SKINZ The KPOPWORLD Digital Cover
Some groups spend their debut telling you who they want to be. SKINZ have a different approach – the album is called SKINZ IS SKINZ, and they mean it literally.
By Hasan Beyaz
When we ask the group as part of our cover story interview what that means, Jaon puts it plainly: they want to show SKINZ as they are, without rules, limits, or predefined standards. Yull frames it as something harder-won – a determination to keep moving forward regardless of what's coming at them from outside. Seven members, seven slightly different ways of saying the same thing.
The album earns that framing. Opening with the punk-inflected force of "YOUNG & LOUD" and closing with the tender devotion of "25.14," it maps a specific emotional arc – from defiance to vulnerability, with all the uncertainty in between. Dael describes youth on this record as "sharp and fragile, something that can hurt" – and that's closer to what the album actually sounds like than its surface energy suggests. These are not songs about youth as a golden period. They're songs about youth as something you're still in the middle of, not entirely sure how to carry.
"Poison Ivy" – the mini album's title track – sits with the feeling of staying in something you know isn't good for you, and doesn't try to resolve it cleanly. Dael says it wasn't really about romantic love specifically – it was about a pattern he recognised across different parts of his life. Jaon describes writing it as a process of becoming honest rather than a difficult task. The song lands accordingly.
Their stage presence and performances carry the same weight. SKINZ have already appeared at Gayo Daejeon less than a year into their existence. Finn describes the pre-performance nerves collapsing the moment the music starts, replaced by something that only makes sense in the room with an audience. Ilang Kwon reaches for the word overwhelming – "in a good way" – and lands on something that sounds exactly right. On stage, he says, they might actually be as excited as kids.
The album covers a lot of emotional ground for a debut. "WHY U MAD" – the pre-release track – doesn’t flinch. "Glitch: 99 Degrees" pushes past a breaking point rather than pulling back from one. Even the softer moments don't reach for easy resolution. "25.14" closes the record with a coded message – the numbers translate in Korean to "in this world, only you, the one I love" – directed entirely at their fans. It's the most deliberately tender moment on an album that holds quite a bit back elsewhere. Dael explains it simply: after four tracks of facing the world head-on, they're still young and they want to be loved and understood.
For our latest Digital Cover, SKINZ takes us through their debut mini album, the emotional weight behind the music, and what it really means to say exactly who you are.
1. The album is called SKINZ IS SKINZ. What does that title mean to you as a statement?
Dael "SKINZ IS SKINZ" genuinely means that SKINZ is SKINZ. It reflects our ambition to deliver our message with confidence, exactly as it is, without holding anything back.
Finn To us, SKINZ is exactly who we are the way we feel and express ourselves, just as we are.
Theo It carries the meaning that we want to show who we are in the most authentic color that defines us.
Dovin Without any frills or exaggeration, it's about saying that we are simply ourselves and that we're going to show exactly who we are.
Ilang Kwon SKINZ IS SKINZ literally, we're just us. We wanted to capture our true colors without any filters or embellishments.
Jaon It means we're simply ourselves, and that we want to show SKINZ as we are without any rules, limits, or predefined standards.
Yull The title 'SKINZ IS SKINZ' feels like a statement of who we are as a team. No matter what others say or what situation we're in, it represents our determination to move forward in our own way. Through this album, we want to confidently show SKINZ's unique identity and who we truly are.
2. Q: Youth is a big theme on this record. What part of being young right now feels most important to put into music?
Dael Youth is often described as something beautiful, but before it fully takes shape, it can also be sharp and fragile, something that can hurt. Through this theme, we wanted to go beyond just the beautiful side and talk about how we face the more realistic and sometimes negative aspects of youth, and what message we want to share through that.
Theo We wanted to capture the raw, unfiltered emotions of youth, confusion, passion, and a sense of freedom.
Jaon Youth isn't perfect, but we believe the process itself is meaningful. We wanted to express that sense of uncertainty and energy through our music.
Finn We don't think youth is always bright. It can be uncertain, unstable, and sometimes imperfect but we believe that the emotions we feel right now are what truly define youth.
3. Q: "YOUNG & LOUD" opens the album with a lot of energy and rebellion. Where does that feeling come from for you personally?
Theo It came from our desire to break out of norms and express ourselves freely, without fear.
Dovin It's rooted in a sense of rebellion against everything that tries to suppress us, along with the confidence to stand our ground.
4. Q: "Poison Ivy" is about knowing something is bad for you but not being able to leave. Was it difficult to write about that kind of feeling honestly?
Dael It wasn't difficult for me. I've had moments where I went through with something even though I already knew it wouldn't end well. It's not just about love, it's a feeling I've experienced in different parts of my life. So rather than being difficult to express, it was actually something I found interesting to explore through music.
Jaon It wasn't so difficult – it felt more like a process of becoming honest. We wanted to express those emotions exactly as they are.
5. Q: "WHY U MAD" is about staying calm when people criticise you. Has that been something you have had to practise in other areas of your life?
Dovin I think having an unshakable mindset is really important in real life as well. Of course, listening to others' opinions matters, but just as importantly, you need to stand your ground and stay true to your own beliefs.
Jaon We've definitely had those experiences. Instead of being shaken by every reaction, we try to take in only the feedback that truly matters. In the end, staying focused on our own direction is what's most important to us.
Finn At first, I cared a lot about what other people said. But as I continued making music, I started to realize that what really matters is the mindset I have when I step on stage. So now, I try to trust myself more.
