For the first time in six years, BigHit Music is launching a new act: CORTIS, who introduced themselves as a "creative collective."
At a debut showcase held Aug. 18 at Blue Square in Seoul’s Hannam-dong, the five members ― MARTIN, JUHOON, KEONHO, SEONGHYEON and JAMES ― premiered their first single "What You Want" and shared the stories behind its performance film and music video.
The team name "CORTIS" was inspired by the phrase "COLOR OUTSIDE THE LINES," meaning 'to color outside the lines.' The six letters were irregularly taken from it, reflecting creativity.
"It’s about thinking freely, outside the rules and standards the world sets," said JUHOON. "We’re a 'creative collective' in the truest sense ― our members make the music, the choreography and the visuals together."
CORTIS is widening its creative scope beyond music to visuals as well. "We’ve made a lot of our own tracks, and we kept asking, why not the videos?" MARTIN said. "We wanted to tell our story ourselves, so we got involved in the music video from the ground up."
"We sat down with the directors for hours at a time, building it piece by piece," added JUHOON. "It felt amazing to bring concepts we shot ourselves as trainees to life on a real set."
Their defining trait: they do everything as a five. "Early on we worked separately and the songs just weren’t coming together," said SEONGHYEON. "So we started writing even a single line of lyrics as a group. We create by literally putting our heads together."
"We grew up in crew culture and rock bands, so creating as a unit comes naturally," MARTIN said. JAMES added, "We pitched ideas and spent days and nights in our little hideout ― the one with the treadmill ― building the choreography and genuinely having a blast."
Each member has a distinct role. MARTIN leads the team and handles beatmaking and other production. When opinions clash, JUHOON plays the "brain," mediating and keeping everyone centered. A film buff, KEONHO brings ideas for camera framing and movement. SEONGHYEON is the member with a strong, cohesive sense of style across music and fashion. As the eldest, JAMES sets the mood in the room and contributes the most choreography ideas.
As BigHit Music’s third group after BTS and TOMORROW X TOGETHER, CORTIS drew outsized attention from the jump.
"It’d be a lie to say there’s no pressure, but we’re grateful to debut under BigHit Music," said JUHOON. "It’s rare for rookies to be given real say across the album process, and we’re thankful for that trust. We’ll work hard to live up to it."
After making a strong first impression with their title-track promotions, CORTIS will officially drop their debut album, COLOR OUTSIDE THE LINES, on Sept. 8.
Photo by Reporter Baik Seung-Chul
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Kyung-youn)