Fresh from the Dream Maker survival show, HORI7ON finally steps foot in South Korea. The young seven-member boy group from the Philippines sets out to start their K-pop career soon in the land of K-pop idols. However, it’s not only them – five more Dream Chasers signed exclusive contracts with MLD Entertainment also to debut with hopes of bringing P-pop huge in the K-pop scene. Unfortunately, fans are not quite pleased with the decision to debut both groups at once.
ABS-CBN, Kamp Korea, and MLD Entertainment joined forces to create a Filipino-represent boy group in the K-pop scene. The show connected seven boys: Vinci, Kim, Kyler, Reyster, Winston, Jeromy, and Marcus, to reach for their idol dreams. On the last week of April, MLD announced a new boy group coming to town. Let’s find out how the agency came to this decision.
Who is the New Dream Maker Group debuting in South Korea?
At this time, we already see the Dream Maker winning group enjoying their time in South Korea. HORI7ON flew and arrived in the country on the first week of May. According to HORI7ON’s manager, Kim Jae-Yong, the boy group’s schedule was jampacked when they arrived in South Korea.
On May 10, the group already gave a sneak peek at their practice room training in MLD Entertainment. We can also see the HORI7ON members sporting their casual outfits and their different hair colors. Reyster gears orange hair, Kim in blonde, and Jeromy with a faded silver hair color. The members of Vinci, Kyler, Winston, and Marcus prep brown to black hair colors. They are preparing to release their digital single, Lovey Dovey, on May 31, 2023!
On the other hand, after the announcement of the signing of exclusive contracts of the five Dream Maker contestants: Thad, Wilson, Jom, Josh L., and Macky also prepare for their K-pop debut. According to MLD’s statement on April 28, the five-member boy group “will focus on training and preparing for their debut album with the goal of debuting this year.” There’s no current news about the five members as of this writing.
All Dream Chasers sign exclusive contracts with MLD Entertainment!
Read: https://t.co/IXsj1Bkkvl
— MLD ENTERTAINMENT (@mld_official_) April 28, 2023
We are betting that MLD plans to proceed to debut HORI7ON first around June to July 2023. At the same time, we can expect the coming of the second P-pop boy group later this year. We are still thrilled that two Filipino groups will raise Filipino pride in the K-pop industry. The question remains: Why did MLD choose to debut both groups in the same year?
Why is MLD introducing a new boy group this 2023?
Unfortunately, we cannot officially answer that, but we could have thought of it. The HORI7ON members battled 62 aspiring contestants to belong to the seven official members of the group. This doesn’t mean the other Dream Chasers were not talented enough to continue their idol dreams. Here enters MLD’s decision to offer exclusive contracts with Thad Sune, Wilson Budoy, Jom Aceron, Josh Labing-isa, and Macky Tuason.
We assume that MLD Entertainment spotted potential among the five Dream Chaser show contestants and took the opportunity to create another group in their agency. Who wouldn’t want to miss the chance to scout these talented artists?
- Josh is arguably the best vocalist in the competition. He could be the main vocalist if he debuts in this MLD boy group. His strength would definitely be his vocals, which would require him to train a little more with his dancing.
- Thad could fit the center position if he feels himself into the material. He’s naturally charismatic and would be a great addition to the group he’ll debut in.
- Wilson has the potential to stand as the group’s leader. A certain tone in his voice would suit the K-pop music industry, and he would slay the stage as a main or lead dancer. He knows how to grab viewers’ attention with his charisma too!
- As for Jom and Macky, the former would fit the rapper position in a group, while the latter would add talent in dancing and vocals. Jom could be under the rap and dance lines, and Macky could fill the Face of the Group role, as he has the best smile, according to fans.
Fans react to this announcement
MLD Entertainment is a growing list of young talented groups like TFN, Lapillus, upcoming HORI7ON, and another P-pop group. It isn’t easy to handle young groups and clear a path for them to be known if the agency has a lot on its plate. For K-pop groups to grow their fanbase and reach their best selves, agencies must focus on comebacks, their music, content, and promotions.
As much as we love to see both P-pop groups shine in the K-pop scene, we see ANCHORs, HORI7ON’s fandom, worry for the seven-member boy group. It’s simply a matter of focusing on one talent at a time. Since the HORI7ON won the survival competition, it would be fair to give the spotlight on them this year; that’s what ANCHORs have been asking.
If MLD continues to debut the other Dream Chasers this year, it could beat the purpose of the survival show, as the seven-member boy band has yet to create their name in the K-pop scene.
https://twitter.com/VinciDAce/status/1651956557884817408?s=20
https://twitter.com/y2K_ash/status/1651960495111561217?s=20
https://twitter.com/brighteunwoo89/status/1651996179281117184?s=20
On the other side, fans aren’t against the idea of debuting the five-member boy group. Some Dream Maker fans knew that these P-pop boy group members also had the potential to skyrocket into global fame. The talent is there; all MLD have to do is take care of them and give them quality material to work with.
the group’s potential is really good knowing they got the best lead vocalist hoping they’ll record “deja vu” for them cause girl josh-l owned that song!! https://t.co/SO9fhlgw70
— ARYA STARK (@cookinginanyo) April 29, 2023
Good luck! #MLDBoys https://t.co/AOvklOWL0g
— snw 눈의 여왕 ❄️ (@iamsnw51519) May 16, 2023
https://twitter.com/TheHori7onGirl/status/1652578049060376579?s=20
MLD should debut one group at a time
On a personal take, I run down a few reasons why MLD Entertainment should take its time debuting new groups. Everyone may have equal potential to be an artist, but talents should be nurtured. Aspiring and debuted artists would have a long way to go to stabilize and make their names in the fast-growing music industry, whether globally or locally.
MLD, there is nothing wrong about getting these talented kids to debut in korea. We are happy that you saw the talents of young filipinos.
SHELVING YOUR ARTISTS IN A LONG TIME WILL DAMAGE THE ARTISTS RISING POPULARITY. SHELVING IS GOOD IF YOU ARE A BIG COMPANY SUCH AS HYBE. https://t.co/rbfo45pvhj— Hae in KIM (@Goldenhae1131) April 28, 2023
- If MLD Entertainment proceeds to debut both groups, they should consider the fanbase (and possible fan wars). Since both groups would be under P-pop, the comparison would be inevitable, so they should have different concepts and creative work. Handling both simultaneously would require quite a lot of budget as well.
- Speaking of budget, MLD Entertainment should invest in both of their groups. The two upcoming groups and their existing ones, like TFN and Lapillus, should be supported to grow into huge groups in the future. If the worst case happens that people would not get into the hype of these groups, it might hurt the agency’s profit.
- Focusing on one artist at a time would increase the chance of catching fans’ attention. When a group finds itself having a loyal and stable fanbase, as long as they regularly comeback, people would come swooning over them.
We’re looking forward to HORI7ON’s debut this year, and hopefully, the five-member boy group will have its own spotlight when its debut comes. Rest assured, we’ll support these P-pop groups when they debut and release their music.
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