The boy band BigHit Music is reshaping the flow of the Kpop market in line with the announced ambitions. By escaping the traditional idol formula and debuting as a young creative group, CORTISs strategy has proven its effectiveness.
CORTIS (5 members: Martin, James, Juhoon, Seonghyeon, Keonho) officially debuted in September with their debut album Color outside the lines. This is the first new boy group released by BigHit Music (under HYBE Group) in 6 years, since BTS and TXT.
Before officially launching, CORTIS has attracted great attention both inside and outside the industry, simply because they are a group of BigHit Music, a "BTS junior".
The public once expected CORTIS to be an idol group with the familiar style of BigHit Music. However, CORTIS broke that expectation when introducing a completely different image and direction from their seniors.
Just like the group name - created by randomly drawing 6 letters from the phrase Color outside the lines - the core value of CORTIS is freedom.
With a mindset that goes beyond existing standards and rules, the group chose to assert themselves through new music and performances, instead of following established formulas.
Among the experiments, the most notable is positioning itself as a young creative group. From the beginning, CORTIS emphasized this title instead of calling itself an idol group, promoting collective creativity in music, choreography and visual content.
All members are listed in the composition of their debut album, participating deeply in the choreography and even co-directing of the official MV - something rarely seen in Kpop rookie groups.
The determination not to follow trends or the standard formula of CORTIS is also expressed through musical inspiration. The group boldly embraced experimental styles such as psychedelic rock in the 1960s and Experimental soul that crossed the genre line, thereby emphasizing their commitment to building a unique identity.
The results were very impressive. The debut album with the participation of the whole group in the entire production process quickly became a hit in Korea and internationally.
The album Color outside the lines ranked No. 1 in first-week sales among rookie groups debuting this year, and surpassed 1.06 million copies after about 3 months of release, officially achieving the title of million album version.
The opening song Go! entered Melons daily, weekly and monthly charts - an achievement that only CORTIS has achieved among rookie groups this year.
The group's promotion also attracted international attention. American music magazine Rolling Stone and global cultural and music platform TMRW Magazine described CORTIS as a new form of Kpop group, not bound by conventions, and praised the group for grasping rough energy and thorny emotions, instead of the thorny perfection that is a familiar mark of Kpop.
In the US, CORTIS' album debuted at No. 15 on Billboard 200, initially making its mark in the global market. Notably, more than 3 months after its release, this album once again returned to the Billboard 200 chart, proving its sustainable development potential.
Industry experts say that the rapid growth of CORTIS is a sign that the color of the core group is the current demand that the Kpop market is in need of.
