CORTIS has proven its surging global popularity by earning its first-ever nominations at a major U.S. music awards show since debut.
According to the nominees list announced on January 8 (local time) for the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards, CORTIS (Martin, James, Juhun, Sunghyun, and Gunho) was nominated for Best New Artist (K-pop). In addition, the intro track “GO!” from their debut album was nominated for Favorite TikTok Dance, alongside songs by global stars such as Taylor Swift and Tate McRae. Notably, CORTIS is the only K-pop boy group nominated in this category.
The iHeartRadio Music Awards, hosted annually by U.S. digital radio broadcaster iHeartRadio since 2014, honor the most-played artists and songs across iHeartRadio stations and its app throughout the year. This year’s ceremony will be broadcast on March 26 on FOX in the United States.
These nominations stem from CORTIS’s strong performance in the global market. Their debut album COLOR OUTSIDE THE LINES debuted at No. 15 on the Billboard 200 dated September 27, 2025, marking the highest chart position ever achieved by a debut album from a K-pop group, excluding project-based teams. On Spotify, the album is approaching 300 million cumulative streams just four months after its release.
The nominated track “GO!” has risen to global hit status driven by the success of its dance challenge. As of 10 a.m. on January 9, videos using the song’s audio on TikTok had surpassed 210,000 posts—an overwhelmingly high figure compared to other releases from the same period. On Spotify, the song achieved 100 million streams in the shortest time among K-pop boy group releases from last year. Its popularity has also been evident through massive sing-alongs at overseas stadium award shows and its inclusion in promotional videos for Major League Baseball (MLB) postseason events in the United States.
Written by Mun Wan Sik
Translated by Lee So Yun
