Teenage group CORTIS made a sensational debut, presenting self-produced music, choreography, and visuals at their showcase for the mini-album COLOR OUTSIDE THE LINES at Blue Square SOL Travel Hall in Hannam-dong. The five-member group—Martin, James, Juhun, Sunghyun, and Geonho—promotes itself not as traditional idols but as a "Young Creator Crew."
Identity as a Young Creator Crew
Every member of CORTIS actively contributes to the creative process. Martin and James have previously worked on choreography and tracks for other HYBE artists, including Martin's credits on the mega-hit Magnetic by Ailett. Martin leads music production, emphasizing high output, while James focuses on choreography and visual editing, calling himself the team's "idea bank." Juhun acts as the creative brain, coordinating ideas, and Sunghyun has composed over 100 songs, bringing strong stylistic identity. Geonho contributes extensively to visual direction and music video concepts.
Collective Creation as Their Weapon
The name CORTIS derives from randomly selecting six letters from COLOR OUTSIDE THE LINES, symbolizing freedom from conventional rules. All five members jointly create music, choreography, and videos. Their debut mini-album features tracks such as the title song WHAT YOU WANT, Go!, Fashion, Joyride, and Lullaby, all of which they helped produce. Martin explained, "We grew up watching hip-hop crews and rock bands, naturally creating music and videos ourselves, which has continued to this day."
Members also collaborate on lyrics, with Sunghyun describing their method as "putting our heads together." Juhun added, "We discuss which words fit the flow and choreograph together, which is what we call collective creation."
"WHAT YOU WANT": A Bold, Experimental Track
The title track combines boom-bap rhythms with psychedelic 1960s rock guitar riffs, conveying a confident declaration to seize what one desires. Geonho revealed the LA songcamp took three months instead of one due to challenges, while Sunghyun and Juhun highlighted their hands-on approach in shaping the song's identity. Martin added, "We improvised melodies and lyrics based on a casual discussion about what we want in life—freedom, peace, honor, love—and incorporated them directly into the track."
The song's performance is equally daring, featuring 11 treadmills on stage and 35 in the performance film set in the LA desert. The members choreographed and executed the complex routines themselves, embracing the challenge fully.
Passionate About Music and Future Goals
Despite being a rookie group, CORTIS opted for live performances at their showcase, delivering powerful vocals and precise choreography in WHAT YOU WANT and the intro track Go!. James reflected on practicing on treadmills and enjoying the process, while the group expressed their hopes to be remembered as "people who love music" and to establish a distinct identity in the K-pop scene.
They also aspire to be recognized as the "pioneers of a new era," reflecting the meaning of their name: thinking freely and inspiring others to do the same.
CORTIS released all tracks from their first mini-album on digital platforms at 6 PM on August 18, with the full album set for official release on September 8.
