How Frank Ocean built a successful career. Explore key moments that defined the journey.
Frank Ocean is an influential American singer and songwriter recognized as a pioneer of alternative R&B. His innovative sound and introspective lyrics have earned him critical acclaim and numerous accolades, including two Grammy Awards and a Brit Award. Notably, both of his studio albums have been featured on Rolling Stone's prestigious '500 Greatest Albums of All Time,' highlighting his significant impact on contemporary music.
Recent online activity and rumors suggest Frank Ocean might be ending his hiatus. Fans are eagerly anticipating new music, fueling speculation about a potential comeback after a period of relative silence.
In 2006, Frank Ocean moved to Los Angeles to pursue his music career, working various jobs and establishing himself as a songwriter under the name Lonny Breaux.
In 2009, Frank Ocean met the Los Angeles-based hip hop collective Odd Future and met Tricky Stewart, who helped him sign a writing contract with Def Jam Recordings. His friendship with Odd Future member Tyler, the Creator reinvigorated Ocean's songwriting.
In 2009, Frank Ocean signed with Def Jam Recordings, marking the beginning of his relationship with the record label, which would eventually lead to complex negotiations for his departure.
In 2010, Frank Ocean joined the Los Angeles-based hip hop collective Odd Future.
On February 16, 2011, Frank Ocean self-released his mixtape, Nostalgia, Ultra, online for free, receiving critical acclaim.
In April 2011, Frank Ocean stated that his relationship with Def Jam had strengthened since the release of Nostalgia, Ultra. The mixtape led to collaborations with rappers Jay-Z and Kanye West.
In May 2011, Frank Ocean's record label Def Jam announced plans to re-release Nostalgia, Ultra as an EP. The single "Novacane" was released to iTunes, and the EP was originally set to be released the next month, but was delayed.
On May 19, 2011, Frank Ocean's record label Def Jam announced its plans to re-release Nostalgia, Ultra as an EP.
In June 2011, Frank Ocean worked on Kanye West and Jay-Z's collaborative album, Watch the Throne. He co-wrote and featured on two tracks: "No Church in the Wild" and "Made in America".
On July 28, 2011, a song titled "Thinkin Bout You", written by Frank Ocean for Bridget Kelly's debut studio album, leaked on the internet.
In August 2011, Frank Ocean made his first appearance on the cover of the publication The Fader, in its 75th issue.
In September 2011, a music video directed by High5Collective for Frank Ocean's version of "Thinkin Bout You" was released.
In 2011, Frank Ocean independently released his debut mixtape, Nostalgia, Ultra.
On April 10, 2012, Frank Ocean released the cover art for his debut studio album's lead single, titled "Thinkin Bout You", revealing the song would be released to digital retailers on April 10, 2012.
On July 4, 2012, Frank Ocean published an open letter on his Tumblr blog, initially intended for the liner notes of Channel Orange. In the letter, he recounted his unrequited feelings for another young man when he was 19 years old, describing it as his first true love. He thanked the man, his mother, and friends for their influence and support. Following the announcement, numerous celebrities, including Beyoncé and Jay-Z, publicly voiced their support for Ocean.
In 2012, Channel Orange debuted at number two on the Billboard 200, selling 131,000 copies in its first week. Frank Ocean also promoted the album with his 2012 Summer Tour, which featured appearances at the Coachella and Lollapalooza festivals.
In 2012, Frank Ocean released his debut studio album Channel Orange to universal acclaim, earning Grammy nominations and being credited for moving the R&B genre in a new direction. Before the album's release, Ocean revealed that his first love was a man.
In 2012, the hip hop industry generally responded positively to Frank Ocean's announcement regarding his sexuality. Tyler, the Creator and other members of OFWGKTA tweeted their support, and Russell Simmons wrote a congratulatory article in Global Grind. In an interview in 2012, Ocean stated that "life is dynamic and comes along with dynamic experiences".
In February 2013, Frank Ocean confirmed that he had started work on his second studio album, and that he was working with Tyler, the Creator, Pharrell Williams, and Danger Mouse on the record. He revealed he was being influenced by The Beach Boys and The Beatles.
