# Cortis (코르티스)
**Cortis** (코르티스) is a five-member South Korean boy group under BigHit Music (빅히트 뮤직), the label behind BTS and TOMORROW X TOGETHER, which debuted on August 18, 2025. It is the label's first new boy band in six years and its third overall, and it presents itself as a "young creator crew" whose members co-write the music, choreography, and videos rather than holding fixed roles.[1](https://www.bighitsmusic.com/cortis/profile) • [2](https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10585950) • [3](https://ent.sbs.co.kr/news/article.do?article_id=E10010305174)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Members | Martin, James, Juhoon, Seonghyeon, and Keonho[1](https://www.bighitsmusic.com/cortis/profile) |
| Label position | First BigHit Music boy band in six years; third after BTS and TOMORROW X TOGETHER[1](https://www.bighitsmusic.com/cortis/profile) • [3](https://ent.sbs.co.kr/news/article.do?article_id=E10010305174) |
| Debut | August 18, 2025; debut album *COLOR OUTSIDE THE LINES* released September 8, 2025[2](https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10585950) • [4](https://www.billboard.co.kr/editorial/review/article/cortis-4/) |
| Debut sales | 247,295 copies on the first day; over 500,000 by September 23, No. 1 first-week sales among 2025 debuts and fourth all-time for K-pop debut albums[4](https://www.billboard.co.kr/editorial/review/article/cortis-4/) • [2](https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10585950) |
| Billboard 200 | Debut album entered at No. 15; second EP *GreenGreen* debuted at No. 3 and stayed 13 weeks[2](https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10585950) • [5](https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10844467) |
| Streaming | 14 released songs surpassed 1.1 billion cumulative Spotify streams by the group's first anniversary[5](https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10844467) |
| Touring | Sold-out first tour "Put Your Phone Down" (North American leg) and a slot at Lollapalooza Chicago in year one[5](https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10844467) |
## Name and concept
The name CORTIS takes six letters irregularly from the phrase "COLOR OUTSIDE THE LINES" (선 밖에 색칠하다), which the label glosses as a determination to think beyond the boundaries defined by the world.[1](https://www.bighitsmusic.com/cortis/profile) • [3](https://ent.sbs.co.kr/news/article.do?article_id=E10010305174)
The group's stated identity is collective creation. Rather than adhering to fixed roles, the five members work as co-creators on music, choreography, and video content; the members describe themselves as a "co-creation group" (공동 창작 그룹) and say they write even single lyric lines together as five.[1](https://www.bighitsmusic.com/cortis/profile) • [3](https://ent.sbs.co.kr/news/article.do?article_id=E10010305174) The official Japanese profile calls them a "young creator crew" (ヤングクリエイタークルー) who handle their own music, choreography, and videos with a fresh, original sensibility, noting that most members are in their teens.[6](https://cortis-official.jp/profile/) Korean streaming-platform editorial describes the same "공동 창작" (co-creation) style, with lyrics, composition, performance, and videography based on the members' own stories.[7](https://www.melon.com/musicstory/detail.htm?mstorySeq=16338)
## Members
The roster is Martin, James, Juhoon, Seonghyeon, and Keonho; Bugs lists the group as a male group of South Korean nationality debuting in 2025, in dance/pop, R&B/soul, and rap/hip-hop genres.[1](https://www.bighitsmusic.com/cortis/profile) • [8](https://music.bugs.co.kr/artist/80409215?wl_ref=M_contents_03_04)
**Martin** is the leader and main beatmaker. A Korean-Canadian who was 17 at debut, he had production credits before joining the group, including ILLIT's "Magnetic," ENHYPEN's "Outside," and TXT's "Beautiful Strangers."[9](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/cortis-bighit-new-boy-group-debut-interview-1235396193/) • [3](https://ent.sbs.co.kr/news/article.do?article_id=E10010305174)
**James**, the oldest at 19, is from Taipei and choreographed for HYBE artists, including the "Magnetic" dance; within Cortis he leads the atmosphere and contributes choreography ideas.[9](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/cortis-bighit-new-boy-group-debut-interview-1235396193/) • [3](https://ent.sbs.co.kr/news/article.do?article_id=E10010305174)
**Juhoon** was scouted as a middle-school student after working as a youth model; in the group he mediates when opinions differ and anchors the team.