Western Sydney sensational girl group H3rizon have shot to stardom after a decade of hard work and hustle.
The Filipino-Australian trio of Bernadette Marquez, Tiara Nyuzo and Gabrielle Montalbo have become an overnight sensation, but their journey to the top hasn’t been easy.
Last October, H3rizon made history as the first APAC (Asian-Pacific music) girl group to sign with a major US label and the first Australian girl group to land a record deal with Epic Records USA in association with RZ3 Recordings.
Known through local live concerts and Filipino community events, their journey is a testament to the power of perseverance and passion.
Speaking about her new single ‘Soul Ties (Don’t Give It Up)’, produced by US music industry veteran Tricky Stewart, Tiara told Daily Mail Australia that it’s a ‘very good’ song.
Western Sydney trio H3rizon, consisting of Bernadette Marquez, Tiara Nyuzo and Gabrielle Montalbo (pictured left to right) have become an overnight sensation, but their journey to the top has been anything but easy.
“It’s a really fun, feel-good pop song about being soulmates. But your soulmate doesn’t just have to be your lover; it can be your friends, your mom, your dad, your dog, your grandma. It could be anything,’ he said.
Bernie added: “It’s a very easy song to listen to and vibe to.” That’s why we feel like everyone can dance to it, everyone can identify with it.”
The trio still can’t believe their luck working with industry legends.
“Sometimes we have a bit of imposter syndrome,” Gabby told Daily Mail Australia this week when talking about her success. “Sometimes we think there is no way.” Come on, that’s false.
“Sometimes we have a little imposter syndrome,” Gabby laughed. ‘Sometimes we think there is no way. Come on, that’s false.
Bernie added: “But then we remember how hard we worked to get to that position.” It is an incredible experience to work with them because we learn a lot from them. They are very important names in the industry.
He also revealed how the group is “doing our own vocal arrangements for all the tracks in our own jams and everything, which we’re very grateful for.” Tricky, let us take the reins.
They also talked about their time in Atlanta, which was intense.
Gabby recalled, “We were in Atlanta for about two and a half weeks, doing studio time back to back, like again, 20+ hours in the studio every day.”
‘I think we recorded about 14 or 15 songs in the two and a half weeks we were there. Then later that year we ended up going to Los Angeles for about two and a half months, where we signed our record deal with Sony.’
The girls got to work with their music. Bernie proudly stated: “We’re doing our own vocal arrangements for all the tracks in our own jams and stuff, which we’re very grateful for. Tricky let us take the reins’
Upon signing with Sony/Epic Records, Bernie reflects: ‘Imposter syndrome! But at the same time, we’re very proud of our heritage and where we come from, and very proud of the home that we grew up in. Finally signing was one of our dreams for five years.’
Tiara explains, “We worked independently for five years, but we were working on our craft, and for them to finally see that and say, ‘we want to be on board,’ it’s like a dream come true.”
Even with his newfound fame, the hustle continues.
Bernie says: “We’re still doing the same thing, doing our covers on social media, writing every day, releasing original music.” It’s still the same, but a completely new and different ballgame.’
His time in Atlanta was intense. Gabby recalled, “We were in Atlanta for about two and a half weeks, doing studio time back to back, like again, 20+ hours in the studio every day.”
The self-sufficiency of the trio is impressive.
Bernie explains: “As an artist, you have to be very well-rounded. You don’t just have to navigate your own music with writing, that’s just one part of being an artist. There are so many other parts: media training, dance training, training in heels, singing training, social media training.
‘We group ten contents per week and publish twice a day. With all our versions, we are a self-sufficient girl group. We produce everything ourselves. I do all the production and mixing. They do all the editing of the video. “We are doing it all within ourselves.”
Growing up in western Sydney wasn’t easy. Gabby shares: ‘Where I’m from, I didn’t really have access to many resources for professional piano or vocal training.
‘I had to use social media and the music I liked as a child to teach myself. I listened to Divas in Music as Mariah Carey and tried to sound like her. I would go on YouTube and learn piano from tutorials.
Tiara adds: “Western Sydney is a very close-knit community. Everyone is very welcoming. As we are Filipinos, the Filipino community is huge. That’s how we all met, through concerts in Western Sydney.
Gabby and her bandmates grew up influenced by iconic R&B artists.
‘I grew up listening to Divas like Whitney, Mariah and Celine. Even groups like Boyz II Men and artists like Stevie Wonder,” Gabby says.
Bernie fondly remembers a highlight of his career: “I can’t pick a favorite moment, but off the top of my head, meeting Coolio and performing on stage with him was incredible.” We were on his last tour.
Even with his newfound fame, the hustle continues. Bernie says: “We’re still doing the same thing, doing our covers on social media, writing every day, releasing original music.” It’s still the same, but a completely new and different ballgame.
The recording process was a revelation for the girls. Bernie explains: “The recording process is something we’ve never done before in our own studio.
‘When we were recording in Atlanta for our EP, it was a whole new ball game. “Even the studio had a different feel and vibe to any studio we attended here in Sydney.”
Tiara reveals, “Usually when we record songs, we each select parts and sing them. But for every song we did, we all sang the entire song from top to bottom, which is something we don’t normally do. And Tricky said, ‘Everyone got it.’
Gabby shares a quirky tip they learned during their grueling sessions: “One thing that’s unrelated to music is the power of micronaps. When we’re recording two songs a day, it doesn’t seem like it takes long, but we’re in the studio for about 21 minutes.” hours a day, on average.”