K-pop Group ARrC Opens Up About Their Album 'CTRL+ALT+SKIID'

K-pop group ARrC, comprising HYUNMIN, KIEN, CHOI HAN, ANDY, RIOTO, DOHA, and JIBEEN, made their return with a brand new single album ‘CTRL+ALT+SKIID’ on November 3, 2025. With this release, the group presents youth as a generation that is imperfect yet persistent, acknowledging everyday struggles while choosing to keep moving forward rather than standing still.

In an exclusive interview with Namaste Hallyu, ARrC shared insights into the creative journey behind ‘CTRL+ALT+SKIID’ and the mindset that shaped its sound and message.

Speaking about the foundation of their latest single album, leader HYUNMIN revealed that the project was driven by a desire to portray genuine emotions rather than idealized narratives. “With CTRL+ALT+SKIID, we wanted to honestly capture the emotions of youth who refuse to stop, even within repetitive routines and moments of failure, and instead choose to reboot themselves. The title track, ‘SKIID,’ is inspired by ‘CTRL+ALT+DEL,’ but rather than deleting everything, it symbolizes a generation that reboots in their own way. While working on the album, we thought a lot about how to blend in the realistic emotions our peers experience into music.”

Building on that idea, CHOI HAN highlighted how ‘SKIID’ has been a long-evolving track for the group, with its first verse previously revealed through their third mini album ‘HOPE’. Reflecting on the process, he emphasized ARrC’s focus on emotional honesty over dramatization.

The title track ‘SKIID’ was actually partially revealed earlier, with its first verse released with our third mini album, ‘HOPE’. We focused on shaping the overall production around ARrC’s own rhythm, and since this song carries a strong narrative, we paid particular attention to how we could convey its emotions effectively. After a lot of discussion, we decided not to portray reality as overly dark, but instead to honestly express the weight we feel and the strength that pushes us to keep moving within it. Ultimately, this album doesn’t romanticize the reality our generation faces, but sincerely reflects our determination to move forward with resilience and optimism.

– CHOI HAN

For ARrC, the idea of rebooting is not rooted in escape, but in presence and perseverance. JIBEEN explained that the album centers on choosing to live again without erasing what came before. “We didn’t want this album to feel like running away or hitting a clean reset,” he said. “Instead, we wanted to reflect the real concerns and tempo that people of youth actually experience. In that sense, ‘SKIID’ is the track that best showcases how ARrC views the world. We wanted to musically express the idea that it’s okay not to be perfect, and that the act of trying again is our energy in itself,” he added.

DOHA expanded on this thought by describing ARrC’s artistic identity as one rooted in balance and connection.

I think ARrC’s core direction ultimately comes down to ‘connection.’ Finding the balance between not brushing reality aside too lightly, but also not making it overly heavy, feels like ARrC’s unique color. The message of this album is an extension of that. It’s not about resetting, but rebooting; we focused on the process of finding the strength to move again. Going forward, we want to continue sharing these honest emotions and everyday stories through our music and performances, becoming a team that listeners can naturally relate to and see themselves in.

– DOHA

That emphasis on connection and emotional balance carries directly into the way ‘CTRL+ALT+SKIID’ approaches its themes. At its heart, the album draws strength from its portrayal of ordinary, often unspoken struggles, an idea HYUNMIN reflected on while discussing how the record captures a familiar emotional state shared by many young people today. “We’re constantly busy, yet our minds often feel stuck. There are so many things we have to do, but it’s easy to lose direction along the way. With this album, we wanted to honestly capture that ‘paused’ state instead of hiding it,” he said. He further added, “Even within that pause, though, there’s always a small force that pushes us to move again, and I see that as our generation’s resilience. ‘SKIID’ also reflects that idea clearly; not standing back up perfectly, but slipping and still moving forward. I believe listeners will be able to relate to that through the music.”

The lead rapper and lead vocalist of the group, ANDY, drew inspiration from the quiet determination of people who keep going despite repeated setbacks.

I was really impressed with the strength of people who keep going, even in small ways, without giving up in their everyday routines. That’s why we tried to embed that sense of persistence and rhythm throughout this album. We focused on expressing things like the tempo of trying again, even when you’re feeling low, or the attitude of rebooting after failure through lyrics. It’s all conveyed in our music, but ultimately, the hope ARrC talks about is the process of honestly acknowledging your own pace and emotions, and choosing to keep walking forward.

– ANDY

That philosophy also carried into the album’s production and performance. As this approach extended beyond lyrics and into movement, HYUNMIN found that working on the choreography for ‘SKIID’ pushed the group into unfamiliar territory.

The choreography for the title track ‘SKIID’ was a huge challenge for us, and from the very beginning of practice, it genuinely felt like we were rebooting ourselves. Physically, it wasn’t easy at all, and even the smallest movements required us to stay perfectly in sync with the flow, so we spent a lot of time refining every detail. At first, it felt overwhelming, but as we watched each other practice and gradually came together, it felt like the team’s energy itself was being rebooted. It became an experience where we pushed how we present ourselves on stage to a completely new level.

– HYUNMIN

As the group intentionally moved away from the overly polished vocal delivery, DOHA experienced a reset during the recording process. “For me, the biggest reboot came during the recording process. ‘SKIID’ has a very minimal structure, but every sound texture used in the song is strong and distinctive, so vocally, I had to find the right tone to match that,” he shared. He continued, “Since the song reflects the ‘errors’ of youth, we didn’t want clean, polished emotions, but something a bit shaky and rough instead. By trying out different expressions, I ended up discovering a clearer vocal tone than before. It felt like a reboot in the sense that I learned how to handle my voice in a way that really comes alive within the music.”

