Kicking off their global tour in the South Korean city of Incheon, the five members of K-pop boy band Cortis saunter onto stage in casual outfits, exuding an effortlessly cool vibe. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing BBC News.
"Put your phone down," one of the members bellows. Piercing screams erupt. A sea of illuminated screens flickers back. "I told you, put your phone down," he repeats, louder. Some fans do just that, but the packed stadium vibrates harder with cheers as thousands of phones stay in the air.
"Put your phone down" is also the name of Cortis's ongoing concert tour, which started in Incheon on 18 July and will head to cities like New York and Los Angeles before returning to Seoul later this month.
The refrain reflects a message the band has long pushed: that fans should stop watching concerts through six-inch screens and engage with their performances in real life. It's drawn mixed reactions from their fandom: fan-filmed content is a valuable social currency in K-pop.
Park Ji-yeon, 22, could not bring herself to stop recording Cortis's performances. She had specially rented a new, top-tier smartphone for both days of the concert just to film in high quality. "I was standing right at the front, and I couldn't bring myself to put my phone down because I don't know if I'll ever get this opportunity again," she tells the BBC. "I usually film concerts because I know a lot of those memories will fade as soon as I leave the venue."
Kim Ga-eun, 25, seated in the amphitheatre-style venue, saw it all: "People in the back of the standing section were having a great time dancing together. I thought that really reflected the intention behind the concert."
Cortis has had a whirlwind year since debuting last year under record label BigHit Music - part of the company that created BTS. Most members are teenagers; the oldest, James, is just 20. Their music videos have each amassed millions of views. Over the weekend they performed at Lollapalooza in Chicago.
The band's name, Cortis, is derived from "colour outside the lines", which according to their label is meant to encapsulate the band's free spirit and refusal to conform to societal rules. They join a wave of artists advocating the same. Singers like Phoebe Bridgers and Alicia Keys have required concert attendees to use lock pouches for phones.
British rock group Suede's frontman Brett Anderson leapt over a barricade during a 2023 performance in Singapore to grab at fans' phones. Billie Eilish, who has defended filming as a way for fans to relive memories, gently cooed to her front row in Amsterdam: "Put your phone down, I'm right here." Even BTS's Jungkook teased: "Stop looking at your phone screen. Just look at me."
Park says of Cortis's anti-mobile rallying cry: "From the artists' perspective, interacting with fans is a really important part of performing, so I think they want people to focus more on that than on their phones." Fancams - zoomed-in videos focusing on a single celebrity - are a prized currency in K-pop communities, studied meticulously for choreography and subtle expressions.
This is why Cortis's calls have rubbed some the wrong way in a fan culture obsessed with capturing every moment. After the first day of their concert, disgruntled comments emerged online. Park says: "I spent over one million won ($700; £520) attending both days," referring to tickets plus transport and accommodation.