Male idol Martin of CORTIS admits he was inspired by RM (BTS) in his role as leader

Martin – a member of the group CORTIS – is currently a rookie male idol receiving a great deal of attention. Not only does he possess an impressive height compared to other members of the group, Martin is also a talented and highly promising leader.

In an interview with W Korea, Martin revealed that he was “very influenced by senior RM of BTS.”

The male idol shared:
“I got to know BTS thanks to my sister introducing them to me. I already loved music, but watching them made me truly certain about the company I wanted to join and the type of music I wanted to pursue.

There was one time when senior RM said to me: ‘When the members are exhausted, the role of the leader is to help them regain their energy.’ From that moment, I always kept those words in my heart.

I also can’t forget something he once said in an interview: ‘The position of the leader is merely to stand at the end of the trophy. Success would be impossible without the team.’”

Vogue Korea also revealed that during CORTIS’s debut preparations, RM (BTS) personally visited the studio to listen to the group’s soon-to-be-released song.

RM offered advice from the perspective of a leader:
“Imagine you are all rowing the same boat. If one person rows in the wrong direction, the boat will wobble. But when everyone is united, it will speed forward. Don’t forget that individual success also stems from the group.”

Martin was born in 2008 and is half-Canadian, half-Korean. He joined Big Hit Music — the management company of BTS and TXT — in 2019 as a trainee. In August 2025, Martin officially debuted as a member of CORTIS (5 members: Martin, James, Juhoon, Seonghyeon, Keonho), taking on the role of leader.

At 17, Martin has already participated in music production for many HYBE artists, including the songs “Deja Vu,” “Miracle,” and “Beautiful Stranger” by TXT; “Magnetic” by ILLIT; “Pierrot” by LE SSERAFIM; and “Outside” by ENHYPEN…

Martin also directly took part in producing CORTIS’s debut album Color Outside the Lines. He contributed to writing the lyrics for all 6 tracks on the album and helped produce “Joyride” and “Lullaby.”

In addition, Martin is one of CORTIS’s most well-known members thanks to his striking appearance. The male idol stands 1.9 meters tall, making him the tallest in the group.

In their recently released Mid-Autumn Festival photoshoot, CORTIS sparked discussion as leader Martin appeared significantly taller than the rest of the group.

There were once mixed opinions about Big Hit selecting a group lineup with such a noticeable height difference. But now, the group’s quirky, mischievous, and somewhat uniquely unconventional style has received much support.

In terms of musical achievements, the debut mini-album Color Outside the Lines, featuring the title track “What You Want” (a collaboration with Teezo Touchdown), debuted at No. 15 on the Billboard 200 chart in the U.S. This is the second-highest charting debut album among K-pop artists.

The songs from the album also appeared on the Billboard Global 200 and Global 200 (excluding the U.S.) charts.

Color Outside the Lines sold over 430,000 copies in its first week—achieving the fourth-highest first-week sales for a debut album by a K-pop group.