Kpop boy band CORTIS (Martin, James, Juhoon, Seonghyeon, Keonho) kicked off their first global tour since debut - "Put your phone down" - with 2 opening shows at Inspire Arena (Incheon, Korea) this weekend.
The name of the tour - "Put down your phone" - seems to want to encourage fans not to use phones to try to record memorable moments like regular Kpop concerts.
On the tour poster, CORTIS members appear in a scene of shaking their heads passionately to the point of almost not being able to see their faces clearly, continuing to convey the message: "Don't just film, let's immerse ourselves in the performance atmosphere".
When about to enter the milestone of 1 year since its debut on August 18 last year, CORTIS has always refused to be confined to the mold of a traditional Kpop idol group.
Both of the group's mini albums, "Color outside the lines" and "GREENGREEN", take rage hip-hop music as their foundation, while combining elements of alternative R&B and many contemporary music trends in the world. Instead of pursuing a safe formula to please the majority, the group chose the path of experimentation.
CORTIS' lyrics are also different from most Kpop music, with a humorous, breakthrough and somewhat arrogant style. The song released recently by the group "RedRed" is commented to have a quirky, mischievous and bold color.
CORTIS also made an impression by emphasizing that the members are the key force behind the creative process, from music, dance to MVs.
Martin participated in composing ILLIT's hit "Magnetic", while James is widely known as the creator of the song's signature dance moves.
However, CORTIS still retains the characteristics of a typical Kpop idol group. Although the lyrics are somewhat bold and different, the image that CORTIS builds still has a cheerful, close and non-offensive color. In addition, the group applies many familiar promotion strategies of Kpop idols.
Even the image of CORTIS's "young creative group" is built very methodically. BigHit Music signed members like Martin and James 5-7 years ago, and invested heavily in training them to become creative artists.
The songs composed by the members all have the support of veteran producers such as Supreme Boi, Hiss Noise and international producer Johnny Goldstein.
The combination of CORTIS's creative ability and resources from a large entertainment company has created a music group that is both Kpop identity and goes beyond many inherent Kpop standards.
Experts believe that CORTIS's experiment has opened up new possibilities for the Kpop industry, as the group still achieves great success even though it does not follow the familiar formula.
On July 12, the song "RedRed" for the 70th time topped the daily chart of Spotify Korea, setting a record as the song of a Kpop group that has repeatedly reached number 1 on this chart. The group also maintained its position on the Billboard 200 for 9 consecutive weeks.
Music critic Cho Hye Rim commented: "It is very rare for a Kpop group to top the charts with a trendy hip-hop music platform.
CORTIS has proven that quickly absorbing global music trends can still be successful both in Korea and internationally. This is a premise to encourage entertainment companies to boldly experiment instead of just choosing safe options.
Meanwhile, critic Kim Do Heon believes that even if the image of the "creative artist group" has been planned in advance, the fact that members can realize that image is also proof of their talent.
He said: "This may be an opportunity for Kpop to overcome the prejudice that it is an'on-line production' industry, thereby building a new development model.
According to critics, the biggest question now is whether CORTIS can maintain its novelty as it becomes more and more famous and prove its own identity, instead of just chasing trends. The upcoming tour will be the first big test for the group.
