Big Ocean

Big Ocean
Big Ocean in May 2024
From L–R: Kim Ji-seok, PJ, and Lee Chan-yeon
Background information
OriginSeoul, South Korea
GenresK-pop
Years active2024 (2024)–present
LabelsParastar
Members
  • Lee Chan-yeon (이찬연)
  • PJ (피제이)
  • Kim Ji-seok (김지석)
WebsiteOfficial website
Korean name
Hangul
빅오션
Revised RomanizationBigosyeon
McCune–ReischauerPigosyŏn

Big Ocean (Korean: 빅오션; RR: Bigosyeon) is the first hard of hearing South Korean boy band, formed under Parastar Entertainment. The group consists of three members: Lee Chan-yeon, PJ, and Kim Ji-seok. They debuted on April 20, 2024, with the single "Glow", which coincided with the Day of Persons with Disabilities in South Korea.[1][2] According to The New York Times, Big Ocean "has raised awareness of Deaf culture in Korea and the world."[3]

Big Ocean released their first EP, Follow, on November 12, 2024, and it reached #41 on the Korean music sales charts. Their second EP, Underwater, was released on April 20, 2025, and it also reached #41. Big Ocean held a tour in 2025 in Brazil, Europe, and the United States.

Big Ocean has described their form of expression, which combines choreography, vocals, and sign language, as "free soul pop," focusing on "music that is comforting," according to PJ.[4] Additionally, Chan-yeon has described Korean Sign Language as an integral part of their music, stating, "For us, KSL is not just an element — it’s the heart of our performance.”[3]

Big Ocean has a social media following of 995,000 on Instagram and 696,000 on TikTok as of July 2025.[3] In September 2024, Billboard named Big Ocean "K-Pop Rookie of the Month."[5] In 2025, Forbes recognized Big Ocean on the 30 Under 30 Asia Entertainment & Sports List.[6]

History

Pre-debut

Parastar Entertainment, which manages Big Ocean, is the first Korean entertainment agency focused on artists with disabilities.[7] The agency initially retained seven trainees as part of the S-Boyz project. Four of these members would exit the group prior to its debut as Big Ocean.[8]

The three members of Big Ocean upon debut were Lee Chan-yeon (이찬연, born March 27, 1998), Park Hyun-jin (박현진, born October 24, 1999 and later known by the stage name PJ), and Kim Ji-seok (김지석, born March 5, 2003)[9].

Each member of the group has different levels of hearing loss. Ji-seok was born with a hearing impairment, PJ lost part of his hearing at the age of three due to a fever, and Chan-yeon experienced hearing loss at age eleven due to a fever. Chan-yeon underwent cochlear implant surgery on both ears, PJ has an implant in one ear and uses a hearing aid in the other, while Jiseok only wears hearing aids.[10] Chan-yeon was not initially interested in music, but developed a passion for it as he listened to music as part of his rehabilitation process following his cochlear implant surgery.[4] Ji-seok was unfamiliar with K-pop and choreography until BTS leader RM donated to the music program at Seoul Samsung School, where he attended, in 2019.[8]

Before their debut as idols, all three members held full-time jobs, which raised concerns among their acquaintances. Chan-yeon worked as an audiologist at Korea University Anam Hospital, PJ was a well-known TV personality and YouTuber who shared insights about his daily life while living with disabilities, and Ji-seok was a professional alpine skier and a member of the Seoul Disabled Ski Association.[7] Chan-yeon was also a commercial model under Parastar Entertainment.[9]

Ji-seok had shared that he was often advised to "pursue physical or technical jobs due to his disability," advice which Ji-seok felt "was both a concern and a hurtful stereotype."[7] PJ was planning to use his engineering degree to enter cybersecurity.[8]

PJ was the first to be recruited to Parastar, in 2020. Ji-seok attended a fan meeting for PJ and was recruited there. Meanwhile, Lihoo, a renowned deaf actor under Parastar management, endorsed Chan-yeon to become a trainee.[11]