Another highlight of the album is the collaboration track ‘WoW (Way of Winning) (with MOON SUA X SIYOON)’, featuring MOON SUA and SIYOON from Billlie. CHOI HAN recalled being immediately drawn to the song’s atmosphere and how naturally the collaboration unfolded.

“From the moment I first heard ‘WoW (Way of Winning) (with MOON SUA X SIYOON),’ the song’s sleek rhythm and subtly dreamy mood stood out to me right away. When we thought about which artists would best match that energy, Billlie naturally came to mind. We reached out carefully, and we were incredibly grateful that they agreed to join right away. Both of their vocal tones are so dimensional, and their emotional delivery is very refined, which I think brought the song’s trendy mood to life in a much richer way. With their participation, it really felt like the forward-driving energy of ‘WoW (Way of Winning) (with MOON SUA X SIYOON)’ became fully complete,” he said.

RIOTO further described the collaboration as a meaningful learning experience, both musically and creatively. In his words:

I learned a lot through the process of recording and exchanging direction ideas with them. MOON SUA has such powerful rap delivery but never loses attention to detail, which really strengthened the drive in the chorus. SIYOON has an amazing sense of ease in her performance, and that brought out the song’s ‘playful rebelliousness’ in a more polished way. Since both of them also participated in writing the lyrics, the message feels much more realistic and alive. It was our first collaboration, but it’s a moment I’ll remember for a long time because we were able to naturally blend our individual colors and share really good energy together.

– RIOTO

Apart from the music itself, the choreography for ‘SKIID’ mirrors the album’s themes, incorporating movements that feel intentionally unstable and unbalanced. When asked to describe it using computer-related terms, CHOI HAN chose “reboot,” explaining, “In this choreography, there are a lot of unstable movements, like lifting one leg or shifting your center of gravity, and even in those moments, we’re constantly trying not to fall and to regain balance. That process felt a lot like a system rebooting itself to return to a stable state.” RIOTO, on the other hand, described the performance as an “upgrade,” sharing, “I think this performance really shows ARrC’s growth in both movement and teamwork. Since the choreography includes so many new attempts, viewers will clearly be able to feel that this is an ‘upgraded version of ARrC.’”

At the center of ARrC’s creative process is their bond with fans. ANDY described ARrCers as the group’s greatest source of motivation, noting how messages from listeners who find comfort or strength in their music continue to inspire them.

“Our biggest source of inspiration is always our fans, ARrCers. Whenever we see people supporting our music and performances around the world, it gives us strength and naturally motivates us to create even better music. Reading the messages from fans or the stories they share through communication apps about how our songs gave them energy or comfort really moves us. That kind of connection feels beautiful, and it makes me think that we’ve created a relationship that inspires each other,” he shared.

JIBEEN also added that personal curiosity and growth also play a significant role in shaping their music.

I draw a lot of inspiration from challenging myself with new genres and forms of expression. Studying unfamiliar styles and thinking about what new colors we can add to ARrC is always stimulating for us. That curiosity toward change eventually turns into new ideas, and it becomes one of the biggest driving forces when we’re working on music.

– JIBEEN

The members see music as a powerful medium for self-expression, a perspective HYUNMIN shared, saying, “To me, music is like a breathing space, because it helps you momentarily forget the weight of reality and gives you room to endure hard moments. If our music can play that kind of role for someone, that alone would feel incredibly meaningful.” DOHA echoed this sentiment, adding, “When you listen to it during hard times, you get pulled along by that energy and find the strength to keep going. With this album, we wanted to deliver that sense of comfort and empathy. I hope that when people listen to our songs, even briefly, they can catch their breath and feel the strength to move forward again.”

Looking ahead, the group is eager to explore new creative territory. JIBEEN expressed interest in experimenting with house music, while RIOTO hopes to expand his range through technique-driven dance styles. The members also spoke about their desire to perform in India someday, already imagining which songs they would bring to the stage. ANDY shared that his choice would be ‘dummy’, explaining, “I personally think that all of us enjoy performing this song the most, and its performance shows ARrC’s color in the most honest way. The moment the beat drops, we can feel both our and the audience’s energy rise at the same time, so I’d really love to share that feeling directly with our Indian fans.”

KIEN, meanwhile, hopes to perform ‘SKIID’ for Indian ARrCers.

Out of all the stages we’ve prepared so far, I think it’s the most complete and the one that captures ARrC’s performance most powerfully. It would be the perfect stage to show our fans in India how much we’ve grown and to present the current version of ARrC in the coolest way.

– KIEN

As the conversation came to a close, ARrC shared a heartfelt message for their Indian ARrCers, with KIEN saying, “Hi Indian ARrCers, thank you for your constant support. As much as you send love to us, we’ll work hard to repay you with better performance and music. We hope we can see you in India one day! Until then, please continue sending us your support and attention. Thank you!”

With ‘CTRL+ALT+SKIID’, ARrC proves that growth does not always look like perfection. Sometimes, it looks like slipping, recalibrating, and choosing to move forward anyway.

Watch the MV of ‘SKIID’ here: