Rookie K-pop boy group CORTIS has made an impressive debut with their first EP "Color Outside The Lines," released on September 8th, showcasing the raw energy and ambition that has quickly established them as serious contenders in the competitive music industry. The five-member group from BigHit Music has achieved remarkable commercial success and critical acclaim, positioning themselves as strong candidates for Rookie of the Year nominations.
When CORTIS first entered the K-pop scene in August with their nostalgic 2000s teen magazine aesthetic, following in the footsteps of industry giants like BTS and TOMORROW X TOGETHER, the challenge of making their mark seemed daunting. However, the five teenagers - Martin, James, Juhoon, Seonghyeon, and Keonho - who comprise BigHit Music's first new group in six years, have demonstrated the swaggering confidence and youthful charisma necessary to rise to the occasion. Their energetic choreography and nostalgic styling choices have helped them create a significant impact with just five songs under their belt.
The group has shattered multiple records within their first month, debuting at number 15 on the global Billboard 200 - the highest position among their contemporaries. They have accumulated an impressive 48 million views across their three official music videos and gained over 7.5 million monthly listeners on Spotify. These achievements represent numbers and chart placements that even established K-pop veterans struggle to reach and most rookie groups wouldn't dare to dream of attaining so quickly.
Beyond their musical talents, CORTIS members demonstrate a clear vision of their goals. Throughout all five tracks of their debut mini-album, they boldly declare their ambitions: "I want the whole world to know my name." The band's debut single, the rock-influenced "What You Want," broadcasts this determination with full force. Over guitar riffs and a thumping bass, the boys sing-shout with unwavering conviction: "Money, style, fame, love and what? / Ooh, take what you want / Enough's not enough to fill me up / Scarf it down, yuh, like a hippo." They embrace the intensity of early fame with the fearlessness that only teenagers possess. The album concludes with an English version of the same song, featuring rising rapper and track producer Teezo Touchdown contributing a verse.
This same vitality permeates the shimmery trap synths of the wildly viral track "GO!," which announces the band's arrival in the K-pop industry with unmistakable authority. The song has inspired thousands of TikTok dance challenges, achieving a level of widespread recognition that solidifies their position on this year's top music lists. From the opening moments, it's evident that the boys are determined to conquer, balancing on the edge as they transmit explosive energy through every verse: "Bring the new beat / Bring the new hit / Bring the new sheet / I'm on the new sh."
The frenetic track "FaSHioN" features the teenagers delivering rap verses about thrifting in Seoul's Dongmyo flea market and discovering vintage treasures in Hongdae. This undeniably catchy EDM track serves as a tribute to Seoul's fashion scene, offering a playful overview of the band's sartorial preferences, including sagging pants and street-style aesthetics. The song captures their genuine connection to youth culture and fashion trends.
"JoyRide" takes listeners on a contemplative journey along the California coast, reflecting on the music-making process against a backdrop of breezy bass and mellow acoustic guitar. The stream-of-consciousness lyrics paint a vivid picture of reckless adolescence, as the boys discuss "hopping over walls and flipping like fried eggs, pancakes." The album's penultimate track, the sparse and plucky "Lullaby," offers an unfiltered meditation on sleepless nights spent writing their first record. The insomniac wisdom "I got work, you got work, but in this moment, quiet first" provides words to live by for anyone experiencing creative restlessness.
All five members participated in creating their debut EP, which is unusual in K-pop but unsurprising for those who followed CORTIS before their official debut. At just 17 years old, leader Martin has already produced several chart-topping hits and contributed to labelmate TXT's "Deja Vu" and ILLIT's "Magnetic" - two of K-pop's standout releases from the previous year. Meanwhile, James, a former member of the now-defunct project group Trainee A, also handled choreography responsibilities for the group.
While CORTIS embraces the MTV-era independent spirit by choosing less conventional paths with unfiltered musical reflections, the band still benefits from the professional polish of K-pop's largest label, HYBE, and collaborations with renowned producers like Juicy J and Teezo Touchdown. The EP draws inspiration from hip-hop heavyweights including Travis Scott, Playboi Carti, and A$AP Rocky, while making extensive use of vocal processing techniques. However, the result remains authentic to the music any 17-year-old would want to listen to or create themselves.
Certain records clearly demonstrate when artists enjoyed themselves in the studio, building excitement as they glide over every musical bar and creating sounds that distill the essence of their youth. CORTIS obviously had fun with this project, successfully transmitting that same joy to their listeners. The mini-album's brilliance lies in the sharp, irreverent wit found in the boys' candid lyrics. In "FaSHioN," Martin playfully calls out band member Keonho for questioning his outfit choices, while Keonho responds by name-dropping their billionaire producer, CEO "Hitman" Bang Si-hyuk in "GO!": "I'm in hit mode / Wanna make a hit like a Hitman, so I reload." In the English version of "What You Want," James boldly declares: "Well, I want to ball like it's LeBron game."
These carefree lyrics emerge directly from the Gen Z cultural moment - young, wild, free, and filled with wholesome ambition. There are no traces of the world's malice and cruelties in their music, just pure, undiluted teen spirit that leaves listeners eagerly anticipating what CORTIS will deliver next. Their authentic approach to youth culture and music-making suggests a promising future for this talented group of teenagers.
