Big Ocean, first hearing-impaired K-pop group, set for debut
By Bryan Ke
South Korea is set to unveil its first-ever hearing-impaired K-pop group, Big Ocean, this month.
Key points:
- Big Ocean will make its debut on April 20, group label Parastar Entertainment announced on Thursday. The date is South Korea’s Day of People with Disabilities.
- The upcoming K-pop boy group consists of members Kim Ji-seok, Park Hyun-jin and Lee Chan-yeon, who all have hearing disabilities.
The details:
- Big Ocean will make their debut with a remake of H.O.T.’s popular track “Hope,” which was released in 1998. The group will sing in Korean, English and also incorporate international sign languages for their stage performances.
- Parastar Entertainment shared that Big Ocean recorded their song like any regular K-pop group. The label noted that one of the challenges encountered was the members’ difficulty in reaching high notes, which they addressed using artificial intelligence.
- The label secured partnerships with several IT companies at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, in February to address the members’ pitch and singing challenges. One of the technologies they developed was a light metronome aimed at overcoming limitations stemming from their restricted hearing abilities.
- Big Ocean recently garnered attention online for filming a dance video vlog with Riize, during which they also taught the latter group some sign language.
- Parastar Entertainment is a label dedicated to training individuals with disabilities to shine in diverse fields, including modeling, dancing and acting.
What they’re saying:
- In a statement, Parastar Entertainment noted that the group’s debut will “create a new sensation in the realm of environmental, social and governance culture, which is one of the main interests among companies and the public.”
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