ARrC (Korean아크; RRAkeu; MRAk'ŭ; an abbreviation for Always Remember the real Connection) is a South Korean boy band formed and managed by Mystic Story. The group consists of seven members: Hyunmin, Kien, Ziwoo, Choi Han, Rioto, Doha, and Jibeen. They debuted on August 19, 2024, with the extended play (EP) Ar^c.

ARrC
ARrC in August 2024
L–R: Rioto, Doha, Choi Han, Ziwoo, Hyunmin, Kien, Jibeen
Background information
OriginSeoul, South Korea
Genres
Years active2024 (2024)–present
LabelsMystic Story
Members
  • Hyunmin
  • Kien
  • Ziwoo
  • Choi Han
  • Rioto
  • Doha
  • Jibeen
WebsiteweARrC.com

Name

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The group's name, ARrC, stands for Always Remember the real Connection. It embodies the belief that a "true connection with each other" is a valuable principle that transcends time, space, and interpersonal differences. They also pledge to never forget this "connectivity" as they develop into musicians who can use their music to positively impact a large number of people worldwide.[1]

History

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2024–present: Introduction, World of ARrC, and debut with Ar^c

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In July 2024, Mystic Story announced that they would be preparing to launch their first boy group composed of seven members from various countries, with the goal of debuting in mid-August.[2] On July 8, Mystic Story opened the group's official social media accounts, revealing the logo motion and member's profile which are Jibeen, Doha, Kien, Rioto, Ziwoo, Choi Han, and Hyunmin.[note 1] Among the members, Hyunmin, who was known as a contestant under his real name Park Hyun-been in Mnet's survival competition series Boys Planet but eliminated and placed 48th in the overall rankings, and Ziwoo, who went viral in South Korea after singing Maktub and Goo Yoon-hee's "Marry Me" in the classroom and his classmate uploaded it on TikTok which garnered 8.2 million views.[1] The next day Mystic Story announced the group's first reality show World of ARrC, which would be released simultaneously on Mnet and M2 YouTube channels on July 17, and was about them growing to become an idol by solving various quests ahead of their debut.[3] On July 12, after ARrC continuously posting individual, unit, and group photos, they become a hot topic and garnered more than 1.16 million views with the search keyword "ARrC" in Weibo, China's largest social media platform, and local media outlets are focusing on the news of the debut of Vietnamese member Kien.[4] ARrC then released two unreleased songs "Connected" and "Alien in Seoul" on July 16 and 19, respectively, and will be included in the group's second comeback album.[5][6] On July 23, ARrC confirmed to debut with their first EP Ar^c[A] on August 19, 2024. In particular, the first single "Dummy" would be pre-released on July 26, ahead of their debut.[7]

In August 2024, ARrC announced "S&S (Sour and Sweet)" as the title track of their debut EP.[8] The group is set to hold a global debut show titled ARrC Debut Show: The Real Connection on the day of their debut, where they would reveal the details of their debut EP and stages of the tracks, as well as the debut celebration party. It would be broadcast simultaneously on Mnet and the M2 YouTube channels.[9]

Members

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  • Hyunmin (현민)
  • Kien (끼엔)
  • Ziwoo (지우)
  • Choi Han (최한)
  • Rioto (리오토)
  • Doha (도하)
  • Jibeen (지빈)

Discography

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Extended plays

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List of extended plays, showing selected details, selected chart positions, and sales figures
Title Details Peak chart positions Sales
KOR
[10]
Ar^c
Track listing
  1. "S&S (Sour and Sweet)"
  2. "Light Up"
  3. "Shadow"
  4. "Duality"
  5. "Dummy" (Nu Skull Mix)
10

Singles

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List of singles, showing year released, selected chart positions, and name of the album
Title Year Peak chart positions Album
KOR
Down.

[12]
"Dummy" 2024 Non-album single
"S&S (Sour and Sweet)" 79 Ar^c
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory

Other songs

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List of other songs, showing year released, selected chart positions, and name of the album
Title Year Peak chart positions Album
KOR
Down.

[12]
"Light Up" 2024 108 Ar^c
"Shadow" 109
"Duality" 110
"Dummy (Nu Skull Mix)" 107

Videography

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Music videos

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Music video appearances
Song title Year Director(s) Ref.
"Dummy" 2024 Novv Kim
(Novv)
[13][14]
"S&S (Sour and Sweet)" [15][16]

Filmography

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Reality shows

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Reality show appearances
Year Title Notes Ref.
2024 World of ARrC Pre-debut reality show [17]

Notes

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  1. ^ Read as A-r-squared-c.[7]
  1. ^ The names of the members are sorted according to their group's social media post.

