With ‘Who We Are’, AHOF Are Ready To Become The Next Big Thing

Despite having debuted just two months ago, AHOF have already made quite the impact on the K-pop scene.

The fast-rising nine-piece K-pop group, comprised of members Steven, Jeongwoo, Woongki, Shuaibo, Han, JL, Juwon, Chih En, and Daisuke, has garnered massive acclaim not just in Korea, but also on the international front for their impressive stage presence and artistry that comes with the release of their debut extended play, titled Who We Are. Yet for some, what sets AHOF apart isn’t merely their performance prowess; rather, it’s the stories that they tell as individuals who represent various cultures from all over the world.

In just a short amount of time, they’ve gone from promising trainees on the survival show Universe League to future fifth-gen icons in the making, living up to the promise of their name, which signifies ‘All-time Hall Of Famer.’ Little by little, they have been lighting up every stage and showcase with their bold sound, slick choreography, and an undeniable connection with their fans that has become impossible to ignore. Such endeavors have resulted in numerous groundbreaking music show wins and trophies from prestigious industry awards shows, each serving as a testament to the hard work and dedication that they’ve put in their craft.

Ahead of their sold-out Rendezvous fan concert in Manila, the rising K-pop group sat down for an exclusive interview with Billboard Philippines to talk about all that has changed for them since their debut with Who We Are, what they’ve each learned from their time in Universe League, how they have felt receiving numerous awards and accolades over the past two months, their close-knit bond with their fans, and what they envision for AHOF’s future releases moving forward.

Billboard Philippines: Congratulations on your recent debut! I just wanted to ask — what is the story that AHOF wanted to tell through your first-ever EP, Who We Are?

Cha Woongki: The album is about who we are. It’s still incomplete and unsafe, but that’s why we tried to show a more sincere side of ourselves. The EP Who We Are actually shows who we are. At the same time, it’s not really a set of perfect songs, but of course, in our imperfect songs, we want to be able to show the sincerity of our music to the fans.

But you know, the title of the EP itself feels very defining. How do you believe that this release affects AHOF’s identity as a group?

Park Han: The album title itself is very mature. Our first album is about us growing together from this point in time. So the title of the album is about the step-by-step process that we want to show our fans and the growth of the group from where we started.

It also means that AHOF is growing like a song, because rather than being perfect from the beginning, the way we move forward through our songs is what draws the whole thing together.

Was there a song in the EP that best represents who you guys are right now?

JL: Rather than picking one, since it’s all connected, I think that all six songs will represent us best because we always compare ourselves to stars, even as incomplete stars on our own. But when you gather and put it all together, it will become one big star. 

So I think [that] even with just our songs and the message that we want to put out there, especially from track one until track six of our record — it’s the entire album itself that perfectly represents who we are today. 

There’s a whole journey throughout the record, and it’s so cohesive in that sense. Yet as it is, you know, many of your fans remember your journey from the show, Universe League. So how did that experience prepare you for your debut?

Park Juwon: I think I gained so much passion through the Universe League. Like, there were so many parts of myself that I wanted to show to the rest of the world through the show. And thanks to that, I think we are now always 100% passionate about what we get to do as AHOF, because of all that we were able to do in the program.

And that’s very evident with the work that you guys do, especially with what we witnessed a while ago. So I’m pretty sure for tomorrow’s concert, there’s going to be a lot more of that passion and that energy as well. But since your time at Universe League, how has your bond as members grown offstage and onstage?

Steven: I think that on stage, since we’re getting more comfortable with our stages and performance, we kind of experiment more on that platform, and we kind of enjoy more of it while we’re performing. It also helps us to show our chemistry [as a group] more on stage nowadays. Instead of just doing it like, “oh, we can’t get it wrong, we need to do well”, now it’s more of us being like, “oh, let’s show our chemistry and like enjoy the stage and let the fans enjoy with us.” 

And I think that offstage, whenever we practice or we’re off our practice hours, we try to spend more time together, make more memories, and share one another’s cultures, especially since we’re such a global group. So we really try to share one another’s cultures and practices as we bond together in that way.

That’s amazing. And as it is, we could already see that chemistry from you guys during your performance earlier, where it was so evident. I think that’s what the fans love. In relation to that, you guys have already won several music shows with such performances, even just a few days after your debut, which was already a remarkable feat. So what was going on in your minds during those moments?

