Big Ocean’s Potential Is Infinite
In a new interview, K-pop first hard-of-hearing boy group talks about an ongoing North American tour and why representation is so important for expanding possibilities for others.
At a time when more K-pop groups than ever are debuting, it is not an overstatement to say that Big Ocean is making history.
The three-member boy group is the first hard-of-hearing K-pop group to debut, and they have originated a new form of music which they call S-pop; the “S” stands for “sign language” because it is incorporated into all choreography. “We wanted a word for what we do, because what we do doesn't fit neatly into anything that already exists,” PJ, the group’s main vocalist, told me this week in a new interview with the group. “Every hand movement in our choreography is actual sign language, a full sentence, a complete thought. So when you're at our show, you're not just watching a performance, you're reading a story in real time.”
The fact that S-pop is not an official genre is “kind of the point,” PJ said. This transition into uncharted musical territory underscores that Big Ocean is pioneering something truly innovative in K-pop. Jiseok, the group’s maknae, explained that the group classifies their music as Free Soul Pop because it’s about the feelings their performances evoke. “Whether or not you can hear, we perform with our whole body, and that changes the experience completely,” he said.
The group’s name is also intentionally chosen to reflect their possibilities. Building on their vision for musical innovation, PJ explained, “Big Ocean reflects this belief that our potential is vast. Like the ocean, there's always more beneath the surface than what people can see. And just like the ocean spreads across every continent, we want our influence to reach that far too, in the most positive way possible.” The group’s fandom name “PADO” means “wave” in Korean, which completes the picture. “We are the ocean, and our fans are the waves that move with us; we carry each other,” he added.
The group is currently promoting their new album “THE GREATEST BATTLE”, which has an epic storyline. The group drew inspiration from Admiral Yi Sun-sin, who led a massive victory at the Battle of Myeongnyang using only 12 ships against an entire Japanese fleet of 130 warships, because, as PJ explained, “that image of impossible odds feels so close to our own journey.
The group prides itself on writing honest lyrics that speak to listeners who might feel isolated or like they’re up against impossible odds. “This album is a record of the fiercest fight we've ever lived through, and also a declaration that we're still here,” PJ added. “Our first album was about comfort, our second was about belonging. So this time, we wanted to be nothing but ourselves.
Big Ocean is currently touring North America with nine stops, an experience that has been heartening for the group. The experience is different from Korea, where Big Ocean often holds more intimate fan meetings and showcase performances. In North America, Chanyeon told me, “there's this feeling like everyone in the room has been saving up an entire year's worth of love and brought it all with them that night. The warmth and energy are just overwhelming in the best way. I genuinely feel like the audience is performing with us, not just watching.”
Big Ocean’s members led surprising lives before becoming idols. Each member grew up in Korea, but they also took vastly different detours to becoming musicians.
Chanyeon worked as an audiologist at a hospital, helping people with their hearing in their day-to-day lives. “It was meaningful work, but I kept feeling like I wanted to reach more people somehow,” he remembered. When he came across a notice for an audition at Big Ocean’s company, he applied on the spot and – surprisingly – got in. “It felt like the most natural detour in the world,” he added.
Jiseok was a competitive alpine skier. “There's something about being on a mountain that teaches you to just keep going no matter what the conditions are. That feeling never really left me, even after I found my way to music,” he said, adding that growing up in Korea is shaping him in ways that he’s still understanding.
Jiseok never considered becoming a musician, though. “Music was always something I loved but kept at a distance, like it wasn't quite mine to claim,” he said. By chance, one day, he went to a musical performance that Big Ocean’s eventual company was hosting. “Somewhere in the middle of it, the CEO approached me about auditioning. I hadn't planned any of it. But I said yes, passed, and here I am.”
Among all the members, PJ, a former YouTube content creator, had the straightest pipeline to Big Ocean. “I made content around deaf awareness, trying to break down misconceptions and shift how people think about the community,” he said. Eventually, the company’s CEO noticed his work and reached out. When the company sent him a proposal “to try something completely new”, PJ said yes.
Representing the deaf community in K-pop is a meaningful cause for the group. “Representation isn't just about visibility, it's about expanding what people believe is possible for themselves,” Jiseok told me. “When a deaf kid somewhere watches us perform and thinks, ' Oh, that could be me,’ something shifts. K-pop reaches across the world, and having deaf artists in that space says louder than words that disability is part of our story but not a ceiling.”
The group's goal is much larger than music. S-pop, PADO – it is all a movement. “We know firsthand how hard it can be for disabled people to fight for a place that feels like theirs,” Jiseok continued. “That’s why the need to represent, to encourage, and to walk alongside that community is something we feel very clearly. Not just for the deaf community, but for everyone who has ever felt like the world wasn't quite built for them.”
On tour, the group has been heartened by how much fans are touched by their advocacy and music. When I asked what had surprised them the most about touring, Chanyeon responded, “How personal it gets. People share with us moments when our music found them in a really dark place and helped them get through something. I didn't expect that weight, and I mean that in the best possible way.”
Meeting PADO reminds the group why they started making music. But PJ emphasized that seeing PADO sign along with them has been a surreal experience. “That's our language, and seeing it reflected back was truly touching,” he said.
All of this, Jiseok explained, reflects how personal Big Ocean wants their music to be. S-pop is for anyone who feels like they don’t belong or have to fight for space. “And our music is also like a diary. It's our real stories, our actual experiences,” he said. “So when you watch us, you're not just hearing a song, you're witnessing something that actually happened to us. Feel the music, see the music. That's Big Ocean.”
