Frank Ocean is an American singer/songwriter who first gained recognition with the group Odd Future, which included large artists like Tyler, The Creator, and Earl Sweatshirt. His debut studio album, Channel Orange, was released in 2012, won a Grammy award, and received extreme success. His most recently released album, Blonde, which came out in 2016, made him stand out as an influential artist covering themes of identity, sexuality, and love. Since then, Ocean’s most recent releases date back 4 years ago, releasing two singles, Cayendo and Dear April in 2020. With over 36 million Spotify listeners, Ocean remains one of the most critically acclaimed artists of this time. So why has he stopped releasing music?
Although Ocean has not officially stopped releasing music, he has followed a theme of sporadic releases; but since it has been 4 years, fans like myself are losing hope. Ocean is already known to value privacy and quality of music over quantity. He also has expressed his unhappiness with the music industry, voicing his decision to operate independently, following his schedule. Aside from this, Ocean has been dealing with grief following the death of his younger brother in 2020. Ocean’s first large appearance after this heartbreaking incident was Coachella 2023, which was controversial for many reasons, and not considered much of a redemption to the music industry.
Frank Ocean’s Coachella 2023 performance was not only the first since his brother tragically passed away but also the first large performance since July 2017. Due to his lack of shows and minimal music release, the anticipation for Ocean’s set was high, but some fans say it did not reach their expectations. For starters, Ocean arrived on stage over an hour later than expected with last-minute changes to the set design. The festival, which has a strict curfew rule, then caused Ocean’s performance to abruptly end. During the performance, Ocean did not interact with the audience or face the crowd, with minimal production, singing some of his songs live, but mostly playing the tracks of others. The most notable critiques came from Ocean’s performance of his hit song White Ferarri, which explores love, longing, nostalgia, and spiritual undertones. (If you have never heard this song, I highly recommend it, as it is arguably one of his best and most beautiful songs.) The version of White Ferarri played was a stripped-down, funky version that reflected artistry and a homage to his brother. Many people say this version of the song was not only a representation of Ocean’s grief but also may have been the version of the song that his younger brother preferred. For Ocean, the performance wasn’t about living up to expectations, but instead about presenting his music in a raw form. Despite this, the backlash was extreme, which may have pushed Ocean even further from the spotlight.
With music that combines R&B and soul with personal lyrics and deep emotion, Ocean’s music strives for storytelling and themes of passion, identity, heartbreak, and intimacy. His groundbreaking albums redefined the music industry, impacting artists across generations. Celebrated for pushing social and creative boundaries, Ocean will remain an iconic presence with vulnerability and experimentation.
Frank Ocean, if you are reading this, I would quite literally sell an arm and a leg for you to release music again. I can only cry over the same beautifully complex songs so many times…but I will continue to do so until you come back to bless society with more incredibly composed music.