K-pop group CORTIS turns freestyle tongue-twists into global viral memes

Rising K-pop group CORTIS said Thursday that the unconventional phrases driving its global fanbase — including the tongue-twisted "utgeobeoryeoseo" — grew from freestyle recording sessions, not deliberate branding.

The group's debut album reached 100 million views in 34 days; its latest release hit the same mark in just 15 days — a trajectory that has made CORTIS one of the most closely watched new K-pop acts among Korean-American fans on the West Coast.

The five-member group — Martin, Seonghyeon, Keonho, James and Juhoon — appeared on KBS2's "The Seasons: Sung Si-kyung's Music Companion" to discuss the creative philosophy behind their sound, according to The Korea Times. The Thursday broadcast marked one of the group's most candid public accounts of its process.

The phrase "utgeobeoryeoseo" — a garbled rendering of the standard Korean expression meaning "because it was so funny" — is among their best-known linguistic quirks. CORTIS said the slip was accidental. "Sometimes we write the lyrics first, but often we freestyle," the group said. "While rapping nonstop, our tongues got twisted and 'utgeobeoryeoseo' came out. It had a rough, raw charm, so we decided to keep it."

Member Seonghyeon traced a similar origin to the group's signature chant "Youngkeukeu," a compression of the phrase "Young Creator Crew." "When we debuted, we thought we needed our own slogan," he said. "We became attached to the phrase 'Young Creator Crew' and even made a song about it. Then it turned into a meme."

Asked about the scale of the group's streaming figures, CORTIS said the totals remain hard to internalize. "The numbers are so large that they don't fully sink in," the group said. "It's very moving."

Host Sung Si-kyung offered his own reading of what sets CORTIS apart. "From the group name to the outfits, everything feels consistent," he said. "If you enjoy breaking what is considered fixed or standard, then you're doing what artists should do — pursuing what you genuinely like."

CORTIS's willingness to preserve accidents as creative choices — rather than polishing them away — reflects a broader shift in K-pop, where spontaneity and authenticity are increasingly rewarded over precision.