References

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  1. ^ a b c Kim, Ye-na (July 8, 2024). '8월 데뷔' 미스틱 新보이그룹 '아크(ARrC)', 7인 개인 프로필 오픈 ['August Debut' Mystic's New Boy Group 'ARrC', 7 Members' Individual Profiles Open] (in Korean). Xports News. Archived from the original on August 28, 2024. Retrieved August 18, 2024 – via Naver.
  2. ^ Yoon, Ki-baek (July 3, 2024). 미스틱 첫 보이그룹, 8월 데뷔 확정... "7인조 다국적 그룹" [Mystic's first boy group confirmed to debut in August... "7-member multinational group"] (in Korean). Edaily [ko]. Archived from the original on August 18, 2024. Retrieved August 18, 2024 – via Naver.
  3. ^ Geum, Bit-na (July 9, 2024). 미스틱스토리 첫 보이그룹 ARrC (아크), 첫 번째 리얼리티 론칭...8월 데뷔 [Mystic Story's first boy group ARrC, first reality launching...August debut] (in Korean). MK Sports. Archived from the original on August 28, 2024. Retrieved August 18, 2024 – via Naver.
  4. ^ Yoon, Ki-baek (July 12, 2024). '미스틱 신인' 아크, 中 웨이보 검색량 116만건... 관심 후끈 ['Mystic Rookie' Ark, 1.16 million searches on Chinese Weibo... Hot interest] (in Korean). Edaily [ko]. Archived from the original on August 28, 2024. Retrieved August 18, 2024 – via Naver.
  5. ^ Lee, Seung-hun (July 16, 2024). '미스틱 신인' 아크, '완성형 그룹' 탄생 예고..유닛 라이브 영상 오픈 ['Mystic Rookie' ARrC, 'Complete Group' Birth Announcement..Unit Live Video Open] (in Korean). Star News. Archived from the original on August 28, 2024. Retrieved August 18, 2024 – via Naver.
  6. ^ Hwang, Hye-jin (July 19, 2024). 미스틱 신인 보이그룹 아크, 8월 데뷔 확정...미발매곡 100만뷰 돌파 [Mystic's new boy group Ark, confirmed to debut in August...Unreleased song surpasses 1 million views] (in Korean). Newsen. Archived from the original on August 28, 2024. Retrieved August 18, 2024 – via Naver.
  7. ^ a b Choi, Yi-jung (July 23, 2024). '미스틱 신인 보이그룹' 아크, 8월 19일 데뷔 확정...첫 EP 'AR^C'로 첫발 ['Mystic Rookie Boy Group' ARrC, Debut Confirmed for August 19th...First Step with First EP 'AR^C'] (in Korean). OSEN [ko]. Archived from the original on August 19, 2024. Retrieved August 18, 2024 – via Naver.
  8. ^ Choi, Yi-jung (August 13, 2024). '미스틱 신인 보이그룹' 아크, 첫 EP 'AR^C' 타이틀곡은 'S&S' ['Mystic Rookie Boy Group' Ark, First EP 'AR^C' Title Song is 'S&S'] (in Korean). OSEN [ko]. Archived from the original on August 18, 2024. Retrieved August 18, 2024 – via Naver.
  9. ^ Geum, Bit-na (August 13, 2024). '미스틱 보이그룹' 아크(ARrC), 19일 글로벌 데뷔쇼 개최...'역대급 데뷔' ['Mystic Boy Group' ARrC to Hold Global Debut Show on the 19th...'Greatest Debut Ever'] (in Korean). MK Sports. Archived from the original on August 28, 2024. Retrieved August 18, 2024 – via Naver.
  10. ^ "Ar^c". Circle Chart (in Korean and English). August 18–24, 2024. Archived from the original on August 29, 2024. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  11. ^ Cumulative Sales of Ar^c"
  12. ^ a b Peak positions on the Circle Download Chart:
  13. ^ Kim, Novv (director) (July 26, 2024). ARrC (아크) 'dummy' MV (in Korean and English). South Korea: Mystic Story. Archived from the original on July 26, 2024. Retrieved August 18, 2024 – via YouTube.
  14. ^ Lee, Seung-hun (July 26, 2024). '미스틱 아이돌' 아크, 데뷔 앨범 수록곡 오늘 발매..90년대 힙합 소환 ['Mystic Idol' ARrC, debut album song released today..Summoning 90s hip-hop] (in Korean). Star News. Archived from the original on August 28, 2024. Retrieved August 18, 2024 – via Naver.
  15. ^ Kim, Novv (director) (August 19, 2024). ARrC (아크) 'S&S (sour and sweet)' MV (in Korean and English). South Korea: Mystic Story. Archived from the original on August 19, 2024. Retrieved August 19, 2024 – via YouTube.
  16. ^ Lee, Seung-hun (August 19, 2024). 윤종신 男그룹은 뭐가 다를까..아크, 우화 품고 데뷔 [1시★카페] [What's different about Yoon Jong-shin's boy group? ARrC, debuting with a fable [1 o'clock★cafe]] (in Korean). Star News. Archived from the original on August 28, 2024. Retrieved August 19, 2024 – via Naver.
  17. ^ Jung, Ha-eun (July 17, 2024). '미스틱 신인' 아크, 오늘(17일) 단독 리얼리티 '월드 오브 아크' 첫방...츠키 지원사격 ['Mystic Rookie' ARrC, First Broadcast of Exclusive Reality Show 'World of ARrC' Today (17th)...Tsuki Support Shooting] (in Korean). Sports World. Archived from the original on August 28, 2024. Retrieved August 18, 2024 – via Naver.
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