Haley Cha, CEO of Parastar Entertainment, which manages Big Ocean, has expressed that they "had many difficulties in developing this band." The trainees were not sure if they would succeed in the music industry, leading Cha to "help them visualize stardom" by editing their faces onto images of K-pop stars.[3] As part of the trainee process, Chan-yeon learned sign language, which was not his native language.[4]

In December 2023, the Korea Employment Promotion Agency for the Disabled published a public service announcement video featuring the members of Big Ocean prior to their debut.[12]

Debut

Official logo

In March 2024, Parastar Entertainment, a management company representing artists with disabilities,[8] announced the debut of Big Ocean, consisting of the trio who would perform using Korean Sign Language (KSL), American Sign Language (ASL), and International Sign Language (ISL). The group's name, Big Ocean, contains the meaning of "surprising the world" and the ambition to "have the potential of the sea and expand to the whole world like the sea".

According to their agency, the members recorded the songs in their own voices, similar to non-disabled singers. However, some parts of the recording received assistance from artificial intelligence, which learned each member's voice data to help mix their voices properly. Ji-seok has described artificial intelligence as "another tool and technology we can adapt to art and music. It's not like [we’re] attacking the former or traditional music, but it's just something that adds to it."[4] Additionally, the group would use smart watches that vibrate to the beat of the music and monitors that flash lights every eight beats to help them stay in rhythm while dancing.[13][14][15]

The day before their debut, The Chosun Ilbo shared PJ's hopes that "Big Ocean will bridge the gap between disabled and non-disabled people, overcoming stereotypes and prejudices."[7]

On April 20, 2024, Big Ocean began its official activities upon performing on MBC's Show! Music Core and releasing their debut single "Glow."[16] Their first single was a remake of the 1998 song "Hope" by the first-generation idol group H.O.T.[17]

In April 2024, fans voted for the name of the fandom, initially choosing the name WAVE. As this fandom name was already in use by another K-pop group, fans voted again, this time between PADO (the Korean word for "wave"), FISHIE, and SALTY. PADO received 70.6% of the vote[18]. On April 24, PJ announced that the fandom would officially be known as PADO.[19]

Post-debut activities

A few months after their debut, the group released their second single "Blow" on June 1, in collaboration with Tiktok Korea.[20] This single contained many English lyrics and was signed in American Sign Language.[3]

In June 2024, Big Ocean collaborated with the World Health Organization to produce videos promoting public understanding of hearing impairment.[21][22]

In July 2024, the Big Ocean fandom donated to Gallaudet University, a university in Washington, D.C. to honor the group's 100-day anniversary, in keeping with Korean traditions of celebrating a baby's survival after 100 days.[8]

On August 11, 2024, Big Ocean released their third single "Slow" featuring Young K of Day6. The song's lyrics deliver a message of support to the Paris 2024 Olympics and Paralympics athletes who represented South Korea.[23]

On August 22, Big Ocean attended and performed at the 6th Newsis Korean Wave Expo. During the ceremony, the group was honored with the "Special Hallyu Award" as an icon of hope.[24][25]

In September 2024, Big Ocean donated to Ji-seok's alma mater, Seoul Samsung School, fulfilling his dream to give back to students learning music.[8] That same month, Big Ocean was featured as Billboard's "K-pop Rookie of the Month."[26]

On November 12, 2024, Big Ocean collaborated with the New York City Police Department to surprise students at St. Joseph’s School for the Deaf, performing their songs "Glow," "Blow," "Slow," and "Flow."[27]

Also on November 12, 2024, the group released their first EP Follow. The EP features their previously released singles and a new track "Flow", which produced by award-winning American producer Mark Batson.[28] The historic school for the deaf National Institute for Deaf Youth of Paris and La Défense served as the filming location of the "Flow" music video.[29][30] Big Ocean was invited to attend and perform at the Cool Out 2024 Festival in the Cayman Islands, where they showcased "Flow" for the first time.[31][32]

Touring and second EP

On December 12, 2024, Parastar announced that the group would embark on their first solo concert on March 9, 2025, at the Toyota City Cultural Hall in Nagoya, Japan.[33]

