CORTIS Takes Home Best New Artist at the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards

CORTIS (코르티스) won Best New Artist in K-pop at the 13th annual iHeartRadio Music Awards on March 27, 2026, at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles, becoming the first group from BigHit Music to win a US fan-voted award in the rookie category. As confirmed by Forbes, the five-member group earned the trophy ahead of the ceremony's live broadcast, with winners announced in waves beginning at noon ET on March 26. For a group that only debuted seven months ago, on August 18, 2025, with the single "What You Want," the scale of this is hard to overstate. They are BigHit Music's third act after BTS (방탄소년단) and TXT (투모로우바이투게더), and they have already moved more than two million copies of their debut EP "Color Outside the Lines," which charted at number 15 on the Billboard 200. The fan-voted win is proof that their global fandom, Coer (코어, pronounced "core"), is already operating at a different level.

Seven Months, One Trophy

The numbers CORTIS have posted in their first seven months would be impressive for any K-pop group at any stage of their career. Their debut EP "Color Outside the Lines" entered the Billboard 200 at number 15, the second-highest debut chart position ever for a K-pop act's first album. They surpassed two million in cumulative album sales and stacked over 400 million Spotify streams on debut material before the iHeartRadio nominations were even announced, according to The Chosun Ilbo. Individual tracks "Go!" and "FaSHioN" each crossed 100 million streams, hitting those marks in 116 and 132 days respectively. In February 2026, the group became the first Korean boy band to perform at an NBA event, headlining the halftime show of the 2026 Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game at Kia Forum in Los Angeles, per Korea JoongAng Daily. January brought the 40th Golden Disc Awards Rookie Artist of the Year. The iHeartRadio win is the first US award in that run, and it will not be the last.

The five members, Martin (leader), James, Juhoon, Seonghyeon, and Keonho, all brought unusual pre-debut trajectories into the group. James contributed choreography and songwriting credits on tracks for fellow HYBE acts TXT and ILLIT before CORTIS even had a name. Martin served as a flag bearer for Iceland at the 2018 Winter Olympics before joining BigHit Music. These are not typical idol trainees, and the group's sound reflects that. CORTIS has built an identity around authenticity and creative self-expression that resonates internationally in a way that is genuinely difficult for any label to engineer.

The win also connects to a broader story happening in K-pop right now. Boy groups are having their moment after years of girl group dominance, and CORTIS is the clearest proof point. We tracked this shift in our breakdown of why 2026 is the year of rookie boy groups. CORTIS is not just winning because their label has resources. They are winning because they are genuinely good and have a fanbase that moves like one unit when it matters.

K-Pop's Big Night at Dolby Theater

CORTIS was not the only K-pop act to walk away from the Dolby Theater with a trophy. As reported by allkpop, the iHeartRadio Music Awards delivered one of the strongest nights for Korean artists at a US ceremony in recent memory. Rosé of BLACKPINK claimed both K-Pop Artist of the Year and the Best Collaboration award for "APT." with Bruno Mars. J-Hope of BTS took home Favorite K-Pop Collab for "Sweet Dreams" featuring Miguel, plus the newly instated Favorite TikTok Dance award for "Mona Lisa." Stray Kids claimed K-Pop Group of the Year. BTS members Jimin and Jungkook won Favorite On Screen for season two of the variety show "Are You Sure?!" It was a clean sweep across almost every K-pop category on offer, and CORTIS was right in the middle of it.

What stands out about CORTIS's win specifically is that it was fan-voted. Labels can engineer streaming numbers and industry relationships over time, but fan-voted categories at US ceremonies are harder to manufacture. The Coer fandom mobilized for this vote, and the result reflects a global audience that is actively invested in the group's success, not just passively aware of them. For a rookie act at seven months, that level of fan organization is genuinely rare.

GREENGREEN Is Coming

The win arrives at exactly the right moment commercially. CORTIS is heading into their first major comeback with their second mini-album "GREENGREEN," and the promotional calendar is already in motion. According to Star News Korea, the title track drops April 20, with the full album releasing on May 4, 2026. Pre-saves for "GREENGREEN" on Spotify have already exceeded 500,000, a figure that most established K-pop acts would consider a strong result. The group plans release party events for fans during both the title track launch week and the album release week, giving Coer two separate moments to celebrate in person. Music show promotions begin the same week the title track lands.

The iHeartRadio win feeds directly into "GREENGREEN" momentum. A US award two weeks before a comeback is about as clean a promotional setup as a label can ask for. BigHit Music has been building CORTIS's US market presence methodically, from the NBA All-Star halftime show in February to the iHeartRadio campaign in March. The debut era established the group internationally. The "GREENGREEN" era is where they find out if they can hold that ground.