[OSENWORLD] In just one month, rookie group CORTIS have made a breakthrough on the global stage. With their debut EP Color Outside the Lines, the five-member act has scored one of the strongest Billboard debuts ever for a K-pop group.
On the Billboard 200 chart dated Sept. 27, CORTIS — Martin, James, Juhoon, Seonghyeon, and Geonho — entered at No. 15, the second-highest debut ever for a K-pop group’s first album, and the highest if excluding project groups formed from already popular members. Among rookies who debuted this year, they are the only K-pop act to reach the Billboard 200, and the first K-pop boy group in four years to land a debut album in the Top 20.
Color Outside the Lines also placed No. 3 on Top Album Sales and Top Current Album Sales, No. 2 on World Albums, and helped the group debut at No. 24 on the Artist 100. On the singles side, intro track GO! entered the Billboard Global 200 at No. 180, with GO! (No. 136) and FaSHioN (No. 198) appearing on Global Excl. U.S.
Their chart success has been matched by critical praise. Rolling Stone described CORTIS as “a new kind of K-pop group, unconstrained by convention,” while tmrw magazine noted, “From lyrics to choreography to LP design, the members were involved in every detail. That persistence gives the album its vibrancy.”
Part of the appeal is CORTIS’s identity as a “young creator crew.” The members co-produce their music, choreography, and visuals, and even co-directed their music videos. Clips for GO!, What You Want, and FaSHioN all ranked among YouTube’s trending videos in the U.S., sparking analysis and reaction videos from creators intrigued by the group’s raw perspective.
On stage, the group’s strong live vocals and self-made choreography have fueled viral attention. Dance challenges for GO! have spread widely on social media, pushing the track to No. 2 on Spotify’s U.S. Daily Viral Songs chart.
Backed by BigHit Music — the label behind BTS and Tomorrow X Together — CORTIS are the company’s first new boy group in six years. Just one month into their career, they have already made a strong impression on Billboard, raising expectations for what comes next.
/k_inside@osen.co.kr
Courtesy of BigHit Music
