[HT Scene] “First Comeback” CORTIS, “We Thought Deeply and Chose Carefully” (Comprehensive)

CORTIS expressed confidence in their new track and shared their joy over surpassing 2 million pre-orders.

On the 20th, CORTIS held a showcase at YES24 Live Hall to celebrate the release of their new song ‘REDRED’ and talked about their new release.

CORTIS, who debuted in August last year, presents itself as a ‘young creator crew,’ with all members actively participating in the creative process rather than being confined to specific roles. By actively utilizing SNS, they rapidly expanded their global influence, surpassing 2.02 million Instagram followers within 34 days of debut, and won the Rookie Award at the 33rd Hanteo Music Awards 2025. Following their debut album, all members once again participated in the production credits, clearly showcasing their identity as a ‘young creator crew.’ They contributed not only to songwriting and composition but also to overall production, including music videos, performances, and album visuals, reflecting CORTIS’s unique style.

At the showcase, the news of surpassing 2 million pre-orders became a hot topic. GEONHO said, “I found out through a message from my mom, and she was really happy. I also felt very proud and fulfilled.” SEONGHYEON added, “I heard from my father that we surpassed 2 million copies,” and said, “I’m very grateful and happy to be receiving so much love and attention so early on.” MARTIN continued, “As soon as I saw the news online, I shared it in our group chat, and we reacted by saying it felt unreal and that we were so excited.”

They also talked about the reason behind their strong popularity. MARTIN said, “I think we can highlight our honesty,” adding, “Since our first album, we’ve included a lot of our real daily lives, and I think fans appreciate that.” He continued, “I also think people like the chemistry between us,” and added, “I think our chemistry comes through well in live broadcasts and our own content, so I hope people watch it a lot.” JUHOON said, “Another reason might be our stage performances, because performing is actually when we feel happiest.” GEONHO recalled, “During our first album promotions, we performed on music shows for six weeks, and during pre-recordings, our core fans chanted along from early in the morning, which made me feel really good.” JUHOON added, “We’ve been lucky to perform on various large stages, and not only our fans but also fans of other senior artists knew and sang along to our songs, which made me feel like we’re on the right path.”
 

They also talked about the title track ‘REDRED.’ JUHOON introduced it by saying, “It’s a song that talks about what we reject and what we pursue using the themes of red and green,” adding, “It wasn’t easy to decide on the theme, but JAMES came up with the idea.” JAMES explained, “We needed to match words and rhymes, and the word ‘green’ came to mind. While discussing it with the producer, the contrasting concept of ‘red’ also came up, which allowed us to create the song.” GEONHO said, “When the lyrics were completed, I felt the song gained strength,” adding, “While working on the track, everything came together, and after finishing the mixing, I thought, this is the title track.”

They also discussed the sound. MARTIN said, “When working on the song, the first thing we were cautious about was the boundaries of genre,” adding, “We didn’t fix a genre for our first album either, but for the second album, we deeply considered what we like and what we’re thinking right now, and through various experiments and research, we created songs with diverse sounds and textures.” He also revealed a behind-the-scenes story, saying, “At first, it felt more pop, but after mixing, we unanimously agreed that this version was the title track, and immediately went down to create the choreography.”

JAMES said, “When I first heard the mixing, I wondered, ‘Is it okay for it to sound this broken?’ but it felt so good and exciting,” adding, “I used to think there wasn’t much difference, but once it was fully filled out, I became confident it could be a huge hit.” He explained, “Regardless of whether it’s played on big or small speakers, there’s a slightly broken texture, but it’s an intentional roughness.” MARTIN added, “From the first time I heard the song until now, after listening to it so many times, I still get chills, it’s that good,” expressing confidence by saying, “I’m sure it will succeed and do well.”
 

Behind-the-scenes stories of their self-produced music video were also revealed. MARTIN said, “This time as well, before producing the official music video, we filmed a self-produced one, and we felt that originality was especially important for this track,” adding, “We thought old Korean street scenery matched the rough vibe of the song well, so we filmed at Nakwon Arcade and old restaurants.” When SEONGHYEON shared, “At a long-established freshwater eel restaurant, GEONHO and MARTIN wore the owner’s aprons and filmed enthusiastically, and passersby were curious about what we were doing,” MARTIN added, “So we told them it was a college assignment,” drawing laughter.

GEONHO said, “We also took jacket photos at Gilmajung Bridge, a place we often visited during our trainee days, and overall, we wanted to express something natural and familiar.” JAMES explained, “We filmed with minimal makeup so that even the texture of our skin is visible,” adding, “We didn’t want to just talk about honesty—we wanted to show a real, unfiltered side of ourselves, so we agreed to present ourselves as we are, even if dark circles were visible.”

GEONHO added, “Our second mini album ‘GREENGREEN’ is filled only with things we like, removing what we dislike or are cautious about,” and said, “We thought deeply and chose carefully, so we hope people will really like it.”

The pre-release track ‘REDRED’ from CORTIS’s second mini album ‘GREENGREEN’ was released today at 6 PM through various online music platforms. According to Hanteo Chart’s annual report ‘Hanteo Rewind,’ CORTIS’s debut album sold approximately 1.03 million copies across 28 countries worldwide in 2025. Attention is focused on what new record they will set with this comeback.