Big Hit Music’s first boy band in six years stresses ‘co-creation’ identity and genre-bending sound
Big Hit Music’s new boy group Cortis described itself as “bibimbap” during its debut showcase in Seoul on Monday, highlighting the group’s aim to create harmony from diverse elements.
“Like bibimbap, we bring together different ingredients and colors into one cohesive result when working on songs or music videos,” member Keonho said.
Cortis is the first boy group to debut under Big Hit Music — the K-pop agency home to BTS and Tomorrow X Together — in more than six years. The quintet opened its official TikTok account on Aug. 7 and surpassed 1 million views within 24 hours with its first short-form video, underscoring early global interest.
The group’s name, an irregular arrangement of six letters from the phrase “Color Outside the Lines,” reflects its identity of breaking rules and thinking freely.
Cortis defines itself as a “young creator crew,” with members participating in songwriting, choreography and video production. Members Martin and James previously contributed to projects for Hybe-affiliated groups like Tomorrow X Together, Le Sserafim and Illit.
“Our strength lies in co-creation,” member Seonghyeon said. “From lyrics to performance, we work on everything together rather than individually, which gives us confidence in our creative process.”
The debut EP “Color Outside the Lines” features five tracks: the lead single “What You Want,” prerelease “Go!” as well as “Fashion,” “JoyRide” and “Lullaby.” All five members are credited across the album, with different combinations of members helping write and compose each track.
Members said the selection of “What You Want” was painstaking, chosen from a pool of more than 300 demo tracks. The song layers 1960s psychedelic rock guitar riffs over boom-bap hip-hop beats — an unusual sonic blend for K-pop.
“‘What You Want’ is about seizing what you desire without hesitation,” Seonghyeon explained.
Juhoon added that the psychedelic touches convinced the group it was the right main track. James recalled initially worrying about choreography but said the track’s energy inspired him to create a fitting performance.
The group spent three months in Los Angeles last year shaping the album.
“We had planned for just one month, but it wasn’t enough,” said Keonho. “So we extended our stay to three months.”
Asked about their goals, Juhoon said, “For now, it’s about letting people know who we are and what our music is. In the long run, we want to become a team with a distinct identity, like our senior groups at the company.”
The members also reflected on advice from senior labelmates.
Seonghyeon recalled BTS encouraging them by saying, “We really hope you succeed,” while Tomorrow X Together offered concrete feedback after watching one of their performances.
Martin said J-Hope told them during his solo concert appearance in June, “Never take what you have for granted. Always be thankful and stay humble.”
Cortis dropped its debut single “What You Want” on Monday, ahead of the group’s first EP, which will be released Sept. 8.
