BigHit Music’s next-generation boy group CORTIS has emerged as a new ruler of the K-pop market, stepping in behind its senior act BTS. According to the Hanteo Chart on the 11th, CORTIS’s mini-album 2nd release, ‘GREENGREEN,’ recorded sales of 2,310,391 copies in just its first week, taking No. 1 on the weekly album chart. This is a figure more than five times higher than the debut album’s first-week sales, showing an overwhelming growth trajectory that’s hard to find in the history of the Korean music industry.
This achievement is also the No. 2 record among all K-pop albums released in 2026, following BTS’s regular 5th album ‘Arirang.’ On the day of release, CORTIS sold 1.2 million copies and quickly became a million-seller, then earned the double-million-seller title in just four days. It’s all the more noteworthy given that this is a feat achieved by a rookie group that hasn’t even been active for a year since debut.
Dominating Both Global Spotify and Domestic Melon Charts at the Same Time
The impact isn’t limited to albums—it’s proving equally powerful in the digital chart segment. The title track ‘REDRED’ captured fans around the world with its distinctive musicality and intense performances. In particular, on Spotify’s ‘Daily Top Songs Global’ chart, it marked the first entry by a K-pop boy group debuting within the last five years. As of the 9th, it sits at No. 93 and has maintained chart entry for 18 straight days; monthly listeners surged by 40% compared to the previous month, surpassing 10 million.
The response in domestic digital charts has been explosive as well. After entering No. 6 on Melon’s daily chart, it also climbed to as high as No. 2 on the Top 100 chart, breaking its own record. Currently, CORTIS is placing itself among the top 5 K-pop boy groups of all time—alongside BTS, TOMORROW X TOGETHER, and others—based on Spotify’s monthly listener counts.
‘ACAI’ Music Video Featuring All Members
With the title track’s unstoppable box-office momentum, CORTIS is now set to firm up its popularity with the ‘ACAI’ music video. To be released on the Hybe Labels’ official channel at 9 p.m. on the 11th, the upcoming music video has teased a sensuous visual style set against a vast desert backdrop. Most of all, all members of CORTIS directly participated in producing, writing lyrics, and composing, further boosting the group’s authenticity.
‘ACAI,’ the included track, is inspired by the açai bowl that the members enjoy, and it carries a weighty aspiration to become an artist with depth of flavor—like an açai bowl that delivers rich taste even without flashy toppings. Through this comeback with ‘ACAI,’ CORTIS is expected to prove a variety of musical capabilities that are different from the powerful stages it has shown so far. All eyes around the world are on what CORTIS will do next, as it is shaking up the landscape of the global K-pop scene in the second half of 2026.
