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Big Ocean

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Big Ocean
Big Ocean in May 2024
From L–R: Kim Ji-seok, Park Hyun-jin, and Lee Chan-yeon
Background information
OriginSeoul, South Korea
GenresK-pop
Years active2024–present
LabelsParastar Entertainment
Members
  • Lee Chan-yeon
  • Park Hyun-jin
  • Kim Ji-seok
WebsiteOfficial website
Korean name
Hangul빅오션
Transcriptions
Revised RomanizationBigosyeon

Big Ocean (Korean: 빅오션) is the first deaf South Korean boy group, formed under Parastar Entertainment.[1] The group is composed of three members: Lee Chan-yeon, Park Hyun-jin, and Kim Ji-seok. They officially debuted on April 20, 2024, which coincided with the Day of Persons with Disabilities in Korea.[2][3]

History

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Pre-debut

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Lee Chan-yeon, Park Hyun-jin, and Kim Ji-seok are the three members of the project group S-Boyz, who trained for nearly two years before their debut. Each member of the group has different levels of hearing loss. Kim was born with a hearing impairment, Park lost part of his hearing at the age of three, and Lee experienced hearing loss at age eleven. Lee underwent cochlear implant surgery on both ears, Park has an implant in one ear and uses a hearing aid in the other, while Kim only wears hearing aids.[4]

Before their debut as idols, all three members held full-time jobs, which raised concerns among their acquaintances. Lee Chan-yeon worked as an audiologist at Korea University Anam Hospital, Park Hyun-jin was a well-known TV personality and YouTuber who shared insights about his daily life while living with disabilities, and Kim Ji-seok was a professional alpine skier and a member of the Seoul Disabled Ski Association.[5]

2024–present: Official debut and Follow

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Official logo

In March 2024, Parastar Entertainment announced the debut of Big Ocean, consisting of the trio who will 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. Additionally, the group will use smartwatches that vibrate to the beat of the music and monitors that flash lights every eight beats to help them stay in rhythm while dancing.[6][7][8]

Big Ocean begins its official activities upon performing on MBC's Show! Music Core and releasing their first digital single "Glow" on April 20.[9] Their first single is a remake of the 1998 song "Hope" by the first-generation idol group H.O.T..[10] A few months after their debut, the group released their second digital song "Blow" on June 1, in collaboration with Tiktok Korea.[11] On August 11, Big Ocean released their third digital 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.[12]

Big Ocean has also collaborated with the World Health Organization to produce videos promoting public understanding of hearing impairment.[13] Furthermore, 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.[14][15] Big Ocean was also featured as Billboard Magazine's "K-pop Rookie of the Month" for September 2024.[16]

On November 12, the group released their first mini album Follow. The EP features their previously released digital singles and a new track "Flow" by award-winning American producer Mark Batson.[17] 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.[18][19] 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.[20][21]

Members

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  • Lee Chan-yeon (이찬연)
  • Park Hyun-jin (박현진)
  • Kim Ji-seok (김지석)

Discography

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Extended plays

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List of extended plays, with selected details, chart positions and sales
Title Details Peak chart positions Sales
KOR
[22]
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

Singles

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

Awards and nominations

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Honors

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Name of organization, year given, and the name of the honor
Organization Year Honor Ref.
Newsis K-EXPO Cultural Awards[a] 2024 Special Hallyu Award [25]

Notes

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  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.[24]

References

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  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ 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).
  3. ^ Cheung, Winona (June 27, 2024). "Meet Big Ocean, the first K-pop group with hearing impairment". Tatler Asia. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ Yong, Soo-jung (April 19, 2024). "'Big Ocean,' South Korea's first idol group with hearing impairments is set to debut". The Chosun Ilbo.
  6. ^ 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).
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ 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).
  11. ^ Williams, Jazmin (June 6, 2024). "Big Ocean Makes A Big Splash With Their New Comeback 'BLOW'". The Honey POP. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  12. ^ Kim, Seon-woo (August 11, 2024). "빅오션, 오늘(11일) '슬로우' 공개…영케이 피처링" [Big Ocean, 'Slow' released today (11th)... Featuring Young K]. JTBC News (in Korean). Retrieved November 14, 2024 – via Naver.
  13. ^ 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.
  14. ^ 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.
  15. ^ 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.
  16. ^ Benjamin, Jeff (September 20, 2024). "Big Ocean Is K-Pop's First Hard-of-Hearing Act Finding Support From the Industry & Chart-Toppers". Billboard Magazine. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  17. ^ Jung-youn, Lee (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.
  18. ^ Bautista, Rafael (November 13, 2024). "Groundbreaking K-Pop Boy Group Big Ocean Is Changing The Game". Nylon Manila. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  19. ^ Leung, Jacob Aron (November 15, 2024). "Big Ocean Follows Their Own "FLOW" in Their First EP". The Kraze. Retrieved December 6, 2024.
  20. ^ Gallego, Shanda (November 13, 2024). "Cool Out festival to feature hearing-impaired K-pop band". Cayman Compass. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
  21. ^ 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.
  22. ^ Peak chart positions on Circle Album Chart:
  23. ^ "Circle Album Chart – Week 46, 2024". Circle Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on November 21, 2024. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  24. ^ 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.
  25. ^ 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.
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