stylized in all caps) is a Filipino boy band formed in 2023. The group consists of seven members: Vinci, Kim, Kyler, Reyster, Winston, Jeromy, and Marcus. Formed by MLD Entertainment and ABS-CBN Corporation through the survival reality show Dream Maker (2022–23), the group is the first all-Filipino boy band act to debut in South Korea.
Hori7on made their debut in South Korea in July 2023, with the release of their debut studio album Friend-Ship, which was preceded by the release of three pre-debut promotional singles—"Dash", "Salamat", and "Lovey Dovey". The group released their first single album Daytour in March 2024, which was followed by the single album Daytour 2 in August. They released their fifth single, "Cold", in March 2025, followed by "Lunod" and "Fly With It" in February and May 2026 respectively.
In August 2026, they departed from MLD and ABS-CBN after the former company failed to fulfill contractual obligations, continuing as independent artists based in the Philippines.
Contents
History
Pre-debut activities and formation
On September 7, 2022, executives from ABS-CBN Corporation, MLD Entertainment, and Kamp Global signed a deal to debut a Filipino boy band in South Korea that will be trained and managed by the three companies.
The members of the project boy band were determined through the survival competition series Dream Maker, which aired on A2Z and Kapamilya Channel from November 19, 2022, to February 12, 2023, featuring 62 contestants competing to be part of the group. At the conclusion of the show, Jeromy Batac, Marcus Cabais, Kyler Chua, Vinci Malizon, Reyster Yton, Kim Ng, and Winston Pineda were selected to form the lineup of Hori7on.
The lineup of the group included several members who have held prior experience in the entertainment industry. Cabais started as a child actor, making his film debut in 2018, in Regal Films' My 2 Mommies, and later making appearances on It's Showtime and Team Yey!, before being part of a touring company of The Lion King musical, playing the role of young Simba from 2018 to 2020; in 2017, Batac performed on Little Big Shots; and in 2022, Ng competed on TV5's survival reality show, Top Class.
The group's name, Hori7on, was selected by a TV audience and refers to "the dreams of seven boys, who started on the same line, gathered in one place, and face the same goal", according to the name's submitter.
2023: Promotional releases and debut with Friend-Ship
The members of Hori7on signed their exclusive contracts with ABS-CBN and MLD in a press event on March 10, 2023. While in the Philippines, the septet embarked on a mall show tour, and held their first fan meeting event at the New Frontier Theater on April 22.
While MLD announced a June 2023 debut for the group, ABS-CBN later reported that the group will debut in July. Leading up to their debut, the group released three pre-debut digital singles: "Dash", released on March 22; "Salamat", released on April 5; and "Lovey Dovey", released on May 31. The group's preparations for their debut was the subject of the reality show 100 Days Miracle, which premiered on Mnet on July 7. During this time, the group performed at the 2023 PPOPCON via screencast at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on July 16.
The group debuted on July 24, with their first studio album, Friend-Ship. The album was supported by two singles: "Six7een", released with the album, and "Birthday", which was released on August 25. To promote the album, the group staged the one-off Voyage To Manila concert on September 9, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. The group held their first overseas performance at Kamp Fest, held from on August 19 to 20, at Mexico City, Mexico.
Later that year, Hori7on won the Focus Award for music at the 8th Asia Artist Awards, held at the Philippine Arena on December 14. The group, along with Ben&Ben and SB19, were the first Filipino acts to participate in the awards ceremony.
2024: Daytour and Daytour 2
The group performed at the opening ceremonies of the 2024 Winter Youth Olympics on January 19, 2024, making history as the first Filipino Act to ever be part of the line up and perform at any Olympic ceremony. On February 14, 2024, the agency announced the septet's first single album Daytour. The album and its lead single "Lucky" were released on March 2. To promote the album, Hori7on embarked on a mall tour across the Philippines in collaboration with SM Supermalls from March 15 to April 13.
The band released its second single album, Daytour 2, on August 13, which included "Sumayaw Sumunod", a cover of the 1978 song by the Boyfriends. In support of Daytour and Daytour 2, the band held their second headlining concert Anchor High on November 3, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
2025–present: "Cold", "Lunod", and departure from MLD and ABS-CBN
Hori7on released their fifth single "Cold", their first release in over six months, on March 17, 2025. On May 26, the band joined the Atin Ito Coalition in their third civilian mission to the West Philippine Sea to perform in a concert as part of a peacekeeping effort that aimed to promote dialogue and cultural exchange. On November 21, the band released the digital single "Pahinga", as part of the original soundtrack for the film Rekonek, an entry to the 2025 Metro Manila Film Festival where it was nominated for Best Original Theme Song.
On February 26, 2026, the group released their sixth single "Lunod". In March, National Commission for Culture and the Arts named Hori7on, together with Ben&Ben, Cup of Joe, and TJ Monterde, as the Philippine representatives to the 2026 ASEAN Round Festival in April. For the festival, the group collaborated with Kaia and 1st.One for the promotional single "Sulong", which served as the opening song for the event.
They earned two nominations at the 35th Seoul Music Awards, becoming the first Filipino act to be nominated in the show's history.
On August 13, the group terminated their exclusive contracts with MLD and ABS-CBN after the former company failed to address their breaches in contractual obligations. They announced their departure from the companies on September 4 through their legal counsel and confirmed they will continue as a group in the Philippines as independent artists.
Artistry
Public image
South Korean publications including The Korea Herald and The Korea Times have identified Hori7on as the first all-Filipino boy band to debut in South Korea. The latter paper attributed their formation to the globalization of the K-pop industry, which has seen the emergence of non-Korean artists within South Korea. In the Philippines, the Daily Tribune and The Philippine Star have regarded the group as "P-Pop Superstars" for their fandom activity and accolades.
Musical style
With training from both Filipino and South Korean mentors, outlets like The Philippine Star has identified the group's work as "combination of the K-pop and P-pop genres", which the band promotes as "Global pop".
Endorsements
On July 6, 2024, Hori7on were named as the Philippine brand ambassadors of audio equipment manufacturer JBL.
Members
Vinci (빈치) – leader, vocalist
Kim (킴) – vocalist, rapper, dancer
Kyler (카일러) – vocalist
Reyster (레이스터) – rapper, dancer
Winston (윈스턴) – vocalist
Jeromy (제로미) – dancer
Marcus (마커스) – vocalist