Western Sydney trio make history as the first-ever APAC girl group to sign with a major US label – and tour the globe with some of the biggest names in R&B

H3rizon, the sensational girl group from Western Sydney, has risen to fame after a decade of hard work and hustle.

The Filipino-Australian trio of Bernadette Marquez, Tiara Nyuzo and Gabrielle Montalbo have become overnight sensations, but their journey to the top has been anything but easy.

Last October, H3rizon made history as the very first APAC [Asian and Pacific music] girl group to sign with a major American label and the first Australian girl group to receive a recording contract with Epic Records USA in collaboration with RZ3 Recordings.

They meet through local live performances and Filipino community events and their journey is a testament to the power of perseverance and passion.

Speaking about their new single ‘Soul Ties (Don’t Give It Up)’ produced by US music industry veteran Tricky Stewart, Tiara told Ny Breaking Australia it is a ‘very feel-good’ song.

“It’s a very feel-good, pop, fun song about being soulmates. But your soulmate doesn’t just have to be your lover; it could be your friends, your mother, your father, your dog, your grandmother. It could be anything,” she said.

Bernie added: “It’s such an easy song to listen to and listen to. That’s why we have the feeling that everyone can dance to it, that everyone can relate to it.’

The trio still can’t quite believe their luck working with industry legends.

“We suffer from imposter syndrome sometimes,” Gabby laughed. ‘Sometimes we think that’s impossible. Come on, that’s fake.’

Bernie added: “But then we remember how hard we worked to get to that position. It is a great experience to work with them because we learn a lot from them. They are such big names in the industry.”

She also revealed how the group “does our own vocal arrangements for all the songs in our own ad-libs and stuff, which we’re so grateful for.” Difficult, let us take control.’

They also discussed their time in Atlanta, which was intense.

Gabby recalled, “We were in Atlanta for about two and a half weeks doing back-to-back studio time, like again, over twenty hours in the studio every day.”

‘I think we recorded about fourteen to fifteen songs in the two and a half weeks we were there. Later that year we went to LA for about two and a half months where we signed our record deal with Sony.”

When signing with Sony/Epic Records, Bernie thinks: ‘Imposter syndrome! But at the same time, we are very proud of our heritage and where we come from, and very proud of the house we grew up in. Finally getting signed was a dream of ours for five years.”

Tiara explains, “We worked independently for five years, but we were working on our craft, and now that they finally saw that and said, ‘we want to be involved,’ it’s like a dream come true.”

Even with their new-found fame, the hustle continues.

Bernie says: ‘We still do the same thing: we do our covers on social media, write every day and release original music. It’s still the same, but a whole new, different game.”

The trio’s self-sufficiency is impressive.

Bernie explains: ‘As an artist you have to be very versatile. You don’t have to navigate your own music just by writing, that’s just part of being an artist. There are so many other components: media training, dance training, heel training, singing training, social media training.

‘We bulk ten pieces of content a week and post twice a day. With all our covers we are a self-sufficient girl group. We produce everything ourselves. I do all the production and mixing work. They do all the video editing. We do it all within ourselves.’

Growing up in Western Sydney wasn’t easy. Gabby says, “Where I come from, I didn’t really have access to many resources for professional piano training or vocal training.

“I had to use social media and the music I liked growing up to teach me. I listened to Divas in Music like Mariah Carey and tried to be like her. I would go on YouTube and learn piano through tutorials.”

Tiara adds: “Western Sydney is such a close-knit community. Everyone is so hospitable. Because we are Filipino, the Filipino community is huge. That’s how we all met, through gigs 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,” says Gabby.

Bernie fondly remembers a highlight of their career: ‘I can’t pick a favorite moment, but off the top of my head, meeting Coolio and performing with him on stage was amazing. We were on his last tour.”

The recording process was an eye-opener for the girls. Bernie explains: ‘The recording process is something we haven’t done before in our own studio.

“When we were in Atlanta recording our EP, it was a whole new game. Even the studio had a different feel and atmosphere to the studios we visited here in Sydney.”

Tiara says, “When we record songs, we usually all 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, ‘you all got it.’

Gabby shares a quirky tip they picked up during their grueling sessions: ‘One thing not related to music is the power of micro-napping. When we’re recording two songs a day it doesn’t seem to take much time, but we’re in the studio an average of 21 hours a day.’