Martin (마틴)

Martin was born on March 20, 2008, in Songpa-gu, Seoul, South Korea, to a Canadian father and a South Korean mother — a multicultural household that shaped his global outlook from an early age. He lived in Ottawa, Canada for about 1 and a half years as a child before returning to Korea, giving him a bicultural foundation that later became central to his idol image.

Martin’s early life had a surprisingly international flavor even before his music career began. At the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, he was part of the children’s choir, and he also served as the flag bearer for Iceland — a memorable detail fans love to point to as evidence that Martin was always destined for the spotlight. He served as the flag bearer for the Icelandic team at the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games and sang the national anthem with members of the Rainbow Choir at the opening ceremony.

Around 2019–2020, Martin joined Big Hit Music as a trainee, beginning a six-year training period that’s notably longer than many of his peers. During this time, he attended Seoul Joongdae Elementary School and Karak Middle School, eventually passing his high school equivalency exam so he could focus on training. Unlike many trainees who specialize in a single skill, Martin developed expertise across multiple disciplines — vocals, rap, dance, and crucially, music production and songwriting.

His talent for songwriting didn’t go unnoticed. Before CORTIS even existed as a public concept, Martin had written and composed several songs for HYBE artists, such as ILLIT’s “Magnetic”, TXT’s “Deja Vu”, “Miracle” and “Beautiful Strangers”, and LE SSERAFIM’s “Pierrot”, along with ENHYPEN’s “Outside.” This made him a known name within HYBE’s production circles even as a teenager — earning him the nickname “HYBE’s 3M Ghost” for his constant presence in music rooms, mixing rooms, and practice rooms late into the night.

In April 2025, HYBE announced plans for a new boy group debuting in Q3 2025. The group’s members — Martin, James, Juhoon, Seonghyeon, and Keonho — were revealed on July 14, with the group’s name disclosed on August 7 as CORTIS. Cortis debuted on August 18, 2025, with the single “What You Want,” becoming Big Hit Music’s third group after BTS and Tomorrow X Together.

As leader, Martin guided the group through an explosive rookie year. Their debut EP “Color Outside the Lines” debuted at number 15 on the Billboard 200 — the second-highest entry for a K-pop act’s debut album — and the EP set records for first-day sales, eventually surpassing two million in cumulative sales. By the end of 2025, Cortis had won Rookie of the Year and Best Performance at the 10th Asia Artist Awards, and Best New Artist at the 2025 MAMA Awards.

2026 brought even bigger milestones. In January, Cortis won Rookie Artist of the Year at the 40th Golden Disc Awards, and was later nominated for Best K-pop New Artist at the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards. The group was named Friends of the NBA and announced as headlining performers for the 2026 NBA All-Star Game, becoming the first K-pop group to perform at the event. In March 2026, Cortis announced their second EP, GreenGreen, released on May 4, 2026, with lead single “RedRed” dropping April 20. By June 2026, the group announced their first official world tour, “Put Your Phone Down,” covering South Korea, Canada, the United States, and Japan, with North American shows selling out.

Throughout it all, Martin has maintained a reputation as a calm, thoughtful leader — someone who guides through empathy rather than authority, balancing his creative ambitions with the responsibility of representing a group built on the philosophy of “coloring outside the lines.”