Few artists debut with a shout-out from theWorld Health Organization, butBig Oceanisnt your ordinaryK-popgroup.
I was trying to figure out their hearing level.
It was my expertise, so I was curious to know how it compared to mine.
Big Ocean, from left: Jiseok, Hyunjin, ChanyeonParastar Entertainment*
But with that said, learning a second language has also been fun and rewarding.
As with all K-pop groups, Big Oceans fandom has a special name: PADO.
In Korean, translates to wave.
And their days are often grueling.
But I think that any achievements we made are due to maybe 1 percent talent and 99 percent effort.
We work really hard.
Prior to forming Big Ocean, Hyunjin was set to use his engineering degree to work in cybersecurity.
Chanyeon was already working as an audiologist.
And Jiseok was racing competitively as a downhill skier.
I ask them, wouldnt it have been easier to follow those career paths instead of K-pop?
It was the first time that he learned about music and K-pop choreography.
Fulfilling his childhood wish, Big Ocean made a donation to Jiseoks alma mater in September.
This donation was deliberately timed.
This was their fans way of congratulating Big Ocean for surviving and thriving in the competitive K-pop world.
They also utilized International Sign Language for the first time in their music video.
And even during this interview, Chanyeon and Jiseok subtly use sign language to punctuate Hyunjins quotes.
They speak beautifully and articulately for the hearing world in Korean and in English.
In the United States, the concept of deaf culture is important.
The deaf community has created and advocated for a world of their own.
I was so excited to be able to share them with my son, Carson says.
Representation is so important.
Theyre making music and they happen to have hearing loss.
And thats one thing Ive really tried to get across to my son.
Yes, you are deaf.
But you might do anything just like anyone else, whether you happen to have a disability or not.
And then I was like, How do they dance like that?
It was cool to know they are just like me and they can do that.
In the near future, Big Ocean would like to expand their group.
Jiseok adds that theyre open to including foreign members.
And they all agree when Chanyeon says any future members should also be hard of hearing.
I felt like I needed to improve my own skills!
Thinking it over, Hyunjin says, The filmCODAwas so impressive, too.
But thats not something we see in our normal daily lives.
Media representation is so important.
