In the past year since their debut, multinational K-Pop group ARrC has shown their fans, ARrCer, how music can form true connections. HYUNMIN, KIEN, CHOI HAN, ANDY, RIOTO, DOHA, and JIBEEN hail from various countries worldwide, including South Korea, Japan, America, Vietnam, and Brazil. Through the changes and experiences they have had in their short time together, they have continued to remain true to their mission to “Always Remember the real Connection.”
After their pre-release track, “dummy,” introduced audiences to them, ARrC officially debuted on August 19, 2024 with their first mini album, AR^C. Since then, American singer ANDY joined the group in January 2025 and the group released a total of three mini albums, with their most recent one being HOPE.
According to ARrC’s leader, HYUNMIN, the five tracks on this project explore “the youth’s complicated emotions with honesty and depth.” Together, the members discussed their new project’s themes and concept, its creation process, pivotal moments from their first year together, and more in an exclusive interview with Kpopconcerts.com.
KPC: Congratulations on your third mini album, HOPE! What does the word “hope” mean to you and how does it connect to the messages you want to convey on this new mini album?
HYUNMIN: To me, ‘hope’ is a feeling that helps me get through harsh realities. There are a lot of moments in life when things don’t go as planned or something unexpected happens. While we were making this album, we thought the most important thing to do in these moments was not to give up and stay true to our story. And we tried to include these feelings in our music. So HOPE is an album that focuses not on a grand storyline, but rather, the feelings of recovery and victory in trivial moments of everyday life. We hope that other youth like us are able to resonate with and feel comforted through our music.
KPC: As you have released three projects thus far, what has shifted in your music since your debut mini album last year? How does this new project reflect your growth since debuting?
JIBEEN: When we debuted, we focused on showing our unique color. But now, we find ourselves thinking more deeply about the emotions and messages we want to convey. We’ve started to include more of our honest stories in the music, and I feel like the way we express them has become stronger and more refined. Those changes naturally found their way into this album as well.
ANDY: With our first and second mini albums, we were more focused on how to present ourselves. But now, we think more about how we can connect and resonate with people. While performance still matters, we’ve come to value emotion, atmosphere, and the message we want to convey even more, and that shift has been a big change for us. In preparing this album, our mindset toward music and our sense of responsibility have definitely deepened.
KPC: Your new title track, “awesome,” is an uptempo song meant to encourage listeners despite setbacks they may face. What are some ways you push forward amidst hardships?
KIEN: When something difficult happens, I try to first acknowledge how I’m feeling and then do whatever I can to move forward. I talk things through with the members to see things from different perspectives, take some time alone to sort out my thoughts, and listen to music I love. Those are some of my ways of getting through it. Just like with this album, I believe that depending on how you look at things, even tough moments can turn into something positive. That’s why I’m doing my best every day to live an ‘awesome’ life.
RIOTO: I often think about the support I’ve received from people around me. Words from the members or messages from our fans have given me strength more times than I can count. I try to remind myself that it’s okay not to be perfect, and I take things step by step each day. I think that’s the true power of “awesome”: not being flawless, but choosing not to give up and to keep moving forward. I hope our music can bring that kind of energy to everyone listening.
KPC: CHOI HAN and HYUNMIN, you both added individual touches to HOPE by contributing to writing the song “dawns.” How were your experiences songwriting on an ARrC project for the first time and what did you learn about songwriting in the process of creating “dawns?”
CHOI HAN: It was really meaningful to work on the lyrics for “dawns” with HYUNMIN for this album. It was my first time writing lyrics for one of our official tracks since our debut, so I felt a mix of excitement and a bit of pressure, but mostly, I was thrilled to be part of the process. Once I started writing, I realized how challenging it is to put emotions into words and match them to our team’s musical style. I went through several revisions and carefully refined every line, so when the final lyrics were chosen, I felt incredibly proud. I hope the quiet excitement and trembling emotion we tried to capture in “dawns” come through to everyone who listens.
HYUNMIN: “dawns” is a song that captures the honest emotions people our age often feel. It was my first time taking part in the lyric writing, and it felt surreal to be able to express my own thoughts through the lyrics. Putting my feelings into music helped me grow as an artist, especially musically. I imagined someone who struggles to express their emotions, and I wanted the lyrics to speak for the things they couldn’t quite put into words. I hope this is just the beginning and that I’ll have more chances to share my story honestly through different kinds of music going forward.
KPC: One of your new songs, “night life,” was previewed earlier this year in a Studio Session video on your YouTube channel. Why do you think putting out some of this track months in advance was the perfect way to draw up initial excitement from your fans, ARrCer?
