Frank Ocean Profile

Christopher Edwin Breaux is ranked as the #80 overall best musical artist in the world. His first release in February of 2011 introduced him to the world, and it wasn’t long before he appeared at number 82 of the US Billboard Hot 100 and his name became very well known. Before taking a break from social media in 2020, he had gained a following of 3.1 million on instagram and over 15 million listeners on spotify with only 3 full albums over the course of 9 years. With features from artists such as Tyler the Creator, Earl Sweatshirt, and John Mayer, as well as appearances on well known albums including Flower Boy, TESTING, BEYONCE, and even the soundtrack from The Great Gatsby, Breaux was able to create a name for himself through his nuanced skills and idiosyncratic creations that have shaped the future of music as we know it. His talents are unmatched, which is how he landed a number 1 album with 65.4 million streams in its first week. Oh, and you also might know him as Frank Ocean. 

The chart-topping artist was born October 28, 1987 in Long Beach, California, and was raised in New Orleans. Frank spent his high school career beginning to focus on music and working random jobs to pay for studio time. He attended the University of New Orleans, but soon after Hurricane Katrina hit, he decided to fully focus on his music. He made the decision to move to Los Angeles in his late teens to pursue his dream of entering the music industry. He grew up listening to Jazz and R&B, which evidently have a large influence on his music today. Ocean moved to LA with the intent to only stay for a short while, but with the connections and progress he made, he decided to stay. His first year in Los Angeles, he began to work with Odd Future and other notable artists such as Justin Bieber and Beyonce. He had also created a bond with Tyler, The Creator, who is known to be a huge influence to him in his songwriting. For his first release, Nostalgia, Ultra, Ocean decided to go against his label and release the album for download on Tumblr because of a lack of trust with his producers. 

Ocean’s music is sample heavy, and Nostalgia, Ultra included samples from well known bands such as MGMT. After this release, fame came rushing in. Well known magazines and news sites gave him wonderful reviews and stars in the music industry began reaching out to collaborate with the new up and comer. With the high from his newfound and well-earned fame, Ocean began working on his next album, Channel Orange, which was released in 2012. At this point in his career, he was invited to talk shows such as The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, which only grew his fanbase. Soon after releasing the single “Pyramids” as a teaser for his newest creation, he came out to the public as bisexual. This was met with a plethora of support from his connections and friends in the music industry, and only a few days later, Channel Orange was released. 

Within an hour of Channel Orange’s release, it had reached No. 1 on the Top Albums chart in the U.S. Soon after, Frank began topping charts all over the world and earned more and more praise for his work and collaborations. His unique approach to R&B music earned him comparisons to musical legends such as Stevie Wonder. In 2016, Ocean released Endless, his visual album, and Blonde very soon after. He also claims that another album was completed before his 30th birthday in 2017, but he never released it. His most recent releases include two singles in early 2020-- “Cayendo” and “Dear April.” He was meant to drop yet another song, an Arca remix of his single “Little Devil” featuring british star Skepta in late 2019, but withdrew the single before its release “due to the events of [2020].” This is most likely referring to the Covid outbreak as well as any personal issues he may have had, and fans were very understanding. Later that year, Ocean’s brother passed away in a car accident in early August. Fans were offering their condolences left and right, but this seemed to be too much for Ocean. Soon after this tragic accident, he wiped his instagram account and fully went off the grid. This is usually a tactic used by artists such as Kanye West and Jay-Z to create excitement to introduce new music, which was thought to be the case at the time. But until August 6th this year, Frank Ocean completely disappeared. 

After almost a year of silence, Frank Ocean re-booted his Instagram to introduce his new luxury jewelry brand, Homer. Before doing so, as if to announce his return, he updated his profile picture on spotify, which in the past has been used for artists to hint at new music. Homer was introduced to the world through an instagram post on August 6th of this year, and made its debut at the Met Gala. Additionally, a New York store opened up on August 9th, shortly after the brand’s announcement. Sources say that Ocean has been developing his brand for the past 3 years and it is inspired by his childhood obsessions and heritage as a fantasy. He stated in an exclusive interview that he didn’t want his products “to be any less expensive than Cartier.” The main appeal of the brand is its creator-- because of his lengthy absence from social circles, fans are jumping at the opportunity to be a part of this new era. Ocean has also been a prominent figure in the fashion industry with his unique style that matches his unique music, meaning his stamp of approval regarding fashion is respected by many, so the launch of this brand has fans ecstatic. 

Aside from the speculation that Mr. Ocean will be headlining Coachella in 2023, there have been no other hints towards a new release this year, though fans believe an album must come before then. He has been working on a new album since the release of Blonde, but has not spoken on any prospective release dates. In an interview in 2019, Ocean stated that this new album will be less autobiographical than Blonde, meaning less about his life. When pressed, he stated: “I believed for a very long time that there was strength in vulnerability, and I really don't believe that anymore.” He has always been known for his profound and meaningful music. Will this album be a new era of Ocean?

By Sydney Feld