Frank Ocean is a closed person, therefore even more interesting. A popular photographer and independent musician, he built a brilliant career in the band Odd Future. The black rapper set about conquering the top of the musical Olympus in 2005. During this time, he managed to release several independent LPs, one joint album. As well as a "juicy" mixtape and video album.
Childhood and youth of Frank Ocean
Christopher Edwin (real name of a celebrity) was born on October 28, 1987 in Long Beach (California). At a young age, his family moved to New Orleans. It was there that Christopher spent his childhood and youth.
Frank got acquainted with music in a peculiar way. Parents were not allowed to touch personal things. But one day he could not resist and conducted a "search", as a result of which records of jazz performers fell into his hands. The dark-skinned guy to "holes" rubbed classic jazz tracks.
When Christopher realized that he was great at writing music, he started working at a recording studio. To pay for the studio time, Edwin took on small part-time jobs.
Parents insisted on higher education, because they wanted their son to have a worthy profession. In 2005, he entered the University of New Orleans.
And in the same year, a strong hurricane Katrina hit the region. The city was in real chaos. There were no material losses. The recording studio where Christopher worked for a long time was flooded and looted. The guy decided to pursue a musical career. Education at the university was in the background. Edwin soon transferred to the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
Frank Ocean and his career
For his dream, Frank went to the territory of Los Angeles. In the recording studio of acquaintances, the musician recorded several demo versions. After finishing work, he sold records around the city.
Then fortune smiled on Ocean. He began to cooperate with influential producers. Frank wrote music for Justin Bieber, John Legend, Brandi Norwood and Beyoncé.
“There was a time in my biography when I actively wrote lyrics for other stars. The work gave me good money, but I wanted more. I didn't leave my hometown for that. I wanted to realize myself and get rich in order to stand firmly on my feet ... ”, Frank Ocean recalls.
The musician became truly happy when he joined the Odd Future group. The warm reception of the band members inspired Ocean to write new lyrics. The discography of the Odd Future band is replenished with "golden" hits that brought it to a new level.
In 2009, Trick Stewart helped get Frank signed to Def Jam Recordings. A few years later, the musician's discography was replenished with his debut solo mixtape. We are talking about the collection Nostalgia, Ultra. The work was warmly received not only by numerous fans, but also by music critics.
Artist debut
The debut mixtape by Frank Ocean is not just a “dummy” with a blurry and incomprehensible meaning. The compositions of the collection focus the listeners' attention on the relations of people in society, personal reflections and social comments.
The fact that the work was well received by critics and music lovers increased the authority of Frank Ocean in musical circles. He started collaborating with Jay Z и Kanye West.
Frank's first appearance on stage took place in 2011. Then he, along with the Odd Future team, appeared at the prestigious Valley Music and Arts Festival festivals. A little later, the performer took part in a large-scale tour.
In the spring of 2011, it became known that Frank Ocean's recording studio took up the re-release of his debut mixtape. Some time later, the song Novacane was posted on iTunes. At the same time, the musician officially confirmed that the release of the EP Nostalgia, Ultra was suspended for this period of time.
In the same year, it turned out that the musician helped Kanye West and Jay Z record their joint LP Watch the Throne. Ocean's tunes are also heard on several tracks. He became the invited guest of the compositions: No Church in the Wild and Made in America.
Album presentation
2012 started off with good news for Frank Ocean fans. The fact is that the musician presented the debut album of Channel Orange. The collection was highly appreciated by critics and music lovers. As a result, the LP became the album of the year according to HMV's Poll of Polls.
Fans with particular enthusiasm discussed the lyrical compositions of the disc. On the wave of popularity, Frank Ocean made a loud statement, saying that some tracks deal with personal experiences.
The debut LP debuted at the honorable 2nd position on the Billboard 200 charts. Interestingly, over 100 thousand copies of the album were sold out in the first week of sales. In winter, the LP was awarded a "gold" certificate.
Celebrity work
In 2013, Frank Ocean told fans of his work that he had begun work on his second studio album. Then it became known about the collaboration of the musician with Tyler, The Creator, Pharrell Williams and Danger Mouse.
Later, journalists found out that the rapper recorded most of the album in Bora Bora. In the same year, he went on a big European tour, which was called You're Not Dead. The tour continued until 2013.
In 2014, Frank Ocean intrigued fans by announcing that he would soon complete work on his second studio album. At the same time, the rapper presented a new composition Memrise. One of the influential publications described the composition as "melancholy".
In 2015, Frank presented a joint track with Kanye West. We are talking about the composition Wolves. A year later, information appeared that it was in 2016 that the musician presented his second album to fans.
Longpei Blonde was unveiled on August 20, 2020. Interestingly, the album was originally supposed to be released under the name Boys Don't Cry. Since the "fans" spent two years in the "waiting" mode, the collection received the title of "The Most Anticipated Longplay of 2016". The album reached #1 on the prestigious Billboard 200 chart.
Then the musician, together with the popular band Migos, recorded the single Slide by British DJ Calvin Harris. In 2017, Frank Ocean's solo single Chanel was presented.
Frank Ocean: details of his personal life
In 2015, Christopher Edwin successfully changed his real initials to Frank Ocean. The musician took such a creative pseudonym in honor of the 1960s movie "Ocean's Eleven".
In the summer of 2012, Frank Ocean wrote a letter in which he spoke about personal experiences. The singer said that at the age of 19 he suffered from unrequited love for a guy. Frank was in no hurry to call himself gay or bisexual. Although the public already understood that the artist belonged to a sexual minority. After such a frank confession, the musician was supported by world-famous stars.
Until recently, Frank did not run Instagram. But when the star finally got a page on social networks, fans managed to find out some facts. Firstly, the singer looks very stylish, and secondly, it was on Instagram that musical novelties appeared. Thirdly, Ocean often shares photos with her boyfriend, whose name is Memo.
Fans are under the impression that Frank and his boyfriend Memo are the perfect couple. Men work together and "hang out". In addition, they share a love of cycling.
In 2020, Frank took fans by surprise with the announcement that he had broken up with Memo. The singer did not disclose the reasons that influenced this decision. In personal relationships, Ocean behaves with restraint, therefore he prefers not to share such information.
Interesting facts about Frank Ocean
- The musician has a dream. The fact is that he wants to swim four laps underwater in the pool.
- Frank says that creativity for him is an opportunity to earn as much money as possible, and then pleasure.
- He supports the LGBT community.
Frank Ocean at present
The last performance of the singer took place in August 2017. This year he became the headliner of the Flow festival in Helsinki. And the last time he performed compositions from his album Blonde.
To the great regret of the fans, since that time the singer has remained silent. In mid-April 2020, he was supposed to perform at the Coachella festival, as well as release a new LP. But apparently something went wrong. His plans were disrupted by the sudden coronavirus pandemic.
In 2020, the musician presented two compositions at once. We are talking about the tracks Cayendo and Dear April. Interestingly, the early songs (along with remixes) were released exclusively on vinyl records. Currently, tracks can be listened to on any streaming service. Most likely, the work will be included in Frank's new LP. But the release date of the third studio album is not yet known.