[9](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/cortis-bighit-new-boy-group-debut-interview-1235396193/) • [3](https://ent.sbs.co.kr/news/article.do?article_id=E10010305174)
**Seonghyeon** serves as a topliner and lyricist and defines the group's style across music and fashion.[9](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/cortis-bighit-new-boy-group-debut-interview-1235396193/) • [3](https://ent.sbs.co.kr/news/article.do?article_id=E10010305174)
**Keonho**, the youngest at 16, is a key contributor to the group's music videos and brings video-composition ideas.[9](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/cortis-bighit-new-boy-group-debut-interview-1235396193/) • [3](https://ent.sbs.co.kr/news/article.do?article_id=E10010305174)
All five members hold album credits in composition, choreography, and video direction.[2](https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10585950)
## History
BigHit Music introduced the group with official social media accounts in early August 2025 and released the first song, "GO!", ahead of the debut.[9](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/cortis-bighit-new-boy-group-debut-interview-1235396193/) Cortis debuted on August 18, 2025, and spent six weeks promoting on SBS's *Inkigayo*, performing the prerelease single "Go!," the lead track "What You Want," and the side track "Fashion."[2](https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10585950) The debut album *COLOR OUTSIDE THE LINES* followed on September 8, 2025.[4](https://www.billboard.co.kr/editorial/review/article/cortis-4/)
The label invested heavily in the record's production: what was originally planned as a one-month songwriting camp became three months of production in Los Angeles, an opportunity the Korea Herald describes as rare even for established K-pop acts.[2](https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10585950) To mark the album's release, the group held its first standalone concert in a venue of under 10,000 seats that BTS had also played about ten years earlier, streamed via Weverse and the HYBE LABELS YouTube channel to fans in 190 countries.[4](https://www.billboard.co.kr/editorial/review/article/cortis-4/)
In its first year the group completed the North American leg of its sold-out tour "Put Your Phone Down," ending in San Francisco, performed at Lollapalooza Chicago, and marked its first anniversary with "Put Your Phone Down Birthday Party" shows at [Korea University](https://www.edgepedia.org/korea-university)'s Hwajeong Gymnasium in Seoul.[5](https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10844467)
## Discography
- "GO!" (prerelease single, 2025), "What You Want" (lead track), and "Fashion" (side track)[2](https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10585950)
- *COLOR OUTSIDE THE LINES* (first EP, September 8, 2025)[4](https://www.billboard.co.kr/editorial/review/article/cortis-4/), which Melon describes as combining hip-hop, pop rock, and K-pop performance[10](https://www.melon.com/artist/detail.htm?artistId=4491260)
- *GreenGreen* (second EP, 2026), with lead track "RedRed," which topped major charts in Korea and overseas[5](https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10844467)
By the first anniversary the group had released 14 songs.[5](https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10844467)
## By the numbers
The debut's commercial figures placed Cortis at the top of its debut class. The album sold 247,295 copies on its first day, the highest first-day sales among rookie acts debuting in 2025.[4](https://www.billboard.co.kr/editorial/review/article/cortis-4/) Per Hanteo Chart, sales passed 500,000 copies by September 23, ranking No. 1 in first-week sales among new acts that year and fourth all-time for K-pop debut albums.[2](https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10585950)
On international charts, the debut album entered the Billboard 200 at No. 15, the highest-ever entry for a debut K-pop group album aside from project-based teams.[2](https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10585950) It reached No. 65 on US Apple Music's Top Albums (September 9), entered the US iTunes Top Albums chart at No. 88 and peaked at No. 32, hit No. 2 on Japan's Oricon Daily Album Ranking (September 9), and placed all its tracks on QQ Music's rising, popularity, and new-song charts in China.[4](https://www.billboard.co.kr/editorial/review/article/cortis-4/) All three debut tracks topped Spotify's Daily Viral Songs Global chart; "Go!" spent four consecutive days at No. 1 on Apple Music Korea's Top 100: Today's Hits and was the only 2025 boy band song to enter Melon's daily chart.[2](https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10585950)
