CORTIS Ignites NBA Festival in the U.S., Commanding Presence as First K-Pop Headliner

CORTIS has demonstrated its global dominance by electrifying the headliner stage at an NBA-hosted festival in the United States.

According to BigHit Music on February 14, CORTIS (Martin, James, Joohun, Sunghyun, Gunho) successfully completed the “NBA Crossover Concert Series,” held on February 13 (KST) at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

CORTIS. Photo by BigHit Music.

The performance marked a historic milestone, with CORTIS becoming the first K-pop act to headline the event. The concert sold out completely, and long lines stretching outside the venue on the day of the show highlighted the immense attention they received both locally and internationally.

On stage, CORTIS captivated the audience with performances of tracks from their debut album, including “What You Want” and “FaSHioN,” as well as their first OST release, “Mention Me.” Local fans created a striking scene by singing along in Korean and chanting official fan cheers. The energy peaked during the remix performance of “GO!,” rearranged by Martin, as fans joined in the signature choreography.

The highlight of the night was the surprise unveiling of a new song scheduled for release in March. During the encore, CORTIS performed “YOUNGCREATORCREW,” a track created with direct member participation, for the first time. “We’re preparing for our comeback soon. We’re planning a special surprise for CORE,” they said, raising anticipation among fans.

Following their successful headliner debut, CORTIS is set to perform the halftime show at the “2026 Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game” on February 14 at the Kia Forum in California, becoming the first K-pop artist to take on the stage.

Reported by News Culture [e-mail]