Welcome back, Big Ocean! Since making their debut in April 2024, the trio of PJ, Chanyeon, and Jiseok has continued to break boundaries and redefine what it means to experience music. As the world’s first K-POP idol group to perform in sign language, Big Ocean has built a unique connection with fans around the world through their music, performances, and message of “See Music, Feel Music.”
Earlier this year, the group released their third mini album, The Greatest Battle, before turning their attention to their European fans with ‘Make It Up To You’ following the cancellation of their 2026 European Tour. Now, Big Ocean are stepping into an exciting new era with their latest single, ‘Love Sign,’ released September 9th.
The new single sees Big Ocean embracing their identity in a bold new way, weaving sign language into the heart of their nu-disco sound and exploring a more confident and mature side of the group. And the excitement doesn’t stop there: Big Ocean will soon be heading back to the U.S. for their Fall Tour to reunite with PADO, making their debut at New York Fashion Week with designer Andy Yu, and have also teased upcoming European dates in London, Paris, and Cologne.
With so much on the horizon, we caught up with Big Ocean to talk about ‘Love Sign,’ their journey so far, their connection with fans, their new creative ventures, and everything this next chapter has in store.
Welcome back to The Honey POP! We’re so excited to catch up with you ahead of this exciting new chapter for Big Ocean ‘Make It Up To You’ felt like such a personal conversation between Big Ocean and your fans, turning the disappointment surrounding the cancellation of your European tour into something you could share through music. What did it mean to be able to express those feelings through the song, especially with such a quick turnaround, and how did your connection with Frankie Biggz shape the creative process?
PJ: We were supposed to fly straight to Europe. Instead, we turned around and went back to New York, and the first thing we did was start writing. We were still doing other schedules at the time, but we kept writing lyrics in between everything. Speed mattered to us — an apology that arrives late isn’t really an apology. So we pushed our team hard.
The music video moved just as fast. We shot it only a few days after the track came in. Nothing we’ve ever made has come together like that, which is exactly why it stayed with us. That whole period was just full of wanting to say sorry. Frankie Biggz produced and mixed the track, and honestly, that’s exactly why it could move so fast. He already knew what we sound like, so there was no time spent explaining ourselves — we could just hand him what we were feeling and trust him to build it into something that still felt like us. That kind of shorthand only happens with someone who already gets you, and it’s a big part of why ‘Make It Up To You’ came together in days instead of months.
Then when we got back to Korea, we held an online concert for everyone who had bought tickets to the European tour, and we premiered ‘Make It Up To You’ there as a surprise. That was the point of it — our gesture, made entirely for our European fans. We only hope it took a little of the disappointment away.
And it’s the sweetest song ever! Frankie Biggz is not only a Grammy Award-winning producer, but is also Deaf, giving him his own lived experience as a Deaf creative. What was it like working with someone who could bring that perspective into the room, and is there something you took away from that collaboration that you’ll carry forward into your future music?
Chanyeon: With ‘Love Sign’ we wanted to make the fact that “we sign” into something “sexy.” That’s not an easy thing to explain to somebody — and with Frankie we didn’t have to explain it at all. After he finished writing, he shouted in our group chat: “All the sexy Deaf people stand up!” That landed with us. We just widened it a little — “sexy hands, stand up.” That became our new social media hashtag.
Because in the end, this is a song where being good with your hands turns into confidence, and honestly? That’s a thought only actual Deaf people would have. You have to live in your hands to think of it. That’s the part we’re taking with us. We don’t want to keep translating our own experience into something people already expect — we want to trust that our experience is the material itself.
‘Love Sign’ feels like a natural continuation of Big Ocean’s focus on communication, while also opening up a new chapter for the group. What inspired the concept behind the song, and what did you want to communicate through ‘Love Sign’ that you hadn’t explored before?
PJ: It started from a joke, honestly. People ask “what’s your sign?” as a way of flirting — and our answer is a different kind of sign. Once we saw that, the whole song opened up.
We’d made hopeful before, and we’d made resilient. This one is neither. It’s confident, it’s a little flirty, and it’s the most grown-up thing we’ve done. We’ve never been this direct about wanting someone — no metaphors, nothing to hide behind. All three of us wrote the lyrics, so it really is us talking. Our goal with it is simple: we’d like to stop being known only as “the first Deaf K-Pop group,” and start being known as the guys with the sexy hands.
We love that! ‘Love Sign’ incorporates ASL, BSL, KSL and other sign languages into its chorus and choreography. What was the process like bringing multiple signing languages and cultures together within the song, and what does it mean to you to see different signing communities represented in one piece of music?
Jiseok: Honestly? We just wanted to list them all out. And then we noticed they were starting to sound like brand names. ASL, BSL, KSL, LSM, LSC — it’s basically KFC and BBC. That made us laugh, and we realised that even someone who has no idea what those letters mean can still feel the rhyme. So we kept it exactly as it was.
