Big Ocean Gains Recognition for Unique Musicality, Featured in AP News and More

The group Big Ocean is receiving widespread acclaim from international media outlets for its distinctive identity.

On May 30th (local time), the world’s largest news agency, AP News, and the American broadcasting network ABC News published an article titled “Big Ocean Opens New Horizons as K-Pop’s First Group for the Hearing Impaired” on their official websites, highlighting Big Ocean (Chanyeon, PJ, Jiseok)’s unique qualities. AP News described Big Ocean as “a three-member K-pop group comprised entirely of artists with hearing impairments, redefining the limits of music and performance one beat at a time.”

AP News continued, “Their polished performances are the result of extensive preparation utilizing advanced technology, including smartwatches that vibrate in time with the music and light metronomes that flash timing signals during practice. This technological approach represents a meaningful advancement in the Korean entertainment industry, where job opportunities for people with disabilities have historically been limited.”

In an interview, Big Ocean shared, “We’ve heard that our fandom, ‘Wave,’ is learning Korean Sign Language to communicate with us and learning various other sign languages. Seeing how much preparation and effort our fans are putting in fills us with gratitude.” Big Ocean is proving its unique musicality through praise from various international media outlets. Furthermore, Big Ocean was recently selected for the “Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2025” list in the Entertainment & Sports category by the prominent American economic magazine Forbes, recognizing their global influence.

Written by Kim Su Jin

Translated by Lee So Yun