Big Hit's New Group CORTIS Solidifies 'Rookie of the Year' Title with Explosive Popularity

Big Hit Music's rookie group CORTIS is rapidly cementing its status as the 'Rookie of the Year' with an overwhelming surge in popularity since their debut.

As of noon on the 18th, CORTIS members Martin, James, Junghoon, Sunghyun, and Gunho have amassed approximately 2.845 million TikTok followers and 2.546 million Instagram followers. This achievement, within just over a month of opening their accounts, marks them as the leading rookie group in terms of follower count among those who debuted this year, demonstrating their significant resonance with the 1020 demographic, the primary consumers of short-form content.

A major factor contributing to this success is the multi-faceted hit of their debut album, 'COLOR OUTLINES'. Dance challenges for the title track 'What You Want,' intro song 'GO!,' and follow-up track 'FaSHioN' have gone viral, spreading rapidly through word-of-mouth. Furthermore, self-produced content created by the members, along with their distinctive fashion sense, has captured widespread attention, extending beyond K-pop fandom to the general public.

The group's burgeoning popularity is clearly reflected in music charts. According to the latest weekly charts from Circle Chart (for the period of September 7-13), their debut album 'COLOR OUTLINES' secured the second position on the album chart. With over 420,000 initial album sales (first week sales), CORTIS has set a record for the highest sales among rookie groups debuting this year, following their success on Hanteo Chart. On the global K-pop charts, all tracks from their debut album, including 'GO!,' 'FaSHioN,' and 'What You Want,' have charted, showcasing their broad appeal.

Notably, CORTIS is the only rookie group to top Spotify's 'Daily Viral Songs Global' chart this year, achieving the No. 1 spot consecutively with 'What You Want' and 'GO!'. 'GO!' also made history by being the first song released by a 2025-debuting boy group to break into Melon's real-time 'Top 100' chart. The group is set to further solidify their upward trajectory with upcoming performances on Mnet's 'M Countdown,' KBS2's 'Music Bank,' MBC's 'Show! Music Core,' and SBS's 'Inkigayo.'

Launched by Big Hit Music, a label under HYBE, CORTIS is making a significant impact with their self-produced music and performances, rapidly building a strong global fanbase.

CORTIS is a five-member group consisting of Martin, James, Junghoon, Sunghyun, and Gunho. The members were actively involved in songwriting, composing, and choreography for their debut album, shaping the group's distinct musical identity. The group's name, CORTIS, is inspired by 'Cortical,' signifying their ambition to express profound emotions through their music.