BigHit Music’s latest boy band, Cortis, dubbed “the young creator crew,” is carving out a path distinct from its iconic seniors BTS and Tomorrow X Together — one that's significantly more hands-on . On Monday, Cortis debuted as BigHit Music’s first rookie group in six years, and the quintet stood out not only for its inventive stage performance of “What You Want,” the lead track of its debut EP, “Color Outside the Lines,” but also for the role it had played behind the scenes.

Billed as a “young creator crew,” Cortis is heavily involved in HYBE's creative process — for both its own music and that of other artists. Martin and James, in particular, helped produce ILLIT’s “Magnetic” (2024) and Tomorrow X Together’s “Deja Vu” (2024). All members are credited for the production of the band's debut EP, “Color Outside the Lines,” and as co-directors of the pre-debut music video for “GO!,” the EP’s intro track, which was unveiled on Aug. 11.

When it comes to creative processes, the members believe that five heads are certainly better than one. “Putting our heads together is probably the best way to describe how we work,” said member Seonghyeon during a press showcase in central Seoul on Monday.

“At first, we used to work individually, but that didn’t work out — so one day, we decided to try working together for one single verse,” Seonghyeon continued. “And that turned out just right. That’s how we got confident in working together as a team.”

“We discuss what the best expression would be for a lyric, or what move works best for a part of the choreography, and ultimately create something truly ours,” said Juhoon.

Cortis consists of five teenage members. The name Cortis comes from the phrase “Color Outside the Lines,” with six letters somewhat randomly chosen out of the phrase, and means that the band will strive to be free from the rules set by society.

Cortis is BigHit Music’s first new act in six years; it launched BTS in 2013 and Tomorrow X Together in 2019. Advice from those seniors remains etched in the minds of members Martin, James, Juhoon, Seonghyeon and Keonho.

“One piece of advice that BTS gave us when we met them in person during J-hope’s concert was that we should never take things for granted,” said Martin. “They’ve told us to stay humble, and their encouragement pushed us to train even harder,” the leader added.

Tomorrow X Together's members also watched Cortis perform ahead of its debut and offered realistic feedback on details such as facial expressions on stage, the band recalled.

“It’d be a lie if we said there’s no pressure,” Juhoon admitted. “But I’m really grateful to debut under BigHit Music, and even more so that the agency gave us this much authority to be involved in the creative process.”

The upcoming album features the lead track, “What You Want,” and B-sides “GO!,” “FaSHioN,” “JoyRide” and “Lullaby.” “What You Want,” which couples hip-hop beats with psychedelic guitar riffs, dropped on Monday at 6 p.m. The full album will be available on streaming platforms on Sept. 8.

Despite their inexperience, the members delivered a notably confident live performance of “What You Want” on eleven treadmills, with occasional ad-libs and freestyle gestures — a rarity at K-pop debut showcases.

Looking ahead, Martin said that he hopes Cortis can be an inspiration for listeners to break free from constraints and pursue their true passion.

“Of course, chart performance matters,” he said. “But what I wish is for the song to truly resonate with people, even if it’s with a small number of people, to help them feel encouraged to do what they love and chase what they want.”

BY SHIN HA-NEE [shin.hanee@joongang.co.kr]