🌊 Big Ocean in Lille: A Taste of Europe, Emotions, and Symbolic Hats

On the occasion of their concert in Lille on July 14th, the group Big Ocean (Jiseok, PJ, and Chanyeon) took part in a press conference. In a warm and relaxed atmosphere, they discussed their European tour, their inspirations, musical directions, and even their favorite desserts. Here’s the recap of the questions and answers shared with the media.

🛫 You’re in the middle of your tour: how do you feel?

Chanyeon: This is our second tour in Europe. We’ve met many of our fans who already came to our first concerts, but also a lot of new fans. It’s really nice to see familiar faces. It’s also helping us prepare well for our U.S. tour, which will take place at the end of July and early August. We're having a great time in Europe!

PJ: Since this is our second time coming to Europe, we feel closer to our fans. We talk about different topics like the culture of each country, the language... These tours are a stepping stone for us, and we keep beautiful memories and lots of experiences that will stay with us forever.

Yesterday, we had a tasting in Lille at a restaurant, with lots of specialties from the north of France. We enjoyed the dessert called “Le Merveilleux,” which was very sweet. With all that sugar, we can approach our concert full of energy!

✨ If you had a magic wand, what would you like to do with it?

Jiseok: During our tour, I heard that many people found strength in listening to our songs. I’d like to find something universal, so that people can feel our music even more — with their eyes and with their hearts.

PJ: If I can be a magic wizard, I want to show positive energy with magic in the world. I can make a world more hopeful and peaceful. I would like everyone to be happy.

🎶 What inspires you the most?

PJ: So many things! Because when we are on stage, we can see our fans’ reactions. We can see them screaming, crying, smiling, and being attracted… So there are various emotions we can see through this process. They are very inspiring. Musically, we always reflected the opinions of our fans until now. Everything comes from our Pados!

Chanyeon: We’re doing a lot of concerts at the moment. Now, we draw inspiration from our fans’ expressions and the interactions we have with them. It helps us think more about the kind of music and themes we could explore. We’re always a bit anxious about how the fans will react.

🧢 For Bucket Hat, were there any musical inspirations? It reminds us of Justin Timberlake...

Jiseok: I'm going to start by talking about merchandising. On the bucket hat, there's a traditional Korean design that represents the ancient Korean kings. For the music, we were also inspired by that history. We wanted to create something more powerful and more mature. In the song, we want to express that if our eyes meet, we become connected for a long time, sharing the same space and the same sense of time.

PJ: In the choreography, there's a moment where we have to throw our hat and catch it. We wanted to create a kind of symbolic connection, by catching what may have fallen, and also to create more interaction with our fans.

🧭 Bucket Hat has an entirely different style: is it the beginning of a new era for Big Ocean?

PJ: Actually, we are pushing barriers on music. I think we can share very powerful messages for our fans, Pados. So yes, we can have various music like Bucket Hat, or in our album like Blow, Follow and Underwater. We’re always thinking about what is better for our Pados and we create it. We always look for Pado’s emotion for inspiration.

Jiseok: It’s a style we discovered fairly recently, rooted in hip-hop. We’re in the process of seeing whether it works or not—we’re waiting to see our fans’ reactions across different continents. If it’s a success, we’ll be very grateful and ready to continue exploring this style.

🌟 Chanyeon, you have a solo performance on this tour: are you nervous about it?

Chanyeon: I trained a lot for this solo performance. I also got help from PJ and Jiseok. I was very stressed and excited — it was a strange mix of feelings during the preparation. But in the end, it’s going well! The fans’ reactions have been really positive. I keep thinking I should’ve started earlier! I’m feeling more and more comfortable with the tour.

PJ: Additionally, Chanyeon has a solo performance. Now, after the Europe tour, for the US tour, there will be a Jiseok solo performance. Spoiler alert!

🇫🇷 It’s your third time in France: do you have a specific bond with its audience and culture?

Jiseok: Naturally, we feel more comfortable in France since it’s our third time here — it’s become more familiar to us. I really love macarons! When I crave macarons, I think a lot about France. If I had to live abroad, it would be in France!

PJ: Very recently, as you know, I went to Paris Fashion Week. At that time, I could enjoy being in Paris. I went to the Eiffel Tower, when I saw it, it felt this was Paris. It was such a wild dream to me. I could also see the tower bright at night, it was like a star in the sky. It’s very romantic all around. I enjoyed desserts, wine, sandwiches… Now I’m in Lille and I’m so very happy and thankful for having us in this place.

Thanks a lot to Haley Cha, CEO of Parastar Entertainment, to 5 Oceans Studios teams, and to Marie-Pierre Medouga for organizing this press conference.

Gabin Fontaine