Boy band Cortis looks to both past, future on first debut anniversary
Looking back at its first year, Cortis recalled how Lollapalooza played an important role in its growth and described its desire to take on new challenges, such as touring larger venues.
Boy band Cortis in a concept photo for its second EP “GreenGreen”BIGHIT MUSIC
When Cortis debuted, the boy band was tasked with living up to the expectations that came from being the freshest blood from BTS’s agency, BigHit Music. But now that a year has passed, the group has done something even better: It’s made its own name in the global music scene.
“We’ve received more love [from fans] than we could have ever imagined. Thank you so much,” said James in a press release on Tuesday to mark Cortis’s first anniversary since its debut. “We’ll keep doing our best to bring you joy through our performances, and we hope that you’ll continue to support us.”
Cortis debuted with its first EP “Color Outside The Lines” on Aug. 18, 2025, as the latest boy band from BigHit Music, following BTS’s debut in 2013 and Tomorrow X Together’s in 2019.
Cortis’s second EP “GreenGreen” sat at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 in the week of May 23 and has remained on the chart for 13 consecutive weeks — the longest run by a boy band thatdebuted in the past five years.
The cumulative streams of its 14 released tracks also surpassed 1.1 billion on Spotify last Thursday.
“We’re so thankful to Coerfor helping us come this far,” Seonghyeon said, referring to the collective name for the group’s fans. “Neither we nor this first anniversary would be as meaningful without you guys. This is only the beginning, so we hope that you’ll continue to be with us!”
“We love you, Coer,” added Keonho.
Looking back on the past year, the members agreed that performing at the Lollapalooza music festival in Chicago played a particularly important role in their growth.
“It made me realize that performing in front of an audience and connecting with them are what I live for,” Martin said.
Boy band Cortis in a concept photo for its second EP “GreenGreen”BIGHIT MUSIC
“It was the first time that I felt completely in control of myself on stage,” James said. “[Lollapalooza] was a dream stage to me, and I had watched [performances from the festival] online countless times even before becoming a trainee. Sharing that moment with so many Coer made it even more meaningful.”
Martin also expressed pride in the song “YoungCreatorCrew,” a track in “GreenGreen,” as “the ‘YCC [YoungCreatorCrew] Syndrome’ has become a meme that defined a generation.” YCC Syndrome refers to the phrase “YoungCewCew,” which has become a popular neologism among Korean Gen Z.
Juhoon and Keonho also named “YoungCreatorCrew” as the song that they feel most attached to.
“Thank you for giving the song so much love, even though it was experimental,” said Juhoon.
Boy band Cortis in a concept photo for its second EP “GreenGreen”BIGHIT MUSIC
The quintet expressed its hopes of pushing its limits and taking on new challenges — namely touring larger venues, such as arenas and stadiums.
“We want to grow up endlessly,” the group said. “Going forward, we hope to tour arenas and eventually stadiums so we can meet even more Coer.”
Cortis wrapped up its first tour, titled“Put Your Phone Down,”in San Francisco on Sunday. The tour began with two concerts at Inspire Arena in Incheon on July 18 and 19, followed by six more shows in North America, including Toronto. All tickets for the North American shows were sold out.
The group will hold a concert, titled“Birthday Party,” at Korea University’s Hwajeong Gymnasium in Seongbuk District, central Seoul, on Saturday and Sunday to commemorate its first anniversary.