On March 12, 2025, Parastar announced that Big Ocean would embark on their first European tour titled "Underwater" in April 2025, spanning five cities. Additionally, the group would perform at Anime Friends 2025 as the only K-pop act on July 3, in São Paulo, Brazil.[34]

On April 2, 2025, Hyun-jin announced that he would be using the stage name PJ moving forward. This was announced through official content on episode 2 of their YouTube show "OceanView".[35]

On April 20, 2025, Big Ocean released their second EP, Underwater.[36] This EP explores emracing one's identity and emotions, as part of a more mature concept that contrasts with the "younger concepts" of their earlier work.[4]

On May 14, Big Ocean was recognized as one of the breakthrough artists in the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia Entertainment & Sports List. The group is one of only two K-pop boy bands, alongside Stray Kids, featured in Forbes magazine for 2025.[37]

Reception and impact

Jeonghwan Kim, president of the Seoul Association of the Deaf, stated of Big Ocean that “[m]any Deaf youth see their presence onstage as a powerful form of representation." He added that “[t]heir work broadens the public’s perception of artistic expression beyond sound.”[3] Deaf author and journalist Liam O’Dell expressed how Big Ocean is counteracting the “frustrating misconception that Deaf and hard-of-hearing people can’t make or enjoy music.”

Many fans have learned sign languages from Big Ocean, who prepare tutorials for signing their songs.[3]

Chan-yeon has shared that fans “who were overcoming cancer, surviving school bullying or healing from personal hardships” have taken inspiration from their work. Chan-yeol repeated a statement one fan shared with Big Ocean: "You’re proof that something that seems impossible can actually happen."[3]

Members

During their trainee stage, the project group S-Boyz consisted of seven members. This was reduced to three members prior to their debut as Big Ocean.[8]

PJ has expressed a desire to expand Big Ocean to additional members, with Ji-seok sharing that they are open to adding foreign members. The members all agree that future members should be hard of hearing, sharing that "our goal is to break barriers and push ourselves to the limit. Since we all have hearing disabilities, I think it makes sense that new members do, too.”[8]

  • Lee Chan-yeon (이찬연) – rapper[38]
  • PJ (피제이) [Park Hyun-jin (박현진)] – vocal[38][35]
  • Kim Ji-seok (김지석) – dancer[9]

Discography

Extended plays

List of extended plays, showing selected details, selected chart positions, and sales figures
Title Details Peak chart positions Sales
KOR
[39]
Follow
  • Released: November 12, 2024
  • Labels: Parastar Entertainment, Kakao Entertainment
  • Formats: CD, digital download, streaming
Track listing
  1. "Flow"
  2. "Glow"
  3. "Blow"
  4. "Slow" (ft. Young K)
 41
Underwater
  • Released: April 20, 2025
  • Labels: Parastar Entertainment, Kakao Entertainment
  • Formats: CD, digital download, streaming
Track listing
  1. "Sinking"
  2. "Fade Out"
  3. "Attention"
  4. "End of Time"
 41

Singles

List of singles, showing year released, and name of the album
Title Year Album
"Glow" 2024 Follow
"Blow"
"Slow" (featuring Young K)
"Flow"
"Bright" 2025 Non-album single
"Attention" Underwater

