Get Ready to Meet CORTIS: BIGHIT MUSIC’s Third Boy Group, Set to Shake Up K-pop with Debut EP September 8
by Hasan Beyaz
Following the monumental global success of BTS and TXT, BIGHIT MUSIC is officially ready to debut their third boy group: CORTIS, who are dropping their debut EP, COLOR OUTSIDE THE LINES, on September 8. The pressure? Massive.
Composed of five members – Martin, James, Juhoon, Seonghyeon, and Keonho – their name isn’t random. It comes from pulling six irregular letters out of COLOR OUTSIDE THE LINES, and is a nod to their goal: thinking freely and ignoring the usual boundaries the industry sets.
COLOR OUTSIDE THE LINES is set to include five tracks:
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GO!
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What You Want (the title track)
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FaSHioN
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JoyRide
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Lullaby
One intriguing feature is Teezo Touchdown, the edgy alt-rock artist, who is credited on the title track “What You Want.” Known for his genre-defying style, it’s an early sign that CORTIS won’t be playing it safe. Plus, every member helped write or produce all the songs; this isn’t your typical idol project.
Meanwhile, the MV for “GO!” will premiere today; “This is something I've been looking forward to for a very long time, so it's definitely nice finally to be able to communicate and share love,” James wrote to fans on YouTube. Interestingly, the members directed the visuals themselves – a rare move for rookies, which speaks to their hands-on approach.
HYBE announced the group back in April, calling them a “next-generation creator crew” – a label they seem to be living up to. The members have been involved not just in their own music, but also in production and choreography for other HYBE artists since last year.
Martin comes with serious credentials, including credits on songs by TXT, LE SSERAFIM, ENHYPEN, and ILLIT. James also brings experience, having danced on Jung Kook’s “Seven” stages and contributed choreography and songwriting for ILLIT and TXT.
Their official fan community on Weverse sums it up: CORTIS is a group that doesn’t stick to traditional roles. They write, choreograph, film – whatever it takes to tell their stories on their terms. One social media teaser clip even spelled out CORTIS as notes in a DAW program, which fits with their music-first identity.
The big question now is if CORTIS can live up to the shadow of BTS and TXT, or if the weight of those expectations will hold them back. September 8 should give us the answer.