Frank Ocean facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Frank Ocean
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Ocean in 2021
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Christopher Edwin Breaux
October 28, 1987 Long Beach, California, U.S.
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| Years active | 2005–present |
| Organization | Homer |
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| Awards | Full list |
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| Origin | New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. |
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| Producer(s) | Malay, Tricky Stewart |
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Frank Ocean (born Christopher Edwin Breaux; October 28, 1987) is an American singer and songwriter. Many music experts say he helped create a new style of music called alternative R&B. Frank Ocean has won two Grammy Awards and a Brit Award. His two main albums are on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time".
Ocean started his music career writing songs for other artists. In 2010, he joined a hip hop group called Odd Future. He signed with Def Jam Recordings in 2009. But his first mixtape, Nostalgia, Ultra (2011), was released on his own. His first studio album, Channel Orange (2012), mixed R&B and soul music. This album was nominated for Album of the Year at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards. It won Best Urban Contemporary Album. Its main song, "Thinkin Bout You", was nominated for Record of the Year. Time magazine named him one of the world's most influential people in 2013.
After a break, Ocean released a visual album called Endless in 2016. This helped him finish his contract with Def Jam. His second studio album, Blonde, came out the next day. Blonde was very popular and went to number one on the US Billboard 200 chart. It was also ranked first on Pitchfork's list of Best Albums of the 2010s. Since 2017, Ocean has released new songs sometimes. He has also worked as a photographer and started a fashion brand called Homer. He also started Homer Radio. Many of Ocean's songs have been on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Four of his releases have sold enough to be certified platinum.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Frank Ocean was born Christopher Edwin Breaux on October 28, 1987. He was born in Long Beach, California. His father, Calvin Edward Cooksey, was a singer and keyboard player. His mother, Katonya Breaux Riley, worked as a builder. His parents divorced when he was six, and his mother raised him. He had a younger brother, Ryan Breaux, who passed away in a car accident in 2020. When he was five, his family moved to New Orleans.
After finishing high school in 2005, Ocean went to the University of New Orleans. He planned to study English. But Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in August 2005. His home and music studio were destroyed. He then moved to the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. He stayed there for a short time. Then he left college to focus on his music career.
Music Career Highlights
Early Days and First Mixtape (2006–2011)
In 2006, Ocean moved to Los Angeles to start his music career. He worked different jobs to support himself. In a few years, he became a songwriter using the name Lonny Breaux. He got this name from his grandfather, Lionel. Ocean wrote songs for famous artists like Justin Bieber, Beyonce, John Legend, and Brandy. He later said he wanted to do more than just write for others.
He chose the stage name Frank Ocean. This name came from singer Frank Sinatra and the 1960s movie Ocean's 11. Soon after, he joined a hip hop group in Los Angeles called Odd Future. He had met them in 2009. Working with Odd Future member Tyler, the Creator helped Ocean's songwriting. In late 2009, he met Tricky Stewart. Stewart helped him sign a writing deal with Def Jam Recordings. Ocean felt ignored by the label. So, he started working on a mixtape by himself.
On February 16, 2011, Ocean released his mixtape, Nostalgia, Ultra, online for free. This mixtape was praised by critics. It talked about relationships, personal thoughts, and society. Andrew Noz from NPR said Ocean's songwriting was "smart and subtle." Rolling Stone magazine called Ocean a "gifted avant-R&B smoothie."
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After Nostalgia, Ultra was released, Ocean's relationship with Def Jam improved. The mixtape made him well-known. This led to him working with rappers Jay-Z and Kanye West. Ocean appeared in Tyler, the Creator's music video for "She" in 2011. He also performed with Odd Future at the 2011 Coachella festival. In April 2011, Def Jam announced plans to re-release Nostalgia, Ultra as an EP. The song "Novacane" was released to iTunes in May 2011.
In June 2011, Ocean shared that he would work on Kanye West and Jay-Z's album, Watch the Throne. Ocean helped write and sang on two songs: "No Church in the Wild" and "Made in America". A song called "Thinkin Bout You" was leaked online in July 2011. It was a song Ocean wrote for artist Bridget Kelly. A music video for Ocean's version was released in September 2011. In August 2011, Frank Ocean was on the cover of The Fader magazine.
