[Sportschosun reporter Baek Ji-eun] CORTIS, the "most remarkable rookie group," shared its thoughts on the first anniversary of its debut.
CORTIS is a five-member boy group made up of Martin, James, Juhoon, Seonghyeon, and Keonho. Since their debut last year, they have been called the "Young Creator Crew," or "Young Creator Crew," for co-creating music, videos, choreography, and more. They have since emerged as artists representing a young, distinctive generation.
Their second mini album, "GREENGREEN," entered the U.S. Billboard main album chart, the Billboard 200, at No. 3 on May 23 and stayed on the chart for 13 consecutive weeks, setting the longest chart run among boy groups that debuted in the past five years. The title track, "REDRED," topped major streaming charts at home and abroad, while the cumulative streams of the 14 songs CORTIS has released so far surpassed 1.1 billion on Spotify, the world's largest streaming platform, as of the 13th.
Building on that momentum, CORTIS sold out every seat for the North American leg of its first world tour, "Put Your Phone Down," and wrapped up the tour in San Francisco on the 16th local time with a spectacular finale. The group will hold its first-anniversary concert, "Birthday Party," at Korea University Hwajeong Gymnasium in Seoul on the 22nd and 23rd.
Below is CORTIS' Q&A.
- Thoughts on marking the first anniversary of debut
▶Martin: Time has passed so quickly that it still does not feel real. It has been a year of growth, both as an artist and as a person. Through all the waves and changes, I feel like I kept swimming hard and survived, becoming a stronger fish. I am truly grateful to the COER fans, the members, and everyone at the company who stayed with me so I would not lose my strength. It is a great happiness and a great blessing, and it makes me think even more that I need to work harder from here on.
James: Everything moved so fast that before I knew it, we had reached our first anniversary. It still does not feel real. I will keep working hard to repay all the love we have received over the past year.
Juhoon: I am grateful that we were able to reach our first anniversary safely. When we had just debuted, so many things were uncertain. Thanks to the COER fans who always believed in us, we were able to fill the past year with good memories. Now that we are entering our second year, I will work hard to show even more growth. Fighting!
Seonghyeon: In what feels like a short year, yet also a long one, we accomplished many things and made many precious memories. I am deeply thankful to the COER fans for helping us get this far. Without you, neither we nor our first anniversary would have meant as much. This is only the beginning, so please keep walking with us at this good pace!
Keonho: Personally, I am not someone who usually makes a big deal of anniversaries, but our debut anniversary feels especially meaningful. That is because so many people cared for us and loved us as CORTIS was being formed and as we reached this one-year mark. Thank you to everyone. And COER, I love you.
- What has changed the most compared with a year ago, and what led to that growth
▶Martin: I would say stage performance. In particular, our first tour, "Put Your Phone Down," and the U.S. music festival Lollapalooza Chicago were probably the turning points in my growth. Performing in front of an audience made me feel that I was living to connect with people.
James: I think it was the Lollapalooza stage. It was the first performance where I felt I could fully control myself on stage, combining 100 percent instinct and 100 percent reason. When I perform, I keep trying new things, monitoring them, and making adjustments, and that is how I grow.
Juhoon: I have always felt that I need to do well on stage, so my desire to perform has grown and I have worked even harder. Rather than one specific turning point, I think all the experiences I have built up so far have become nourishment for me.
Seonghyeon: Comparing my first stage with where I am now, I can really feel how much I have grown. At first, I could not even find the camera, and I did not know what expression to make, so I had no room to relax. Now I am gradually becoming more comfortable. I keep thinking about how to move across the stage as if it were my own space, and how to show us better.
Keonho: The more activities we do, the more I keep reflecting on why I stand on stage. Also, I am still growing physically after debut. My voice and height are changing little by little, and because those changes are recorded in videos and photos, I can feel them more clearly.
- The most meaningful moment of the past year
▶Martin: Releasing the song "Young Creator Crew." I think this song played a major role in building our team's culture. As time goes by, it feels like the song's power keeps growing, and that makes me proud. Thanks to this song, the "Young Creator Crew syndrome" became a meme that represented a generation, and I think that is why so many people came to love it.
James: I would choose Lollapalooza again. It was a dream stage I had seen online many times even before becoming a trainee. Sharing it with so many COER fans made it even more meaningful.
Juhoon: Our debut stage is the most memorable for me. The expectations, excitement, and pressure that come with the word "debut" kept interacting inside me and made me think a lot. When I came off the debut stage, I still remember feeling relieved as I realized it was simpler than I had thought.
Seonghyeon: I think our second mini album, "GREENGREEN," helped introduce the team to more people. The album's positive response, and the period we spent preparing hard for it, were both truly meaningful.
Keonho: Through our first tour, I keep feeling why I stand on stage and make music. Communicating with the audience as person to person, jumping and having fun together, and creating good memories is the most meaningful thing for me.
- The song you feel most attached to among the songs released so far
▶Martin: The title track from our second mini album, "REDRED." From the moment we made it, I thought, "This song feels different," and after the rough sound mix, I became sure of it. Because of that, when we created the choreography with the members, I think the iconic "floppy ears dance" was born.
James: The intro track from our first mini album, "GO!" It was the first song we officially released after making it at a song camp, and it was also the first time we created choreography together and filmed a self-produced music video. It means a great deal because it was our first start.
Juhoon: "Young Creator Crew," a track from our second mini album. I think it expanded the team's limits and boundaries once again. Thank you for loving it even though it is such an experimental song.
Seonghyeon: "REDRED" and "ACAI" from our second mini album. "REDRED" is the song that helped more people get to know us. When I hear the cheers while singing my part on stage, I feel so proud, and it makes me think, "This is why I get to meet COER fans." "ACAI" is especially dear to me because I took part in the production process the most, and it is based on acai bowls, which are my favorite food.
Keonho: "Young Creator Crew." At debut, it sometimes felt awkward to introduce us with the label "Young Creator Crew," but it was really fun to work on the song using the shortened form, "Young Creator Crew."
- Looking back on the goals and resolutions set before debut
▶Martin: Since before debut, I have kept making a promise to myself not to let my passion for music and creation fade. I think it is a resolution that will never change.
James: I tend to place more meaning on the process than on the goal. Rather than wanting to achieve something, I am grateful that I can stand on stage every day. Even before debut, I thought it would be good to give my all to every performance with the same passion, and I still give 300 percent on stage with that same passion.
Seonghyeon: I always approach things with the mindset of, "If we are going to do it, let us do it properly." I have always kept that mindset.
- Thoughts on touring six cities in North America
▶Juhoon: We do not often get the chance to meet COER fans in the United States, so I was happy to meet so many different people and have fun together. The light sticks glowing in the dark concert hall after the lights went out are what I remember most.
Keonho: It was our first tour, and we had a lot to think about because the five of us had to fill the stage. We practiced a lot for that reason, and I could feel us improving with each performance. Each city had its own distinct character, so I think I will never forget any of them.
- Goals you want to achieve and dreams you want to pursue in the future
▶CORTIS: We want to keep growing without stopping. To become better people and better artists, we plan to expand our limits and take on new challenges. As we gain more experiences, we will continue to show good music and art. And in the future, we want to hold tours in arenas and, beyond that, stadiums, so we can meet even more COER fans.
Baek Ji-eun, silk781220@sportschosun.com
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