On May 28, 2013, Frank Ocean announced the You're Not Dead ... 2013 Tour, a fourteen-date European and Canadian tour.
On June 16, 2013, Frank Ocean's You're Not Dead ... 2013 Tour began in Munich.
On August 4, 2013, Frank Ocean was scheduled to perform at OVO Fest but was forced to cancel due to a vocal cord injury. James Blake was booked as his replacement.
On March 10, 2014, the song "Hero", a collaboration with Mick Jones, Paul Simonon and Diplo, was made available for free download on SoundCloud. The song is a part of Converse's Three Artists. One Song series.
In March 2014, Frank Ocean withdrew from a Chipotle Mexican Grill commercial promoting responsible farming. He felt the final storyboard misrepresented the campaign's initial focus. Ocean repaid Chipotle $212,500.00, and Fiona Apple performed the song instead. The commercial, titled "The Scarecrow", was subsequently released with Fiona Apple performing the song.
In April 2014, Frank Ocean stated that his second album was nearly finished.
By September 2014, Frank Ocean's album Channel Orange had sold 621,000 copies.
In September 2014, Frank Ocean signed with Mark Gilespie of Three Six Zero Entertainment.
On November 29, 2014, Frank Ocean released a snippet of a new song called "Memrise" on his official Tumblr page, supposedly from his upcoming album.
On April 6, 2015, Frank Ocean announced that his follow-up to Channel Orange would be released in July, although the album was ultimately not released in July.
In July 2016, Frank Ocean hinted at a possible second album with an image on his website pointing to a July release date. The image shows a library card labeled Boys Don't Cry with numerous stamps, implying various due dates. The dates begin with July 2, 2015, and conclude with July 2016.
In February 2016, Frank Ocean was featured on Kanye West's album The Life of Pablo on the track "Wolves" along with Vic Mensa and Sia.
In July 2016, Frank Ocean hinted at a possible second album with an image on his website pointing to a July release date.
On August 1, 2016, a live stream, sponsored by Apple Music, began to surface on boysdontcry.co, which appeared to show Frank Ocean woodworking and sporadically playing instrumentals on loop from his upcoming visual album Endless. The full version is estimated to be 140 hours long.
On August 5, 2016, many news outlets reported that this could be the release date for Boys Don't Cry. That date also turned out to be inaccurate. Ocean's collaborator Malay said that Ocean is a perfectionist, constantly tweaking things, and that his art cannot be rushed.
On August 20, 2016, Frank Ocean uploaded the music video for "Nikes" to Apple Music and his website. He also announced pop-up shops in Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, and London for his magazine Boys Don't Cry, and released his second studio album Blonde to widespread acclaim, which debuted at number one in several countries and recorded sales of 232,000 copies in its first week.
Frank Ocean released Blonde and Endless in 2016. His release of Chanel on March 10, 2017, was his first solo release after his previous releases of Blonde and Endless in 2016.
In 2016, Frank Ocean released the visual album Endless to fulfill contractual obligations with Def Jam. His second studio album, Blonde, was released independently the following day.
In 2016, Frank Ocean released the visual album Endless, marking his last project with Def Jam Recordings to fulfill his contract. Before the release of "Endless" on Apple Music, Ocean had been negotiating his departure from Def Jam, initiating a process he described as a "seven-year chess game."
In 2016, following the release of Blonde, Frank Ocean traveled to China, Japan, and France instead of doing a typical promotional tour. He chose not to submit Blonde for Grammy Awards consideration due to concerns about representation. Time ranked Blonde as the best album of 2016. Forbes estimated that Blonde earned Ocean nearly one million in profits in one week due to its independent release on iTunes and Apple Music.
On February 21, 2017, Calvin Harris announced his single "Slide," which features Frank Ocean and hip-hop trio Migos. The single, from Harris' album Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1, credits Ocean and Migos with featured vocals and songwriting.
On February 23, 2017, the song "Slide" by Calvin Harris featuring Frank Ocean and Migos, was released. It was also featured on the first episode of Frank Ocean's Beats 1 radio show, Blonded Radio. This marked Ocean's first recorded collaboration since leaving Def Jam.