Performances

First Underwater tour
Date Town or city Country Venue Notes
April 19, 2025 Lausanne Switzerland Beaulieu Lausanne Performed at the Polymanga Lausanne convention[42]
April 20, 2025 Lausanne Switzerland Beaulieu Lausanne Performed at the Polymanga Lausanne convention[42]
April 23, 2025 Milan Italy Legend Club[42]
April 24, 2025 London England The Underworld[42]
April 26, 2025 Paris France Café de la Danse[42] Sold out[43]
April 27, 2025 Montpellier France Secret Place[42]
Second Underwater tour
Date Town or city Country Venue Notes
July 3, 2025 Sao Paulo Brazil Pavilhão de Exposições do Distrito Anhembi Performed at the Anime Friends 2025 convention, as the only K-pop group
July 11, 2025 Warsaw Poland Klub Hybrydy[44]
July 12, 2025 Copenhagen Denmark Pumphuset[44]
July 14, 2025 Lille France Le Chapitô[44] The concert took place on Bastille Day
July 17, 2025 Athens Greece Arch Club[44]
July 19, 2025 Mainz Germany Old Post Warehouse Performed at the K-Pop Revolution event[44]
July 20, 2025 Mainz Germany Old Post Warehouse Performed at the K-Pop Revolution event[44]
July 27, 2025 Minneapolis, Minnesota United States Uptown Theater[45]
July 29, 2025 Las Vegas, Nevada United States House of Blues[45]
July 31, 2025 Kansas City, Missouri United States Gem Theater[45]
August 1, 2025 New York, New York United States SOB’s[45]
August 7, 2025 Falls Church, Virginia United States Crescendo Studios[45]
August 9, 2025 Raleigh, North Carolina United States AJ Fletcher Opera Theater[45] at Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts[46] Sold out[47]
August 10, 2025 Atlanta, Georgia United States Vinyl Center Stage[45]

Awards and nominations

Honors

Name of country or organization, year given, and name of honor
Country or organization Year Honor Ref.
Newsis K-EXPO Cultural Awards[a] 2024 Special Hallyu Award [49]
Billboard 2024 Rookie of the Month [26]

Listicles

Name of publisher, year listed, name of listicle, and placement
Publisher Year Listicle Placement Ref.
Forbes 2025 30 Under 30 Asia Placed [50][51]

Notes

  1. ^ Established in 2019 and co-sponsored by Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Korea Creative Content Agency, Seoul Metropolitan Council and the Seoul Tourism Organization, it awards cultural icons, businesses, and individuals who have contributed greatly to Hallyu, the Korean wave.[48]

