Overnight success of Aussie girl group H3rizon from western Sydney a decade in the making

Grammy winners are putting their weight behind rising Australian girl group H3rizon from Sydney’s west. Here they reveal the “sacrifices” they’ve made along the way.

Western Sydney girl group H3rizon – featuring Bernadette (Bernie) Marquez from The Ponds, Tiara Nyuzo from Campelltown, and Gabrielle (Gabby) Montalbo. Picture: Jonathan Ng

Grammy award-winning music producers and songwriters are throwing their weight behind rising Australian girl group H3rizon, but their success has been anything but overnight.

H3rizon (pronounced Horizon) is composed of vocalists Bernadette (Bernie) Marquez from The Ponds, Tiara Nyuzo from Campelltown, and Gabrielle (Gabby) Montalbo from Denistone.

Unlike X-Factor incubated girl groups like Little Mix and Fifth Harmony, and Australia’s own Bardot on Popstars — the R & B trio from Sydney’s west have been performing together since they were young.

“There’s heaps of embarrassing videos of us performing in our living rooms,” Gabby said.

“We were meant to do a show when we were 14 and we were at Bernie’s house sitting on her floor doing a cappella Pentatonix. That was the first time we sang together and were like ‘oh this sounds really good’.”

H3rizon are making waves overseas, signing an exclusive record deal with Epic Records USA. Picture: Supplied

The Filippino-Aussie outfit, who met through local live gigs and Filipino community events, become the first-ever APAC (Asia-Pacific) girl group to sign with a major label in the US last October, and are also the first-ever Australian girl group to sign a record deal with Epic Records USA.

“As much as it’s surreal, we know that we’ve worked so hard for this moment. We’ve been independent for the last five years. We made a lot of sacrifices. We had to quit university and our jobs,” Bernie said.

The trio are well and truly homegrown talent, performing together since they were children. Picture: Jonathan Ng

As teenagers and then young adults, the trio would travel from “all over Sydney,” from Western Sydney “like Blacktown area,” south west Sydney, and north west Sydney to “see each other every single day,” and make music Gabby said, “in any time we could get.”

Their efforts paid off, with H3rizon amassing 2.6 million TikTok followers in just two years. That told US music industry veteran Tricky Stewart that they weren’t in this on a whim, but trained professionals ready to go.

Stewart has co-written and produced hits like Beyoncé’s Single Ladies, Rihanna’s Umbrella, Justin Bieber’s Baby, Frank Ocean’s Novacane and Mariah Carey’s Touch My Body.

“There is a narrative out there about artists not being developed … well, this group has been developed,” the Grammy-winning hitmaker said when he released H3rizon’s new single Soul Ties (Don’t Give It Up) under his RZ3 Recordings label.

“They are ready for all the good things that can come from when you provide a hit song, great artistry, and the most amazing songwriters and producers all in one place.”

There’s a second single coming, with their first EP in the works.

Stewart also made a point of introducing them to his longtime friend and Destiny’s Child superstar Kelly Rowland at Juicy Fest.

“She told us to stay together as a unit and to stay grounded,” Bernie said.

H3rizon’s new single Soul Ties (Don’t Give It Up) has been released under hitmaker Tricky Stewart’s RZ3 Recordings label.

“We feel really grateful to be able to say that we put out a song with the best of the best,” Tiara told The Daily Telegraph.

“It’s a very fun, upbeat, groovy song about how we all have soulmates, and it doesn’t have to be your lover,” Tiara said. “These girls are mine.”

“Ew,” Gabby laughed. “I don’t like to admit it.”

“As much as we don’t like to say it, we are each other’s for-lifers.”

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