6. Q: "Glitch: 99 Degrees" is about reaching a breaking point. What does that moment feel like for you, when emotions get too big to contain?
Theo It feels like a moment where you lose control, but at the same time, you discover a new side of yourself. It's also a track that invites listeners into those intense, passion-filled moments we experience.
7. Q: The last song, "25.14," is for your fans. Why did you want to end the album there?
Finn As we went through every moment of this album, the faces that ultimately came to mind were our fans. So we wanted the final track to naturally reach them. Rather than feeling like the end of the album, we hope it feels like something that continues together with them.
Dael The first four tracks carry a stronger, more intense energy, as they reflect our confidence in facing negative perceptions head-on. But at the end of the day, we're still young and we want to be loved and understood. That's why we wanted to close the album with a track that gently expresses that side of us and conveys our gratitude to the fans who have stayed by our side.
Ilang Kwon '25.14' has a different atmosphere compared to the other tracks. It's a song for our fans, but it also shows a more vulnerable side of us. We wanted to capture the sincerity that the world may not always understand and express it through the final track.
8. Q: SKINZ has performed on several different stages, including Gayodaejeon. When you are performing, what does it feel like from the inside?
Theo It's the moment we feel most alive. It's overwhelming in the best possible way.
Dovin It feels like a huge honor. I'd also like to express my gratitude to everyone who gave us these opportunities to be on stage.
Finn Before going on stage, we feel a lot of nerves, but once the music starts, all of that turns into energy. Every time we feel the audience's reaction, that's when we truly feel like we're in the moment, on stage.
Ilang Kwon There are so many emotions at once, but I think the best word to describe it is 'overwhelming' in a good way. On stage, we might actually be as excited as kids, enjoying every moment.
9. Q: What is the hardest part of expressing emotion through your performances?
Jaon The hardest part is balancing emotion and choreography at the same time. That's why we put a lot of effort into expressing emotion through every single movement.
Ilang Kwon We deliver our emotions through our voices, gestures, and facial expressions. Since every song genuinely reflects how we feel, we've never really found it difficult to express that on stage.
10. Q: What has been the moment so far that brought your group closest together?
Dael It's usually after we finish a performance. Even during the process of making music or preparing for the stage, we sometimes have differences in opinions. But after going through all of that and standing on stage together, when we make eye contact and look at each other, there's this intense feeling that we've become even closer, like we've truly come together as one through the music.
Theo When all our individual colors come together in one direction and we realize we're moving toward the same goal, that's when I feel like we truly became a team. It's the moment we feel genuinely connected as one.
Dovin At first, we were just seven individuals, but over time it feels like we've become one community called SKINZ. Sometimes it even feels like we're brothers, like we share the same blood or even like extensions of each other. I especially feel that when we're on stage.
Jaon As we continue to move toward the same goal, we naturally grow closer. Especially while preparing for and performing on stage together, there are moments where we start to trust each other more deeply.
Yull As we prepare for and perform on different stages together, we feel most united in the moments when we truly trust and rely on each other. Especially when we make eye contact or our timing clicks perfectly on stage, it really makes us realize that we're one team.
Finn While preparing for and performing on stage, there have been many moments where we learned to trust each other more. Especially when we experience the fans' cheers and reactions together, it makes us realize even more strongly that we're all moving in the same direction. Those moments have naturally brought us closer as a team.
Ilang Kwon Since we all grew up in different environments, it wasn't easy for us to become one right away. But as we've gone through challenges and difficult moments together, we've learned to rely on each other more and more.
11. Q: You debuted less than a year ago. What is the biggest thing you understand now that you did not understand at the start?
Theo It may have been a short time, but through our journey, we've come to appreciate even the smallest moments. We feel that every experience is shaping who we are today.
Finn Through our activities, we've realized how much strength we gain from even a single message or cheer from our fans. At first, just standing on stage felt overwhelming, but now we understand more deeply that those moments are something we create together with our fans.
12. Q: What do you want fans to understand about you that they might not see yet?
Dovin I think our fans already know a lot about us, but there's still so much we haven't been able to show yet especially musically. From here on, we plan to express everything we want to say through our music.
Finn Even off stage, we talk a lot about our fans, what kind of music they would enjoy, and what kind of performances would make them happy. We hope people understand that everything we prepare comes from those thoughts.
13. Q: When you think about your own future as an artist, what do you hope for?
Yull As SKINZ, we want to become a team that can tell our story in a deeper and more impactful way. We hope our music carries our emotions and narrative so that listeners can truly feel who we are. Ultimately, we want to grow into artists whose identity and sincerity can be understood through our music alone.
Dael To be honest, I don't have a very specific picture of the future. But I do hope things stay like they are now; continuing to be sincere about our music, and being surrounded by people who listen to and care about what we create.
Theo We want to become artists who continue to evolve while staying true to who we are. We also hope to explore a wide range of genres and concepts.
Dovin Beyond the idea of being virtual artists, we dream of becoming artists who are genuinely loved by people. We want to be artists who can truly move and connect with others.
Jaon We want to become artists who never lose our unique color over time. By continuing to grow through our music and performances, we hope to be remembered for a long time.
Finn I hope we can continue making music with our fans for a long time. My dream is to build a relationship where, even as time passes, we can listen to the same songs and remember the same moments together.
Ilang Kwon We hope SKINZ's music can bring comfort, strength, and connection to many people. Just like people come from different backgrounds, we also came together from different places and became like a family. We want to become artists who can give strength to everyone through our music.