The original plan was actually different. Our keyword was FINGERS, and the hook was going to be spelled out: F-I-N, G-E-R. Then we tried A-S-L, B-S-L in the same rhythm — three letters, three letters — and it just fit better. ASL and BSL won. I think they were right. And underneath the joke, it does mean something. Whichever one you use, your language gets named in our chorus. Nobody has to be the exception.
Big Ocean has always had a particularly special relationship with your fans, and fans have found their own ways to communicate with you through signs during your performances. Is there a fan interaction or moment that has stayed with you and reminded you of how meaningful that connection is?
Chanyeon: Signing with PADO feels like having a secret language that belongs only to us. And is there anything more romantic than two people learning each other’s language? There’s one moment that comes back to me every tour. During the chorus, PADO doesn’t just sing along — they sign it back at us, all together, at the same time as we do it on stage. Some fans even sign through the entire song with us, and in those moments, it almost feels like we’re performing it together.
It’s very romantic, for sure! ‘Love Sign’ arrives just days before your US Fall Tour begins! What are you most excited for fans to experience on this tour, and are there any moments from this new era that you’re particularly looking forward to bringing to the stage?
Jiseok: We should probably warn everyone first: this one is racy. The lyrics are, and the choreography definitely is. PADO have always loved the sweeter side of us, so we genuinely don’t know how they’re going to take it. The music video came very close to an adult rating — it hasn’t been reviewed yet, so honestly it might still get one.
We wanted to try something new. We wanted to push it as far as it would go and show exactly how attractive hands can be. And there’s a serious version of that too: people don’t tend to imagine disabled men as sexual. We’d like to be part of changing that. So — try not to be too shocked at the show.
Noted! You’re also entering a new creative space with your NYFW collaboration with Andy Yu. Fashion can be another way of expressing yourself without saying a word, so how did you approach bringing Big Ocean’s identity into the collection? And if each member had to choose one piece that best represents their personal style, what would they pick?
Big Ocean: Our styles were already very clearly defined, and Andy built from that rather than over it. The ocean is in our name, so caring about the environment has always been a keyword that travels with us. It turns out it’s always been one of Andy’s themes too — which is a big part of why this collaboration clicked so fast. It’s built into several of the looks, including deadstock fabric he sourced himself.
PJ: I actually flew to Shanghai while we were preparing this. I saw the factory, saw the designs in person, sat in on the idea meetings. A lot of that time went into one question: how do you make hands look luxurious? Hands are the most important thing we have. In the end, putting them into the buttons felt like the smartest answer.
Big Ocean: The collection hasn’t been revealed yet, so we can’t get too specific about the exact pieces, but if we were to share a little something about it…
Jiseok: Dandy. Sharp, a little conservative. If I had to point to a piece, it’s something layered and buttoned all the way up. I’d rather be the best-dressed one in the room than the loudest.
PJ: Bold. Every outfit needs one thing that grabs you — for me, it’s the piece with the hands worked into it somewhere. That’s the detail people notice first.
Chanyeon: Details. Pockets, straps, buckles, something oversized with a lot going on. The more going on, the better. Those are some of the ideas — you’ll see where they end up in the collection, so keep an eye out for it.
Since debuting, Big Ocean has continued to expand the ways you express yourselves: through music, performance, collaboration, and fashion. Looking back at everything you’ve experienced so far, what do you think has changed the most about Big Ocean as artists and as individuals?
Big Ocean: Our MBTI results have actually changed. Jiseok went from INTJ to ENFP. Chanyeon shifted a letter too. We’ve stopped trying to define who we are. Instead, we change with each song and each concept — like chameleons — and along the way we find the version of ourselves we like best. The team itself works that way. Big Ocean is an ocean: endless potential, and a journey of seeing what kinds of life we can bring out of it.
We are here for the glow up! If you could give your fans one ‘love sign’ that they could carry with them wherever they are in the world, what would you want it to mean?
Big Ocean: We’d give them the sign we use in the chorus, and we’d want it to mean the simplest thing: I see you. Not “I hear you.” Not “I understand your situation.” Just — I see you, exactly as you are, from wherever you are.
That is honestly so sweet. With a new single, a US tour, and your NYFW collaboration all happening so close together, September is certainly a busy month for Big Ocean! If each member could describe this new chapter of Big Ocean in just three words, what would they be?
Big Ocean: Thumb. Index finger. Little finger. Make a fist and put those three up, and in ASL you’ve just said LOVE. Three words, three fingers. That’s our September.
Ah, our hearts! Thank you for chatting with us, Big Ocean. We love the new single and cannot wait to see you thrive in this era. See you on tour!
‘Love Sign’ is out now. Tickets to Big Ocean’s U.S. tour are on sale now.
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