Exclusive: CORTIS talks about their inspirations and shaping their identity through honest music at the press showcase for “GREENGREEN”

CORTIS are gearing up for their highly anticipated return!

On April 20, CORTIS held the press exhibition for their second mini-album “GREENGREEN.”

In the Q&A session at their press showcase, the members emphasized being honest and raw in expressing themselves for their latest album—discussing how they’ve grown through the comeback while experimenting with different sounds and genres.

The members began by sharing how they came to choose the themes “GREEN GREEN” and “REDRED”, which stemmed from James’ initial suggestion and were developed to represent the dichotomy of what CORTIS dislikes versus what they support.

As for the title track “REDRED,” Martin shared, “I’m confident it will do well.” Seonghyeon further mentioned that all five members participated in the production of the album, capturing the members’ different tastes. Reflecting on the group’s growth and CORTIS’ experiences since their debut, such as headlining the NBA Crossover Concert Series in Los Angeles, Keonho expressed how their thoughts and preferences have become clearer over time.

Keonho discussed working on the album simultaneously while busy with promotions for CORTIS. I shared, “We were out of ideas at one point, but we tried to make new experiences together in our daily lives.” Seonghyeon elaborated that they refreshed themselves by going for walks, playing basketball, going to the theaters and eating popcorn, and working in open places. When the MC jokingly mentioned Martin’s advantage when it came to basketball, Martin added, “I work hard on my dunks.”

As for the catchy choreography, James said, “When you do the choreo, the hook is the important part. We thought it should be easy to follow along like the hook of the song.” Martin mentioned the importance of originality in his self-produced music video for “REDRED”, such as capturing the old streets of Seoul and their raw selves. Seonghyeon mentioned, “Keonho and Martin were wearing the restaurant owner’s apron, and the people walking by were curious about what we filmed.” Martin added, “I remember someone trying to say it was for a college project.”

The members elaborated on the “raw” concept of the upcoming album, reflecting their desire to be honest – an element that Martin wanted to highlight as CORTIS’ strength. James shared: “If you look at the concept photos, you can see our natural skin. We only did minimal make-up while taking the photos as we wanted to show our real selves – it was fine if we showed dark circles.”

Juhoon also talked about performing as their strength, saying, “It’s one of our favorite parts. Performing face-to-face in front of fans is what we enjoy.” James went on to talk about how the band can communicate more with fans through the album, saying that their workflow has become much smoother through the production of this second mini-album. The members also touched on receiving strength from TXT while filming a challenge together, and said they told CORTIS to promote in good health.

On CORTIS’s new achievement of over 2 million stock pre-orders for “GREENGREEN,” the members talked about how they heard the news, such as Keonho getting a call from his mother while Seonghyeon got a message from his father. Keonho added, “I feel so grateful and happy to receive so much love and interest so early.”

When asked about the group’s popularity abroad, Martin recalled the NBA Crossover stage and shared, “Fans abroad knew our songs well. We showcased ‘YOUNGCREATORCREW’ for the first time, and they jumped in.”

Finally, answering the question about when they feel inspired, James emphasized: “Rather than waiting, we start creating first.” Martin noted, “We get inspiration everywhere from our daily lives,” adding, “We want to make people think, ‘I want to see their performance.'” Juhoon added, “We get our inspiration from scheduled activities, performances, and activities abroad. ‘Wassup’ is one of our B-sides, and we depicted our inspiration there.”

CORTIS make their return with “GREENGREEN” on May 4th. Before the comeback, they will release their title track “REDRED” on April 20th at 18:00 KST. Check out teasers here!

Photo credit: GREAT MUSIC