Awesome is a flawless jump-split without whincing. Awesome is a neat blend of folk and swag. Awesome is a group of boys on a quest to infuse hope into the world. Young K-pop septet ARrC’s name stands for Always Remember The Real Connection, and it wasn’t just pulled out of thin air. The boys, whose ages range from 16-20, possess a multiculturalism amongst themselves that allows for easier global reach, and fluency in different languages in their music. Andy noted on their press roundtable recently: “Our group contains people from America, Vietnam, Brazil, Japan, and Korea. I feel like it really helps us with being able to communicate with so many fans from all around the world, not just in Korea.”

So, when they named their newest EP HOPE, onlookers were curious about how this ties to their theme of connection. Hyunmin, the group’s leader, offered simply: “If you work hard together, you can do anything. I think the way I visualised ‘hope’ was in a very positive light.” So just as ARrC are making small waves in the vast ocean of K-pop, fuelled by a strong team spirit, they aim to tell the world that you can do the same in your pursuits, too. Rioto reinforced their outlook: “Most of our members are still minors, so we really tried to capture what we can express uniquely at this point in our lives.”

If you work hard together, you can do anything. I think the way I visualised ‘hope’ was in a very positive light. – Hyunmin

What’s HOPE all about then? Being a slightly sweeter EP sonically than nu kidz: out the box, their previous release, HOPE turns down the chaos dial after the title track awesome finishes. Dawns and kick back are uptempo yet gentle on the ear, while the EP closer night life is as smooth and R&B-infused as its name suggests. vitamin I is the closest relative to awesome: possessing an interesting sound, quick tonal changeups, and a play of several genres led by hip-hop. 

Though it may not stand out amongst the likes of awesome and vitamin I, dawns seems to be the one that means the most to the boys. Being the one both Hyunmin and Choi Han participated in the writing of, it was the only song the boys mentioned by name on the call besides the title track. “I’m very fond of the song,” Hyunmin shared, going on to elaborate: “When I wrote the lyrics for it, I tried to express the emotions and feelings during the time of dawn, like how I was afraid of the dark but not anymore because of ‘you.’ It’s a very sweet song, so as I wrote down the lyrics, I felt I upgraded into a better artist.” Choi Han chimed in with his own writing process: “I imagined someone our age who struggles to express their feelings fully, and I tried to write the lyrics as if I were speaking out the emotions they’re holding inside.”

An interesting emblem of their message comes in the form of Korean folklore beasts, dokkaebi, that appeared in the music video of awesome. Doha explained that “they are known as beings that appear during times of misfortune or crisis to give warnings or push people toward change,” hence reinforcing that hope the boys are trying to push through their mini album. The young member followed up his words: “Combining a traditional Korean story with modern music to build this concept was a truly meaningful and creative process for us.”

I imagined someone our age who struggles to express their feelings fully, and I tried to write the lyrics [for “dawns”] as if I were speaking out the emotions they’re holding inside. – Choi Han

Just as we teased in our introduction, the music video visualises no simple tale. Choi Han, the member so flexible he makes moving joints to impossible places look easy, summed up the meaning of awesome and its hip-hop flair with an enthusiastic jump-split. It looked painful, yet infinitely cool. So we just had to ask the well-trained dancer how long it took him to perfect the move, to which he shared without an ounce of smugness: “It actually didn’t take too long to master it. The original choreography had a different move, but after discussing with our choreographer and saying I wanted something more impactful, they taught me this move. I was able to do the jump-split on my first try, so I kept polishing it, which helped raise the overall quality of the performance.” An interview quote can’t reveal this, but on the call, all the members cheered their athletic teammate, even bestowing him a couple of thumbs-ups. 

The mood is good, and team morale is at an all-time high. The boys’ first anniversary as a debuted group is this month, and we’re sure spirits will be soaring high. It seems the positive power of HOPE was an absolute success. Even another outlet’s question about the boys’ overcoming misunderstandings returned only impish snickers amongst the boys and a decent response by Kien: “Those kinds of misunderstandings make things fun and help keep the mood light within the team.” It would seem that ARrC, indeed, turn everything unfortunate into awesome.

Written and interviewed by Maddie Armstrong

Featured image courtesy of MYSTIC STORY

_{View of the Arts is an online publication dedicated to films, music, and the arts, with a strong focus on the Asian entertainment industry. With rich content already available to our readers, we aim to expand our reach and grow alongside our audience by delving deeper into emerging platforms such as K-pop and Asian music more broadly. At the same time, we remain committed to exploring the vibrant and ever-evolving global landscape of film, music, and the arts, celebrating the immense talent and creativity that define these industries worldwide.}