References

  1. ^ Lee, Tae-su (March 29, 2024). K팝 첫 청각장애 아이돌 빅오션, 내달 장애인의 날에 데뷔 [K-Pop's First Deaf Idol Big Ocean to Debut Next Month on Disabled Persons' Day]. Yonhap News Agency (in Korean).
  2. ^ Cheung, Winona (June 27, 2024). "Meet Big Ocean, the first K-pop group with hearing impairment". Tatler Asia. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h "This K-Pop Band Is Making Waves With Sign Language". July 20, 2025. Retrieved August 15, 2025.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Big Ocean Are K-Pop's First Hard-Of-Hearing Group — And They're Just Getting Started On 'Underwater' | GRAMMY.com". grammy.com. Retrieved August 15, 2025.
  5. ^ Benjamin, Jeff (September 20, 2024). "Big Ocean Is K-Pop's First Hard-of-Hearing Act Finding Support From the Industry & Chart-Toppers". Billboard. Retrieved August 15, 2025.
  6. ^ "Big Ocean". Forbes. Retrieved August 15, 2025.
  7. ^ a b c d Yong, Soo-jung (April 19, 2024). "'Big Ocean,' South Korea's first idol group with hearing impairments is set to debut". The Chosun Ilbo.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h Kim, Jae-Ha (November 12, 2024). "Big Ocean: Meet the Deaf K-Pop Group That's Breaking Barriers". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 15, 2025.
  9. ^ a b c "Big Ocean K-pop Boy Group Members: Name, Age & More". Yahoo Entertainment. August 1, 2024. Retrieved August 16, 2025.
  10. ^ Yoon, So-yeon (April 18, 2024). "Big Ocean, first K-pop act with hearing impairments, makes 'music for everyone'". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  11. ^ "Interview with Big Ocean". www.menkorea.com. Retrieved August 16, 2025.
  12. ^ 한국장애인고용공단 (December 7, 2023). 2023년 한국장애인고용공단 공익광고. Retrieved August 16, 2025 – via YouTube.
  13. ^ Heo, Jin-moo (March 28, 2024). K팝 최초 청각장애인 아이돌 그룹 '빅오션' 나온다 [K-Pop's First Hearing Impaired Idol Group 'Big Ocean' to Appear]. Kyunghyang Shinmun (in Korean).
  14. ^ Bautista, Rafael (April 23, 2024). "What You Need To Know About Big Ocean, K-pop's First Deaf Group". Nylon Manila. Retrieved November 15, 2024.
  15. ^ Lee, Jae-hoon (April 19, 2024). 첫 청각 장애인 K팝 그룹 빅오션 "안 들리는 걸 핑계 삼고 싶지 않아요" [First Deaf K-Pop Group Big Ocean: "I Don't Want to Use Not Being Hearing as an Excuse"]. Newsis (in Korean). Retrieved November 14, 2024 – via Naver.
  16. ^ Kim, Won-gyeom (April 25, 2024). 빅오션 데뷔에 WHO 사무총장도 축하→국제노동기구도 우수사례로 소개 [The WHO Director-General also congratulated Big Ocean's debut → The International Labor Organization also introduced it as an excellent example.]. SPOTV News (in Korean) – via Naver.
  17. ^ Kim, Won-gyeom (March 28, 2024). 세계최초 청각장애인 보이그룹 탄생...빅오션, 장애인의 날 '빛'으로 데뷔 [The world's first hearing-impaired boy group is born... Big Ocean debuts with 'Glow' on the Day of the Disabled]. SPOTV News (in Korean).
  18. ^ "Big Ocean_official on X: "🩵VOTE for FANDOM NAME!⭐️ The lastest voting resulted in putting WAVE on the first place, but later revealed to be already used by other group. So we came up with the followings :) Please select your favorite name for us!! D-3!" / X".
  19. ^ "TikTok - Make Your Day". www.tiktok.com. Retrieved August 16, 2025.
  20. ^ Williams, Jazmin (June 6, 2024). "Big Ocean Makes A Big Splash With Their New Comeback 'BLOW'". The Honey POP. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  21. ^ Lee, Jae-hoon (June 20, 2024). 청각장애인 K팝 그룹 빅오션, 세계보건기구와 협업 [Deaf K-pop group Big Ocean collaborates with World Health Organization]. Newsis (in Korean). Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  22. ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved August 16, 2025.
  23. ^ Kim, Seon-woo (August 11, 2024). 빅오션, 오늘(11일) '슬로우' 공개...영케이 피처링 [Big Ocean, 'Slow' released today (11th)... Featuring Young K]. JTBC (in Korean). Retrieved November 14, 2024 – via Naver.
  24. ^ Lee, Young-hwan (August 22, 2024). [2024 뉴시스 한류엑스포]플레이브·하이키·트리플에스·빅오션...뉴 K팝 스타 [[2024 Newsis Hallyu Expo] PLAVE, H1-KEY, Triple S, Big Ocean... New K-pop Stars]. Newsis (in Korean). Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  25. ^ Shin, Hyo-ryeong (August 30, 2024). '청각장애 아이돌' 빅오션 "꾸준히 나아가는게 중요...팬들 응원 감사" ['Hearing Impaired Idol' Big Ocean "It's Important to Keep Moving Forward...Thank You Fans for Your Support"]. Newsis (in Korean). Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  26. ^ a b Benjamin, Jeff (September 20, 2024). "Big Ocean Is K-Pop's First Hard-of-Hearing Act Finding Support From the Industry & Chart-Toppers". Billboard. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  27. ^ "NYPD, K-pop stars inspire deaf students in Bronx visit". www.amny.com. November 13, 2024. Retrieved August 15, 2025.
