CORTIS Win Record of the Year Just 1 Year In, Making TMA History

Rookie group CORTIS walked off the 2026 The Fact Music Awards stage with three trophies on September 19, becoming the first act in the ceremony's history to claim both the rookie award and the Record of the Year daesang in the same night. The show, held at Busan Asiad Main Stadium and live-streamed on Naver's platform Chzzk, also saw ATEEZ collect their eighth career daesang.

CORTIS make history

CORTIS arrived at the TMA as a group barely a year into their career, signed to Big Hit Music and riding the momentum of their second mini-album GREENGREEN and its title track "REDRED." By the end of the night they had added three trophies to that momentum: the rookie prize Next Leader, the main award Artist of the Year, and the top prize Record of the Year.

The clean sweep is notable beyond the numbers. No act had previously won both the rookie category and the ceremony's top honor at the same TMA, and the group had already shown they could compete internationally: earlier in the season they received three MTV Video Music Award nominations, including Best Group, Best New Artist, and Best K-Pop, and in July they picked up two prizes at the KM Chart Awards, including a Record of the Year honor there as well.

Accepting the Record of the Year award, the members addressed the crowd directly. "We wanted this one," they said. "So many people showed 'REDRED' love, and that's the reason we're holding it tonight. We'll keep reaching further." In a separate speech earlier in the evening, they credited their fanbase, known as CORE: "Because of the love and energy you give us, we get to live out our dreams. We're genuinely grateful."

On stage, CORTIS performed mini-album track "TNT" before closing with "REDRED," matching the song's rough sonic texture with sharp point choreography and a vintage-styled wardrobe that read as a deliberate visual statement rather than a costume choice. The debut math here is already settled, the question now is whether a group that took Record of the Year inside twelve months can sustain that ceiling heading into year two.

ATEEZ add an eighth daesang

ATEEZ, signed to KQ Entertainment and operating on a timeline that now spans eight major ceremony daesangs, took home Artist of the Year and the top Icon of the Year award. Their performance moved through three distinct registers: the high-energy "Adrenaline," a live debut of new track "MAMACITA" built on Latin-influenced rhythms and festival-scale staging, and the title track "BAD" from their fourteenth mini-album GOLDEN HOUR: Part.5.

GOLDEN HOUR: Part.5, released in June, reached number one on the Billboard 200, and "BAD" claimed the top spot on SBS Inkigayo on the 13th without a live broadcast appearance, a digital-pull result that points to sustained listener engagement well past the typical promotional window.

The rest of the night

Solo artist EVAN, who released his first mini-album DEATH OF ME on the 7th, took the World Best Wave award, given to a musician whose influence has shaped broader cultural trends. The album crossed the half-million-seller mark within three days of release and reached number one on iTunes Top Albums charts in eleven countries and regions. The title track "Death of Me" topped iTunes Top Songs in nine territories and charted on the UK Official Single Downloads and Sales charts, as well as TikTok Korea's Top 50 and Viral 50. EVAN accepted the award by thanking his fanbase, EVER, and said he would "keep working to move your hearts, the way this award's name asks."

The ceremony was hosted by Jun Hyun-moo and Seo Hyun. The full lineup also included RIIZE, RESCENE, ILLIT, ATEEZ, and Stray Kids, among many others.