AAA 2025 Concert Dream Come True: Interview

“It was a dreamlike day from start to finish.”

Boy group AHOF (아홉) reflects on their joy after winning at the ‘AAA 2025’.

AHOF, formed through the SBS survival program ‘Universe League’ which concluded in January of last year, is a 9-member boy group consisting of Steven, Seo Jung-woo, Cha Woong-gi, Zhang Shuaibo, Park Han, JL, Park Joo-won, Zunn, and Daisuke. They debuted in July of the same year with their first mini-album ‘WHO WE ARE’, which sold over 360,000 copies in its first week, achieving the highest sales record among boy groups debuting in 2025.

Furthermore, they quickly secured first place trophies on various music shows within 10 days of their debut, drawing attention as rookies in the music industry. They are also solidifying their position as a global trending group, spanning across Korea, Japan, China, and the Philippines. Their fan concert in the Philippines, held just a month after their debut, sold out completely, and they headlined a countdown show by a leading Philippine broadcaster at the end of the year, showcasing their overwhelming presence.

Showing rapid growth, AHOF took home the ‘Best New Artist’ trophy at the ’10th Anniversary Asia Artist Awards 2025′ (‘AAA 2025’) held at the Kaohsiung National Stadium on December 6th of last year. Although members Zunn and Zhang Shuaibo could not attend at the time, AHOF, who shared their joy of winning and solidified their resolve, met up to share their thoughts on attending, behind-the-scenes stories of the award, and other untold stories.

-What were your thoughts on performing on the ‘AAA 2025’ stage for the first time?

▶Park Joo-won: I couldn’t believe that I was standing on a stage that I had always only seen on TV and phone screens, and I also couldn’t believe that I was sharing the same stage with senior artists. It was a dreamlike day from start to finish.

▶Steven: “It was a really great experience for us to perform on stage. It was so fun to watch the performances of our seniors and juniors, and there were many things to learn. It felt more like a concert than an awards ceremony, and I enjoyed it.

▶Cha Woong-gi: The first ‘AAA’ I attended was the 10th anniversary, so it was even more special and great that I could also perform on the ‘ACON’ stage.

-If you have any more comments you wanted to share when you received the award? How did you feel when you won the ‘AAA Best New Artist’ award?

▶Park Joo-won: I naturally thought that our name wouldn’t be called, but as soon as AHOF was called, I was immediately surprised. That’s how surprising it was, and everything felt like a lie.

▶Seo Jung-woo: I was so nervous at the time that I couldn’t speak well, but I wanted to thank the fans who came to the big awards ceremony. Thank you for coming all the way here, and I would also like to express my gratitude to everyone who helped us stand on such a big stage. When I saw our name among 50,000 people in a foreign country, I felt amazed, happy, and grateful.

-I’m also curious about what you talked about with the members after the awards ceremony.

▶Cha Woong-gi: I said that we have many more stages to perform together in the future, so let’s be a complete group for the next ‘AAA’. All the members were disappointed that we couldn’t all be together. Still, I wanted to liven up the atmosphere by preparing the local language for the ‘ACON’ stage, and that became the highlight.

▶Zunn: I was very disappointed that I couldn’t attend the awards ceremony in my hometown of Taiwan, but I was grateful that the members performed so well on stage. I will grow even more in the future and show you great performances.

-The main awards ceremony, as well as the ‘ACON’ stage, were really beautiful. Did you put more effort into the performance?

▶Steven: If we tried to show AHOF’s cool and glamorous image that is appropriate for an awards ceremony at the main awards ceremony, I think we tried to communicate with the fans and show a natural side while enjoying the ‘ACON’.

▶Seo Jung-woo: The stage was 360 degrees, so I think I tried to make eye contact with a lot of fans and perform.

-Who was the first person you wanted to tell about winning the award?

▶Park Han: I think almost all the members would feel the same, but it’s our parents. It was such an honorable experience to win an award at a big awards ceremony, so I contacted my parents. My parents sent me a message congratulating me.

▶Jungwoo: After it was over, my mom saw the broadcast and sent me a KakaoTalk message saying ‘Congratulations,’ and I just replied, ‘Thank you,’ and it was over.

▶Daisuke: I contacted my parents. More than anything, I wanted to thank POHA (fandom name). And I think we were able to receive the award thanks to all the staff who helped us. I wanted to thank them too.

-What kind of stimulation did you receive from watching other artists’ performances on the scene?

▶Cha Woong-gi: I thought ‘They’re so cool’ while watching ATEEZ seniors’ performance. I totally fell for them. I hope we can also show a performance that can attract people in a cool way.

▶JL: I watched the performance of the Philippine group SB19. I had only seen them on TV, but they were so good. I always wanted to see them when I was in the Philippines, so it was an honor to be able to see them up close through ‘ACON’.

▶Steven: I’ve seen a lot of idol seniors while performing on various stages, but it was my first time seeing actors, so it was amazing and a new experience. Especially IU and Park Bo-gum seniors were amazing.

▶Park Han: I also really enjoyed watching the drama ‘You Have Done a Good Job,’ so it was nice to actually meet them.

-Continued in Interview ②.