The second EP extended the run: *GreenGreen* debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 (chart dated May 23, 2026) and remained on the chart for 13 consecutive weeks, the longest run by a boy group that debuted within the past five years, while the group's 14 released songs surpassed 1.1 billion cumulative Spotify streams.[5](https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10844467)
## How it compares with sibling and fifth-generation groups
Cortis is BigHit Music's third group, after BTS and TOMORROW X TOGETHER, and drew major attention from debut for that reason.[3](https://ent.sbs.co.kr/news/article.do?article_id=E10010305174) Its debut numbers stand out against its 2025 cohort: No. 1 first-week sales among that year's new acts, the highest Billboard 200 entry for a debut K-pop group album outside project-based teams, and fourth all-time among K-pop debut albums on Hanteo.[2](https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10585950)
The self-producing model is the other distinguishing feature. In remarks reported by the Korea Herald, critic Shin Sae-mi observed that Cortis's identity as a "young creator crew" or "self-producing group" sets the band apart from other boy groups, and argued that their steady commitment to a hip-hop-rooted sound, unlike the genre-blending typical of many K-pop artists, gives their music a fresh quality.[2](https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10585950) The members also brought pre-debut professional credits, including Martin's production work for ILLIT, ENHYPEN, and TXT and James's choreography for HYBE artists.[9](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/cortis-bighit-new-boy-group-debut-interview-1235396193/)
## Reception and impact
Fandom growth in the debut window was far above the K-pop baseline. Cortis topped K-pop Radar's Weekly Fandom Chart for two consecutive weeks; its debut music video drew 500,000 views for the week of August 28 to September 3, and its Spotify following grew by 74,000 against a K-pop average of 1,800.[2](https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10585950) With support from labelmates BTS and TXT, the group gained 366,000 Instagram followers and 22,000 X followers in one week, versus averages of 3,100 and 60 for other K-pop acts.[2](https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10585950) The members themselves credit the first tour and Lollapalooza Chicago as the biggest contributors to their first-year growth.[5](https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10844467)
## References
1. [PROFILE | CORTIS | BIGHIT MUSIC](https://www.bighitsmusic.com/cortis/profile)
2. [Cortis debut signals new possibilities for boy bands, The Korea Herald](https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10585950)
3. ['방탄소년단 동생 그룹' 코르티스 데뷔..."우리는 공동 창작 그룹입니다", SBS Entertainment](https://ent.sbs.co.kr/news/article.do?article_id=E10010305174)
4. [빅히트 뮤직 6년 만의 신인, 코르티스의 다채로운 매력을 엿본 시간, Billboard Korea](https://www.billboard.co.kr/editorial/review/article/cortis-4/)
5. [Cortis looks back on breakout first year, vows to 'keep pushing forward', The Korea Herald](https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10844467)
6. [PROFILE | CORTIS JAPAN OFFICIAL SITE](https://cortis-official.jp/profile/)
7. [멜론매거진 - 코르티스, Melon](https://www.melon.com/musicstory/detail.htm?mstorySeq=16338)
8. [CORTIS (코르티스), Bugs](https://music.bugs.co.kr/artist/80409215?wl_ref=M_contents_03_04)
9. [CORTIS: Exclusive Interview With BIGHIT'S New Boy Group on Their Debut, Rolling Stone](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/cortis-bighit-new-boy-group-debut-interview-1235396193/)
10. [코르티스 아티스트 채널, Melon](https://www.melon.com/artist/detail.htm?artistId=4491260)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Music scenes › East and Southeast Asian pop scenes › K-pop and the Korean popular music scene › Artists, groups, and people: K-pop and the Korean popular music scene › Fourth- and fifth-generation idol groups › Titles symbols to H*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license