BIGHIT MUSIC is introducing its newest act, CORTIS, a five-member “creator crew” that represents a fresh take on the K-pop idol system. Unlike conventional groups, CORTIS is designed to be collaborative. Members are not only singers and performers but also writers, producers, and visual creators shaping their own identity.
Every member, still in their teens, trained extensively under HYBE to break the norms of the industry. BIGHIT, home to BTS and TXT, is set to debut its first new boy group after six years. Since the announcement earlier this year, expectations are high that CORTIS will replicate the success of their “brother groups,” BTS and TXT.
CORTIS Debut Plans
The group’s name comes from “Color Outside the Lines,” symbolizing freedom, individuality, and artistic courage. It will also be the title of CORTIS’s debut album, which will be out on September 8.
Prior to that, the five-member group will debut on August 18, 2025, at 6 p.m. KST with their first single “What You Want.” The group teased their arrival with the pre-release track “GO!” on August 11, accompanied by a visually striking music video.
An English version of “What You Want” featuring American artist Teezo Touchdown will follow on August 22. This shows BIGHIT’s plan to position the group on a global stage right from the start.
CORTIS Members
Martin
- Birth Name: Martin Edwards Park
- Position: Leader, producer
- Birthday: March 20, 2008 (17 years old)
- Nationality: Canadian-Korean
At just 17, Martin Edwards Park, a Korean-Canadian, stands out as both leader and chief creative force of CORTIS.
Long before debut, he built a reputation as a composer, with credits on labelmates TXT’s Deja Vu, Beautiful Strangers, and Miracle. In addition, he collaborated with other HYBE sub-label groups ENHYPEN’s Outside, LE SSERAFIM’s Pierrot, and ILLIT’s Magnetic.
In interviews, Martin expressed pride in transitioning from working behind the scenes to shaping his own music. His influences are Tyler, the Creator and Mac Miller.
As he shared with Rolling Stone, “‘Lullaby’ was one of my favorite pieces that I worked on, because it wasn’t working for someone else. It was really expressing myself.” He is described as the “loudest” by bandmate Seonghyeon.
James
- Birth Name: Zhao Yufan
- Position: N/A
- Birthday: October 14, 2005 (19 years old)
- Nationality: Hong Kongese-Taiwanese
James Lee, born in Hong Kong and raised in Taiwan, is fluent in five languages: Japanese, English, Korean, Thai, and Mandarin. The 19-year-old dance prodigy trained in vocal performance while also honing his writing. In an interview with Rolling Stone, he admitted being an introvert, “I’m a very, very, very introverted person. It’s hard for me to talk the first time meeting someone.”
He calls “GO!” the most organic song which popped out when they were “fooling around” in the studio.
A former member of the disbanded Trainee A project, James has also contributed behind the scenes as a producer and choreographer. A little fun fact here, he was part of Jungkook’s backup dancer crew in 2023 for “Seven” stages.
Juhoon
- Birth Name: Kim Ju-hoon
- Position: N/A
- Birthday: January 3, 2008 (17 years old)
- Nationality: Korean
Juhoon, born in South Korea, was active as a child model before training as a singer. A former child model fluent in English and Korean, he was scouted while attending an international school.
When he was approached and got to visit the company, he met the members and decided to be part of the team.
On debut, Juhoon explained: “Short-term, since we’re just debuting, our goal is to show who we are to the audience and make sure that they understand who we are.”
Seonghyeon
- Birth Name: Eom Sung-hyun
- Position: N/A
- Birthday: January 13, 2009 (16 years old)
- Nationality: Korean
Seonghyeon, 16, joined BigHit as a trainee at a young age and has developed into a skilled lyricist and topliner. Initially unfamiliar with genres like hip-hop and R&B, he broadened his musical interests after training extensively: “Before I came here, I never listened to hip-hop or R&B. But now, I listen to a bunch of different genres, pop, hip-hop, jazz.”
Known for toplining and lyric writing, Seonghyeon penned parts of “What You Want” and “JoyRide.”
He joined BIGHIT Music in 2021 and began his training at the age of 13 (Korean age), completing roughly five years of rigorous preparation before debut. Now a key member of CORTIS, Seonghyeon produced all five songs on the group’s EP ‘Color Outside The Lines’ and also participated in the choreography for their track “GO!”.
Keonho
- Birth Name: Ahn Geon-ho (안건호)
- Position: N/A
- Birthday: February 14, 2009 (16 years old)
- Nationality: Korean
Keonho, the youngest at 16, has a background in performance and visual arts. He contributed to directing CORTIS’s early music videos, including “GO!”: “It was very new to me to contribute our ideas for our own songs, and for it to actually come to life.”
At just 16, he has already been dubbed the “5th Gen It Boy” across Korean media for his captivating presence.
He joined BIGHIT Music in 2021 and was a top-ranked swimmer until the sixth grade. He finds the older CORTIS members “weird, but in a good way.” He prefers projects that capture authenticity: “I think ‘Lullaby,’ because it’s very raw and the video came out raw as well.”
Advice from BTS
CORTIS shared that advice from BTS has been particularly meaningful as they prepare for their debut. Martin explained that BTS has advised them to treat their staff well, “To hit a long run, you’ve got to be good to the people around you. You have got to show love.”
James agreed that the staff and everyone involved “make up CORTIS.”
Juhoon reflected that BTS reminded them that “the debut is just the beginning, so there’s no need to be perfect,” and added, “Show improvement and keep evolving as you go.”
Meanwhile, CORTIS will drop “Color Outside the Line” on September 8, which includes six tracks. After the pre-release of “Go!” and “What You Want,” the remaining songs will be released in September.
