As K-pop’s first — and so far, only — hard-of-hearing boy band, Big Ocean is making waves by proving that sound isn't the only path to musical connection. Signed to Parastar Entertainment, an label representing disabled talent in Korea, the group debuted with their single "Glow" in 2024 on Korea’s National Day of People with Disabilities. Since then, the trio has blended choreography, vocals, and sign language into a bold new form of expression they call "Free Soul Pop" — a genre they define less by sound and more by self-acceptance.
All three members of Big Ocean — Park Hyunjin (PJ), Kim Jiseok, and Lee Chanyeon — have some level of hearing impairment. Jiseok was born deaf and uses hearing aids; Chanyeon began losing his hearing at 11 and now has cochlear implants in both ears; and PJ, who started losing his hearing at age four, uses both an implant and a hearing aid. PJ also brings a background in entertainment — he first gained visibility as a YouTuber and TV personality advocating for disability representation.
That advocacy is now baked into their artistry. Under every Big Ocean music video, you’ll find comments from fans — affectionately called "Pado," the Korean word for "wave" — describing how the group has helped them feel seen, heard, and empowered. That sense of belonging is core to Big Ocean’s mission. "Free Soul Pop is about searching for comfortable spaces and music that is comforting," PJ explains. "I think it's important to pursue diversity in the process of finding what you want and finding your own happiness."
The trio recently celebrated their first anniversary and released their new album, Underwater — a conceptual project following a fictional merman who learns to embrace his identity and emotions by diving deep, both literally and metaphorically. For a group that’s spent the past year challenging norms and rewriting expectations, Underwater is the next bold step in a story that’s only just beginning.
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
Considering your single "Glow" and other earlier releases, Underwater shows a different side to you. It sounds really mature. How did you feel about this change in direction?
PJ: It was very difficult. Throughout this time, I was more of a cutie, and we were pursuing the younger concepts, but when we chose the mature concepts, I really had to grow up and become a "mature man." I felt like I grew up and I knew how to be calm and patient and more "manly."
What are your favorite songs?
Chanyeon: I love "Fade Out" the most, because I participated in writing the lyrics.
Jiseok: My favorite song is "Attention", because I participated in the choreography. We had a lot of choreography portfolios coming in, and there were a lot of samples for the song. But at last, I mixed them and came up with new ideas to get the best choreography for this song. We had to change the choreography almost every day, but I am very satisfied with what we have now.
PJ: My favorite is "Sinking," because this is my first solo song. Funny story: I wanted to listen to [the song] more so I borrowed our CEO's headset. And when I heard the song through the headset, I felt like, 'Wow, this sounds so fresh!' It was like a new horizon for me! The sounds were so clear and accurate. I haven’t given it back in almost two months now.
Water is a very important concept in literature. It nurtures life. It represents rebirth and growth, and at times destruction. I could see a lot of these motifs pop up when you were describing the album. Why did you go with a concept like this?
PJ: I think water is a whisper of inner instincts. Everyone has an instinct deep in their heart. We divided the surface and the underwater. On the surface, people try to show what society wants. But underwater, in the inner places, you can be really honest about what you want, your desire and your instincts. So I think the water is something like a whisper of one’s own sound.
You say your music is called "Free Soul Pop." How was the concept developed?
PJ: We wanted to [have] diversity in the music we pursue. So we incorporated sign language into the music. That way, more people could listen to the music because there are a lot of people who are hard of hearing. We, as Big Ocean, wanted to give audiences another way to sing a song. We were giving an example of enjoying music in a different way. And that led to Free Soul pop: find your own music, find music that can meet your needs.
You’ve combined sign language with dance, which is one of the key factors of your performances. Do you learn each separately or do you tackle it in one go?
Chanyeon: There is no exact order we pursue. When the choreography comes first, we learn that first. When sign language comes first, we learn that first. But we always want to mix it naturally so the choreography doesn’t get hurt or lose power because of the sign language. Sign language [also] needs to be shining in its own way. So, after learning the choreography and sign language, we make our own — like a third choreography that is [a combination of the two].
What are some of the challenges you face during your live performances?
