1st.One Leader ACE (Val John Librea) detailed on March 31, how their Pinoy Pop group began.
During the media conference for 1st.One’s contract signing with Warner Music Philippines, ACE recalled how he refused a job as an economist to pursue his career in entertainment in South Korea.
“I got invited by this company to be an economist, and they offered me this really /good offer when I was a fresh graduate. And then the first thing I did. I told my Dad [and] then he asked me to go to the interview and then, I went there.
“And then, I listened to them, and then after that, I respectfully told the interviewer na, ‘Thank you very much sir, but I’m really just here because of my Dad. I really wanted to be a performer, and thank you so much for your time.'”
ACE shared the training and audition process he went through leading up to the formation of 1st.One.
“Before ‘1st.One’ was formed, [actually] I was the longest trainee. I trained for four to five years. I had to master the Korean Language in order to debut. And then, after the auditions, there were like hundred, and then cut to fifty. And then thirty, and then finally ten. And then six members, including the /special member, the seventh member Gif, were formed finally to become 1st.One.”
He then revealed their group’s ‘momentous’ moment during the Seoul Music Awards.
“I think the most momentous event is the Seoul Music Awards. Because the condition of the company was, if we lost Dance To Your Seoul, which is the elimination round of the Seoul Music Awards if we lost that then our trainee status would be cut off. And thankfully, we won. And we were able to debut as 1st.One. July 31, 2020.”
1st.One with its core members Alpha, J, ACE, Max, Jason, and Joker, got launched in 2020. However, the group’s career had to pause due to the difficulties brought by the pandemic.
Now, the boy group signed with the music label Warner Music Philippines, cementing their place in the music industry.
