Big Ocean, a three-member K-pop group composed entirely of artists with hearing disabilities, is redefining the limits of music and performance — one beat at a time.
Big Ocean seamlessly incorporates sign language into their performances, and their shows are built on extensive preparation using high-tech tools — vibrating smartwatches that pulse with musical beats and LED visual metronomes that flash timing cues during practice sessions.
This technological approach represents significant progress in South Korea’s entertainment industry, where career opportunities for people with disabilities have historically been limited.
Photo: AP
The trio, PJ, Jiseok and Chanyeon, made their debut in April last year and recently wrapped a European tour marking their first anniversary. The band performed in four countries, including France and the UK, while promoting their second mini-album, Underwater, which dropped on April 20.
To achieve the precision crucial in K-pop’s demanding choreography and music, Big Ocean relies on technologies rarely seen in the genre. Members wear modified vibrating smartwatches that deliver rhythmic cues to their wrists and practice with visual metronomes — flashing light guides displayed on monitors — to help stay in sync.
Chanyeon uses a hybrid hearing device with Bluetooth that streams music directly from mobile devices. They also use a pitch-checking app and artificial intelligence voice conversion technology to support vocal training and enhance audio output after recordings.
“We each felt rhythm differently when dancing,” PJ said. “So when we’d play the same song and dance in front of the mirror, one of us would move faster while another would move slower. To solve this timing issue, we decided to memorize everything together and create our own cues with each other.”
This precision becomes critical during live performances, where unexpected disruptions can derail even experienced performers.
“When we performed in France, our fans were cheering so loudly we lost the beat,” said Jiseok. “But we looked at each other and quickly handled the situation — just like we practiced.”
Stage effects and certain musical styles create additional obstacles.
“When a lot of smoke comes up, sometimes we momentarily can’t see the stage movements in front of us,” PJ said. “Our concentration gets disrupted instantly in those moments.”
“When there’s no clear beat in a song, it’s really hard for us to stay synchronized,” Jiseok said. “When the bass is overwhelming, it’s difficult for us to catch it accurately.”
Despite these challenges, Big Ocean’s commitment to accessibility and inclusion has inspired their global fanbase — known as PADO — which has responded with similar commitment.
“While communicating with PADO, we’ve heard that they’re actually learning Korean sign language for us, or learning various sign languages to communicate with us,” Jiseok said. “When we see how much they’re preparing and putting in that effort, we feel so grateful.”
The group uses English for basic communication with international fans and incorporates Korean Sign Language, American Sign Language and International Sign to promote accessibility and inclusion.
Drug lord Jose Adolfo Macias Villamar, alias “Fito,” was Ecuador’s most-wanted fugitive before his arrest on Wednesday, more than a year after he escaped prison from where he commanded the country’s leading criminal gang. The former taxi driver turned crime boss became the prime target of law enforcement early last year after escaping from a prison in the southwestern port of Guayaquil. Ecuadoran President Daniel Noboa’s government released “wanted” posters with images of his face and offered US$1 million for information leading to his capture. In a country plagued by crime, members of Fito’s gang, Los Choneros, have responded with violence, using car
OVERHAUL: The move would likely mark the end to Voice of America, which was founded in 1942 to counter Nazi propaganda and operated in nearly 50 languages The parent agency of Voice of America (VOA) on Friday said it had issued termination notices to more than 639 more staff, completing an 85 percent decrease in personnel since March and effectively spelling the end of a broadcasting network founded to counter Nazi propaganda. US Agency for Global Media (USAGM) senior advisor Kari Lake said the staff reduction meant 1,400 positions had been eliminated as part of US President Donald Trump’s agenda to cut staffing at the agency to a statutory minimum. “Reduction in Force Termination Notices were sent to 639 employees at USAGM and Voice of America, part of a
Canada and the EU on Monday signed a defense and security pact as the transatlantic partners seek to better confront Russia, with worries over Washington’s reliability under US President Donald Trump. The deal was announced after a summit in Brussels between Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa. “While NATO remains the cornerstone of our collective defense, this partnership will allow us to strengthen our preparedness ... to invest more and to invest smarter,” Costa told a news conference. “It opens new opportunities for companies on both sides of the
The team behind the long-awaited Vera Rubin Observatory in Chile yesterday published their first images, revealing breathtaking views of star-forming regions as well as distant galaxies. More than two decades in the making, the giant US-funded telescope sits perched at the summit of Cerro Pachon in central Chile, where dark skies and dry air provide ideal conditions for observing the cosmos. One of the debut images is a composite of 678 exposures taken over just seven hours, capturing the Trifid Nebula and the Lagoon Nebula — both several thousand light-years from Earth — glowing in vivid pinks against orange-red backdrops. The new image
RSS