Seo Jeong Woo: I loved it. Actually, I thought of my parents right at that moment, and I thought they were very generous to really help me in getting to where I was at that time. 

It was also very overwhelming to achieve such a meaningful result in such a short time. It taught us to become more attentive and passionate about our performances moving forward as well. 

You also recently received the Super Rookie Award at the 2025 K-World Dream Awards. What does that prestigious recognition mean to you guys as a group? 

JL: To be honest, lately, grabe po. Sunod-sunod yung awards na nare-receive po namin. So it’s super [hard for us to believe] like, is this really happening? Something like that po. Because even with how much we work hard, if it wasn’t for yung mga taong tumutulong po sa amin along the way, like our company, fans, friends, and families, hindi rin po marereceive yung ganung klase na award. Hindi lang po kami yung gumagawa ng trabaho kundi, sama sama lang po kami. So bale very, very dream come true lahat po ito, and super thankful and grateful kaming lahat. 

(To be honest, lately, it’s been a lot. We’ve been receiving so many awards. So it’s super hard for us to believe, like, is this really happening? Something like that. Because even with how much we work hard, if it weren’t because of the people who have helped us along the way, like our company, fans, friends, and families, we wouldn’t be receiving that kind of award. Because we aren’t the only ones who are working for it, but we’re all in this together. So all of it is very much a dream come true, and we are all very thankful and grateful.)

You have fans all over the world, in South Korea, and here in the Philippines. And they’re really, really supporting you guys, especially just two months into your debut. So that’s amazing to see. 

Daisuke:  I’m really happy to have received the Super Rookie award, but I’m also excited to meet more people who like K-Pop. So I’m really excited and I want to work harder, because that’s where our passion is.  Of course, it’s a prestigious award for Super Rookie, and we need to show that aspect in all our performances, giving our best no matter what.

It’s clear that because you guys are not just very passionate about the work you do, but you also really consider all the people who are out there for you –– whether it’s your fans or even the team of people here supporting you and bringing you to these places. It’s amazing to see. Yet moving forward, what kind of concepts or sounds are you excited to explore next with your future work?

Steven: Firstly, I think for AHOF, we’re trying to experiment and find our own color and our own sound, and like our own concept that we can say oh this is AHOF’s style. So yeah, I think we’re just very much in a stage where we’re experimenting a lot these days.

And personally, this is just a personal kind of wish, but I would want to try to kind of add a bit of hip-hop sauce to our music. I think it will be fun, and that it could help with our experiments as well.

JL: I also think that with the genre of our music itself, I don’t think it matters that much. Because I believe how you prepare for it, or how you put your sincerity while you’re preparing a song or something, is what matters the most for me.

Even though there may be no specific genre, whatever song or whatever performance we will do, as much as possible, we just want it to sound sincere. So I think we can call it the sincerity genre. *laughs*

So now, especially after your debut, how has the response from fans both in Korea and internationally surprised you in any way?

Zhang Shuai Bo: After our debut, what we found most surprising about the reactions from both the Korean and foreign fans was that our fans learned our languages, and not just Korean. Because when we joined the group and met on the stage, we all had to learn Korean (especially since we were of different nationalities), but our fans learned to speak in our native languages. So that’s one thing that I really remember.

I think what’s amazing about that is that it shows the fans really wanted to get to know all of you and all parts about you, considering the beauty of AHHOF as a global group.  So, for my final question, what is something that you want fans to understand most about AHOF and you guys at this stage of your career?

Cha Woongki:  We’re practicing hard and we’re doing our best because of our love for our fans. So we’re really making sure that with each song and each performance, we’re doing our best. Because we’re thinking of our fans all the time. So I hope our fans get to know our real minds and hearts through everything we do for them.

For sure, and that’s definitely gonna come across because, as it is, the energy that I’m seeing from all of you today is very genuine. So I think I can speak on behalf of many other people that we’re so excited to see more of AHOF in the future. 

Park Ju Won:  We really want to deliver. I hope that our fans know that we love our fans more than they love us.

Listen to AHOF’s first-ever extended play, Who We Are, in its entirety below:

This interview was edited for clarity and brevity.