By Lakshana N Palat

Copyright gulfnews

BTS has long pushed back against the label ‘the next BTS’ — not out of pride, but to remind everyone that every rising group deserves recognition as its own unique force. Now, with CORTIS quickly climbing the ladder, fans are echoing the same sentiment, gently shutting down comparisons. CORTIS isn’t ‘the next” anyone — they’re carving out their own identity and proving their star power. Moreover, they already have the support of their industry seniors, who are mentoring and cheering them on as they make their mark.CORTIS officially crashed onto the scene on August 18, 2025, with their debut single ‘What You Want’, and have been creating waves since.What does CORTIS stand for?CORTIS is short for COLOUR OUTSIDE THE LINES and basically means ‘we don’t play by your rules.’.K-Pop fan wars erupt after Blackpink’s Rose, Lisa MTV VMA wins; BTS ARMY pushes Lights back to US charts .How it all went downApril 29, 2025: HYBE casually shook the timeline announcing that BigHit had a new boy group cooking, calling them a ‘next-generation creator crew.’ They were producers, choreographers, and visual directors rolled into five talented humans.June 17: Word got out that debut prep was in the final stretch. Cue fan speculation, theories, and meltdowns.July 14: BigHit dropped the lineup — James, Juhoon, Martin, Seonghyeon, and Keonho.August 7: Name reveal day. CORTIS officially became a thing, SNS accounts went live, and fandom activity? Explosive..The artists: James: James first gained attention in March 2021 as a member of Trainee A, but the group disbanded in 2022 before debut. Rather than leaving BigHit Music, he stayed on and built his resume behind the scenes. In 2023, fans spotted him as a backup dancer for Jung Kook’s “Seven” stages, and he went on to write and compose for groups like ILLIT and TXT. His big moment came on July 14, 2025, when he was announced as part of BigHit’s new boy group — later revealed as CORTIS — officially debuting with the single “What You Want” on August 18.Juhoon: before stepping into the spotlight, Juhoon focused on his education, graduating from Sangmyung Elementary School, which is affiliated with the College of Education at Sangmyung University. Known for his sharp stage presence and steady charm, Juhoon has quickly become a fan favourite, bringing both brains and talent to CORTIS’s lineup as the group takes its first steps in the K-pop scene.Martin: Before debuting, he built an impressive track record as a songwriter and composer for HYBE artists. His credits include ILLIT’s viral hit Magnetic, TXT’s Deja Vu, Miracle and Beautiful Strangers, LE SSERAFIM’s Pierrot,” and ENHYPEN’s “Outside.”Seonghyeon: Seonghyeon is CORTIS’s resident deep thinker — his MBTI type is INTP, which basically makes him the group’s quiet genius. Fans lovingly call him ‘Dimples Bo’ thanks to his signature fovea buccalis, a smile that could stop traffic. His idol journey started in the most K-drama way possible: he was scouted on his birthday in 2018 while at a theme park.Keonho: Before joining BigHit Music, he was a top-ranked swimmer, dominating lanes until the 6th grade. That same year, fate stepped in when he was scouted and signed by BigHit, kicking off his idol journey. Like Seonghyeon, he’s an INT. Known as one of the most handsome students at his school (yes, he was that guy everyone talked about), Keonho carried his popularity right into the K-pop world..The debut eraCORTIS debuted with ‘What You Want’ and they went global with the English version featuring none other than Teezo Touchdown (yes, they’re already collecting A-list collabs). Last week, CORTIS dropped their debut EP “COLOR OUTSIDE THE LINES” along with the music video for their B-side “FaSHioN” on September 8 — and let’s just say, fans did not hold back.According to Hanteo Chart, the EP sold a jaw-dropping 436,367 copies in its very first week (September 8–14), proving that CORTIS isn’t just debuting — they’re dominating.With numbers like these, they’ve already surpassed Hearts2Hearts to snag the record for the highest first-week sales by any debut group in 2025. Talk about making an entrance. .BTS keeps ARMY busy and sleepless: J-Hope’s Berlin power, Jin’s Osaka roar, and Jimin-Jungkook’s LA chaos .’Save BTS from Labubus’: ARMYs react as RM and V join the doll trend, call on Jin to take firm action .Sad? Stressed? BTS to the rescue with 5 songs that cure your worst mood.Is your home moody like Jungkook or wild like V? See which BTS aesthetic fits your style