A prominent journalist has ignited fierce debate in the K-pop community by declaring that HYBE’s newest five-member boy group, CORTIS, has “opened the door to the 6th generation of idols.”
“Their emergence will be remembered as a sensation,” the journalist wrote, describing the group as “a different dimension of idols never seen before.”
The statement suggesting a generational shift in K-pop has since stirred discussion among fans, with many calling it exaggerated media play.
Formed under BigHit Music and produced by HYBE chairman Bang Si-hyuk, CORTIS debuted on September 18 with their title track “GO!”. Their live debut stage received praise for its polished vocals and energetic choreography reportedly performed without backing tracks or edits.
The members James (born 2005), Keonho (2009), and three others are known for their self-producing involvement in songwriting, composing, and choreography, an unusual level of creative control for a rookie group.
In interviews, CORTIS described their artistic identity as being like bibimbap “a mix of diverse elements forming a harmonious whole.” They credited Bang Si-hyuk as the “seasoning” that ties their creativity together, while expressing gratitude toward BTS’s J-Hope, who advised them to “stay humble and thankful.”
However, online reactions were far from unanimous. While many fans praised the group’s talent, others mocked the claim that CORTIS had “opened the 6th generation of K-pop.”
- At this rate, every time a rookie group debuts they’ll keep calling it “N-th generation, N-th generation.”
- What’s wrong with this company?
- Now it’s just funny as long as a rookie debuts, suddenly “the 5th generation has opened! the 6th generation has opened!!!” Seriously hilarious.
- What, are we changing generations every year? Just because a rookie debuts it becomes a new generation…
- But honestly, the whole “5th generation opened” thing was something they suddenly pushed themselves too, so even if they do media play like this with “6th generation,” I figured I couldn’t really say anything.
- What are they even talking about? These guys are also 5th generation. Nonsense… what, are they cell phones or something?
- Fine, let’s just go ahead and open the 6th generation now, and when a big boy group debuts next year, let’s call it the 7th, 8th, 9th generation every year. Honestly, that’d be kind of funny.
Despite the skepticism, several industry voices acknowledged that CORTIS does represent a shift in artistry and self-production, marking an ongoing evolution in how idol groups are trained and marketed.
Sources: instiz
You must be logged in to post a comment.