On March 10, 2017, Frank Ocean released his new single "Chanel" on the second episode of Blonded Radio, also playing an alternate version featuring ASAP Rocky. This was his first solo effort released after Blonde and Endless in 2016.
On May 1, 2017, Frank Ocean attended the annual Met Gala as a special photographer for Vogue, marking his involvement in the fashion world.
In October 2017, Frank Ocean published a photo essay titled "New 17" in British magazine i-D, where he expressed optimism for the coming year of 2018.
On October 23, 2017, Frank Ocean made two covers and a visual essay for British fashion magazine, i-D.
In November 2017, Frank Ocean hinted via Tumblr that his fifth project was complete, although its release remained uncertain.
After 2017, Frank Ocean has released sporadic singles, worked as a photographer for magazines, launched the fashion brand Homer, and started Homer Radio.
Frank Ocean's headlining performances for Coachella on April 16 and 23, 2023, marked his first live performances since 2017. This was the year of his last live performance until recently.
On February 14, 2018, Frank Ocean released "Moon River", a cover of the song originally performed by Audrey Hepburn in the 1961 film Breakfast at Tiffany's.
In May 2018, Frank Ocean was featured on the tracks "Brotha Man" and "Purity" from ASAP Rocky's third studio album, Testing.
On July 9, 2018, Frank Ocean's album Blonde was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), recognizing its significant sales and popularity.
In August 2018, Frank Ocean was featured on the song "Carousel" from Travis Scott's third studio album, Astroworld, which was released on the same day.
On November 6, 2018, Frank Ocean aired three midterm specials of Blonded Radio in conjunction with the US Midterm elections, releasing new merchandise for those who voted in Houston, Atlanta, Miami, and Dallas. The shows included political discussions and discussions about Ocean being an openly queer black man in contemporary rap music.
On October 19, 2019, Frank Ocean released a new song titled "DHL" on his Blonded Radio show. He also announced the release of 7-inch vinyl singles for two new songs, "Dear April" and "Cayendo."
On November 1, 2019, Frank Ocean followed up with a new song titled "In My Room", which premiered on Blonded Radio. Soon after, he posted online another vinyl single of a new song titled "Little Demon" featuring a B-side remix by Arca.
In 2019, Frank Ocean encouraged his British fans to vote for the Labour Party in the 2019 UK general elections via his Instagram story.
On February 25, 2020, Frank Ocean announced that he would replace the vinyl release of "Little Demon" with an unreleased song, which would be released on February 28, 2020. The vinyl for "Little Demon" was canceled, and refunds were provided.
On February 28, 2020, Frank Ocean planned to release a new unreleased song as a replacement for the canceled "Little Demon" vinyl. The actual outcome of this release is not specified.
From March 25, 2020, Frank Ocean's website began shipping the vinyl singles for "Dear April" and "Cayendo", as well as the previously released "In My Room". However, many customers reported issues with receiving their orders or obtaining refunds for canceled orders.
In October 2020, Frank Ocean was set to headline Coachella, but the festival was initially postponed and then cancelled altogether due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
On August 8, 2021, Frank Ocean officially revealed his first fashion project, "Homer", which was initially announced in a Financial Times interview. Homer is described as an independent American luxury company founded by Frank Ocean, with inspiration from childhood obsessions and heritage as a fantasy.
In August 2021, Coachella co-founder Paul Tollett confirmed that Frank Ocean would headline the festival in 2023.
On December 25, 2021, Frank Ocean released a new 9-minute untitled song on his Blonded Radio show, featuring music contribution from Cory Henry.
In June 2022, it was announced that Frank Ocean was in talks to direct his first feature film, with A24 producing.
On January 10, 2023, Coachella announced that Frank Ocean would be headlining the festival on April 16 and 23, marking his first live performances since 2017.
In October 2023, Frank Ocean expressed solidarity with the people of the Gaza Strip during the ongoing Gaza war. He signed the October 2023 Artists4Ceasefire open letter, urging President Joe Biden to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
Frank Ocean was scheduled to headline Coachella in 2023 after the initial cancellation in 2020.
In January 2025, Frank Ocean's directorial debut was confirmed, with David Jonsson announced as the lead. The movie is set to shoot in Mexico City, though its title, plot details, and release dates have not yet been revealed.
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