RIIZE Eunseok Controversy, Cortis & the Underground Artist Paradox

In today’s episode, I discuss the controversy surrounding RIIZE’s Eunseok before diving into a wider conversation about image, authenticity and creative identity in modern K-pop.Using Cortis as the main example, I unpack what I’m calling the “underground artist paradox” — can a group really position itself as raw, alternative or underground while still being heavily backed and shaped by a major label system? And at what point does a carefully curated aesthetic start to feel more manufactured than authentic?I also touch on HYBE’s recent April girl group comebacks and why some of them are beginning to feel repetitive, gimmicky or overly trend-focused. It raises a bigger question about originality within large companies and whether some of Min Hee-jin’s criticisms about repeated concepts and blurred identity might not have been completely unfounded after all.