Rookie K-pop group CORTIS has officially proven their global power by earning nominations at the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards, marking their first U.S. music award recognition since debut.
On January 8, the awards announced that CORTIS (Martin, James, Joo Hoon, Sung Hyun, Gun Ho) is nominated for Best New Artist (K-pop). Their debut album intro track GO! also earned a nomination for Favorite TikTok Dance, standing alongside artists like Taylor Swift and Tate McRae. CORTIS is the only K-pop boy group nominated in this category.
These nominations reflect the group’s global success. Their debut album COLOR OUTSIDE THE LINES entered the Billboard 200 at No. 15 on September 27, 2025, achieving the highest debut ranking for a K-pop group (excluding project groups). On Spotify, the album is approaching 300 million streams just four months after release.
Their hit track GO! became a global sensation with its viral dance challenge. On TikTok, over 210,000 videos have used the song as of January 9, a number far higher than other recent K-pop releases.
On Spotify, GO! became the fastest K-pop boy group song released last year to reach 100 million streams. Its popularity is also reflected in overseas stadium performances and MLB postseason promotions.
CORTIS will continue making history as the headliner of the NBA Crossover Concert Series at the Los Angeles Convention Center on February 12, becoming the first K-pop artists ever to perform at the event.
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