  28. ^ Lee, Jung-youn (November 12, 2024). "Deaf K-pop trio Big Ocean reach out to global fans with first EP 'Follow'". The Korea Herald. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  29. ^ Bautista, Rafael (November 13, 2024). "Groundbreaking K-Pop Boy Group Big Ocean Is Changing The Game". Nylon Manila. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  30. ^ Leung, Jacob Aron (November 15, 2024). "Big Ocean Follows Their Own "FLOW" in Their First EP". The Kraze. Retrieved December 6, 2024.
  31. ^ Gallego, Shanda (November 13, 2024). "Cool Out festival to feature hearing-impaired K-pop band". Cayman Compass. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
  32. ^ Lee, Jung-youn (November 12, 2024). "Deaf K-pop trio Big Ocean reach out to global fans with first EP 'Follow'". The Korea Herald. Retrieved December 6, 2024.
  33. ^ Yoon, So-yeon (December 12, 2024). "Big Ocean to hold first concert on March 9". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
  34. ^ Lee, Jung-youn (March 12, 2025). "Deaf trio Big Ocean to embark on Europe tour". The Korea Herald. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
  35. ^ a b Jang, Woo-young (April 3, 2025). "Big Ocean's Hyun Jin rebrands as PJ, announces mini album 'UNDERWATER' release". ChosunBiz. Retrieved April 5, 2025.
  36. ^ Yoon, Seung-jin (March 21, 2025). "K-pop trio Big Ocean to release second EP in April". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
  37. ^ Watson, Rana Wehbe. "From BINI To Sheetal Devi: Meet The Breakthrough Stars And Athletes On The 2025 30 Under 30 Asia Entertainment & Sports List". Forbes. Retrieved May 17, 2025.
  38. ^ a b Kim, Jae-Ha (November 13, 2024). "Big Ocean: Meet the Deaf K-Pop Group That's Breaking Barriers". Rolling Stone India. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  39. ^ Peak chart positions on Circle Album Chart:
  40. ^ "Circle Album Chart – Week 46, 2024". Circle Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on November 21, 2024. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  41. ^ Cumulative Sales of Underwater:
  42. ^ a b c d e f "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved August 15, 2025.
  43. ^ "Big Ocean Grabs "ATTENTION" and Hearts in Paris Show". ab(CDE) - Kpop Concert & Asian Media. Retrieved August 15, 2025.
  44. ^ a b c d e f "Big Ocean_official on X: "Honestly, Big Ocean European Tour is a food tour. Period. 📍 TOUR DATES & VENUES 🇵🇱 WARSAW – HYBRYDY – July 11 🇩🇰 COPENHAGEN – PUMPEHUSET – July 12 🇫🇷 LILLE – LE CHAPITO – July 14 🇬🇷 ATHENS – ARCH CLUB LIVE STAGE – July 17 🇩🇪 MAINZ – KPOP REVOLUTION – July 19 & 20 🎟 Tickets & https://t.co/VnzxmaGJHT" / X". {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
  45. ^ a b c d e f g "Big Ocean_official on X: "🇺🇸 Big Ocean The 1st U.S. Tour 2025 — Ride the Wave 🌊 📣 Tour City Info Minneapolis, MN / Las Vegas, NV / Kansas City, MO / New York, NY / Washington, DC / Raleigh, NC / Atlanta, GA (Ticket info coming soon) 📅 Date July 27 - Minneapolis (Uptown Theater) July 29 - Las Vegas" / X".
  46. ^ "Spotify Raleigh concert page".
  47. ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved August 15, 2025.
  48. ^ Choi, Ji-yoon (August 20, 2023). 이제훈·김태희·비비 뜬다...제5회 뉴시스 한류엑스포 [Lee Je-hoon, Kim Tae-hee, and Bibi are on the rise... The 5th Newsis Hallyu Expo]. Newsis (in Korean). Retrieved August 20, 2023.
  49. ^ Kang, Joo-hee (August 22, 2024). [2024 뉴시스 한류엑스포] 빅오션 "중요한 것은 포기하지 않은 마음" [[2024 Newsis Hallyu Expo] Big Ocean "The important thing is the mind that does not give up"]. Newsis (in Korean). Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  50. ^ "Forbes 30 Under 30 2025: Entertainment & Sports". Forbes. Retrieved May 17, 2025.
  51. ^ "Big Ocean". Forbes. Retrieved May 17, 2025.
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