Jiseok: Loud chanting is one of the biggest challenges. When we went to K-Expo in Paris last year, there were huge screams and chanting from the audience. We were very flattered and honored, but at the same time, we couldn’t hear the song at all. So we had to just wait until the screaming died down. And one of the members was able to catch the lyrics — it was probably Chanyeon, so he gave everyone the signal, and we just started from there.
You also use vibrating metronomes to keep track of beats. When you were training, how long did it take you to get used to the technology?
PJ: Personally, it was almost six months for me. Because I had to adapt to the devices’ beat and my own rhythm. It was very different with music. What we hear is actually different from what we feel from the watch. So ignoring what I hear and relying on the vibration [of the] beat or the flashing screen needed time. The metronomes are [actually] used only on the training stage. After we are ready, we don't use it. If you have a starting cue, then it's automatic.
When you were entering trainee life, was there anything you were really concerned about?
Chanyeon: Unlike the other two members, I learned sign language after getting into Parastar. The other two, [their] mother tongue was sign language, but mine was not. I was learning it as a foreign language. I was very worried that I might not be able to get to the point where the other boys were.
PJ: Eating food. After becoming an idol, I couldn't have a lot of delicious food because I had to diet.
Jiseok: The most difficult thing for me was to adapt to the other members while dancing. I would just dance to my own rhythm and depending on what I heard. But it was not like that throughout the process. [I had to ignore] what I heard and be the same with the other members.
Jiseok, when you were working on the choreography, you would change things a lot. Do you identify as a perfectionist?
Jiseok: I am not a perfectionist at all. The reason why I changed the choreography is because a lot of Pados were waiting for the perfect song and perfect choreography, and I knew it. And we couldn't let them down.
Jiseok, you were a professional skier. Is there anything from your skiing days that has helped you navigate your life as a K-pop idol?
Jiseok: There are two things I learned from my former job as a skier. First: the mindset. In tournaments, just one accident or mistake could lead to a loss. So I always made up my mind to do my best and never lose. This was actually very helpful when I became an idol, which is a very tough industry. Never, never, never make mistakes. The second one was when I lived with other fellow players in a dormitory. As a team, we learned how to cope with each other and how to stand for each other. These collaborations and harmony I learned being a player is now very helpful.
PJ, before you were a K-pop idol, you were a YouTuber. Why did you decide to become a public figure and speak about your experiences?
PJ: As a YouTuber, I wanted to give lessons and information to the public about hearing disabilities. Once I started making films about hearing disabilities, I met a lot of different other creators who had different types of disabilities. So I expanded my topics to a broader space and talked in general about disability. I thought I could be a bridge between differently-abled people and able-bodied people, and wanted to help other people out for more representation.
Chanyeon, you were not interested in music at first, but that changed when you went to music therapy. How did it help you?
Chanyeon: After cochlear implants, everyone has to go through a rehabilitation process. And in order to heal faster, the process is to listen to a variety of sounds, from different pitches [of the] human voice to musical instruments — all types of sounds. One of the best sounds [to me] was music. I listened to various types of music at that time and it was so amazing. I had the best outcome and best results among the other implant patients! [Laughs]
Chanyeon, people say that you look a lot like the actor Park Bo-gum. Have you met him?
Chanyeon: [Laughs] Thank you so much! From my childhood, a lot of people have told me that I resemble Park Bo-gum, but I personally don't think that because Park Bo-gum is far more handsome than I am. But recently, we were at the KBS broadcasting station, and his green room was right next to ours. I was really looking forward to meeting him in the aisle or on the way in or out. But unfortunately, we couldn't meet him.
PJ, one of your nicknames is actually ‘Park Shaman’, because you have a lot of prophetic dreams. What was the last prophetic dream that you had that came true?
PJ: Before we debuted, I dreamed about RIIZE. In my dream, we met them. We were thinking, ‘No way, that cannot happen even in a year of our debut! And then, after only two weeks, RIIZE were right in front of us, performing together for a social media challenge. So yeah, that happened!
You use artificial intelligence to create certain sections of your songs. Creatives all over are concerned about AI killing creativity and originality, but you’ve shown ways in which AI can help differently-abled people. What do you feel about this?
Jiseok: There was a time, when the camera was first [introduced] to society, there were many people saying that the camera would just get in the way of the arts and be an enemy of the arts. But later, there was photography [as an] art coming in instead. I think AI is the same. It's 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.