DOHA: I think it’s a unique approach that sets our group apart. While many artists communicate with fans in various ways these days, we wanted to share our message through the music first and let ARrC’s story unfold naturally from there. It’s not just about announcing a new release, as we’re trying to help listeners dive deeper into the world of our music. It’s not a common approach, and because it breaks away from the usual formula, we believe it’s even more meaningful.
KIEN: With songs like “night life” and “SKIID” from the upcoming album, we’ve often chosen to share tracks ahead of release, and I think that comes from a sense of confidence in our music. We genuinely wanted to share good music first, hoping our fans would naturally grow curious about what’s coming next and continue to support our journey.
KPC: This mini album has an extremely unique and interesting concept that incorporates Dokkaebi, mythical Korean folklore creatures that appear in moments where people experience misfortune. Why was it essential to include this element of Korean folklore into your new concept?
CHOI HAN: In Korean folklore, Dokkaebi is known to appear in moments of misfortune, often as a kind of warning. That’s exactly why we chose the Dokkaebi as a theme for this album. We wanted to represent the struggles and confusion that come with a precarious youth through this mythical figure. More than that, we aimed to tell a playful, unexpected story where even unlucky moments can turn into lucky experiences, depending on how you choose to see them.
JIBEEN: The Dokkaebi is a familiar yet mysterious figure that often appears in Korean folklore. When we were exploring new concepts, we felt that this traditional symbol, rich with layered meanings, could be the perfect way to express the uncertainty, hope, and confusion of youth all at once.
KPC: It has been almost a year since your debut. What has been your most memorable moment as a group so far?
RIOTO: Participating in KCON JAPAN 2025 has been the most memorable moment so far. It was not an easy stage to take on as a newly debuted group, but it was so meaningful to be able to genuinely communicate with our fans in my home country of Japan, and it made me realize that we are growing as a global group. I think this is why it stands out so much to me.
HYUNMIN: For me, it would be the day we were nominated as a first-place candidate on a music show for the first time. It hadn’t even been a year since we had debuted, so I wasn’t expecting anything at all. But when we heard the news that we were nominated for first place, I remember so vividly locking eyes with my members in surprise, and not knowing what to do or how to feel because of how happy we were. I hope with our song “awesome,” we can try for first place again on a music show.
KPC: Many of you were born in different countries worldwide. What are some dream venues in your respective home countries that you would love to perform at one day?
ANDY: It’s my dream to perform at Crypto.com Arena in my hometown, Los Angeles. The Grammy Awards were held at Crypto.com Arena recently, and it is such an iconic venue for many artists and fans. I hope that someday we will be able to fill that arena with ARrC’s music and unite with our audience. We’ll work harder until we achieve that goal, so please look forward to it!
RIOTO: For me, it would be Tokyo Dome. For many Japanese people, Tokyo Dome isn’t just a venue, but an entire dream in itself. Filling that space with the cheers of fans, shining on stage under so many lights, and recalling seeing other artists perform there when I was young naturally led me to dream of performing on that stage one day too. I hope that I will be able to perform in Tokyo Dome together with my members, and share our music and message with our Japanese fans.
KPC: Which songs from HOPE are you most looking forward to performing for fans?
KIEN: I’m particularly excited to perform “vitamin I.” The song is full of energy, so you can directly feel that power from the stage. With a unique sound, we share the message that ‘the vitamin I need most is vitamin I (me),’ and we hope that through our “vitamin I” performance, our fans will be able to enjoy finding that ‘I’ during that time. In addition, for its live performance, there’s a part where the vocals and rap intersect naturally, and I’m already excited to see our fans’ reactions to our performance.
CHOI HAN: What I’m most looking forward to is performing “dawns” live for our fans. The song captures the mix of anxiety and excitement that comes with the early morning hours, and I hope we can share that feeling together on stage. Especially the repeated hook seems to quietly soothe worries about tomorrow, while also giving a sense of assurance. I want to bring that atmosphere to life on stage. This song feels like a diary of our emotions, so every time we sing it live, I think I’ll feel a deeper connection with our fans.
KPC: Do you have any other messages you want to share with ARrCer?
HYUNMIN: ARrCers, thank you so much for always believing in us and supporting us. We’ll work hard so we can give back to you by sharing even better music. More than anything, we hope that our music can be a little source of strength to you when you’re struggling or tired. Let’s continue on together!
DOHA: ARrCers, thank you for always sticking with us. Each moment that we share with you is a big source of strength to us. In the future, we’ll work even harder to show you cooler performances on stages that truly reflect our color, so please look forward to it and stay by our side. Thank you always!