Channel Orange Success (2012–2013)
Ocean released the cover art for his first album's main song, "Thinkin Bout You." It was released digitally on April 10, 2012. He said the song showed who he was as an artist at that time. He added, "It's about the stories."
In 2012, Ocean released his first studio album, Channel Orange. Critics loved it and called it the best album of the year. It earned Ocean six Grammy Award nominations. Some writers said it changed the R&B genre. Channel Orange was Ocean's first album released by a major record label. It had unique songs known for their stories and comments on society. The music blended jazz, soul, R&B, Funk, and electronic sounds.
Channel Orange reached number two on the Billboard 200 chart. It sold 131,000 copies in its first week. Most of these were digital sales. In January 2013, Channel Orange was certified gold. By September 2014, it had sold 621,000 copies. Ocean promoted the album with his 2012 Summer Tour. He performed at the Coachella and Lollapalooza festivals. At the 2013 Brit Awards, Ocean won the Brit Award for International Male Solo Artist.
On May 28, 2013, Ocean announced his "You're Not Dead ... 2013 Tour." This tour included fourteen shows in Europe and Canada. It started on June 16, 2013, in Munich. He was supposed to perform at OVO Fest on August 4, 2013. But he had to cancel due to a small vocal cord injury. The first night of the festival was then canceled. Ocean also appeared on John Mayer's album Paradise Valley. He was featured on a song called "Wildfire."
Endless and Blonde (2013–2016)
In February 2013, Ocean confirmed he was working on his second studio album. He said it would be another concept album. He was working with Tyler, the Creator, Pharrell Williams, and Danger Mouse. He also said he was inspired by The Beach Boys and The Beatles. He wanted to work with Tame Impala and King Krule. He also planned to record part of the album in Bora Bora.
On March 10, 2014, a song called "Hero" was released for free. It was a collaboration with Mick Jones, Paul Simonon, and Diplo. This song was part of Converse's "Three Artists. One Song" series. In April 2014, Ocean said his second album was almost finished.
In September 2014, Ocean signed with new management. In June, Billboard reported he was working with artists like Happy Perez and Charlie Gambetta. Producers Hit-Boy, Rodney Jerkins, and Danger Mouse were also involved. On November 29, 2014, Ocean shared a preview of a new song called "Memrise" on his Tumblr page. The Guardian said the song showed his experimental style. On April 6, 2015, Ocean announced his new album would be released in July. But the album was delayed without explanation. It was rumored to be called Boys Don't Cry.
In February 2016, Ocean was on Kanye West's album The Life of Pablo. He was on the song "Wolves". Later, West re-edited the song. Ocean's part became its own song called "Frank's Track".
In July 2016, Ocean hinted at a new album with an image on his website. It showed a library card for Boys Don't Cry with many due dates. These dates ended in July 2016. Ocean's brother, Ryan Breaux, also hinted at the release on Instagram.
On August 1, 2016, a live stream started on boysdontcry.co. It showed Ocean working with wood and playing music. These were instrumental parts from his upcoming visual album Endless. News outlets reported August 5, 2016, as a possible release date for Boys Don't Cry. But this date was also incorrect. His collaborator Malay said Ocean is a perfectionist.
On August 18 and 19, 2016, the live stream had music. At midnight, an Apple Music link led to Endless. Endless was Ocean's last album with Def Jam Recordings. He released it to finish his contract. Before Endless, Ocean had been trying to leave Def Jam. He called his talks with the label a "seven-year chess game." He also changed many of his representatives. He bought back his master recordings from Def Jam.
On August 20, 2016, a music video for "Nikes" was uploaded to Apple Music and his website. Also on August 20, Ocean announced pop-up shops for his magazine Boys Don't Cry. These were in Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, and London. He also released his second studio album, Blonde. Blonde was very popular. It debuted at number one in many countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom. It sold 232,000 copies in its first week. Instead of a typical tour, Ocean traveled after Blonde was released. He visited countries like China, Japan, and France. He chose not to submit Blonde for the Grammy Awards. He felt the awards did not represent artists like him well. Time ranked Blonde as the best album of 2016. Forbes estimated that Blonde earned Ocean almost one million dollars in profit in one week. This was because he released the album on his own. On July 9, 2018, Blonde was certified platinum.
Recent Projects and Activities (2017–Present)
On February 21, 2017, DJ Calvin Harris announced his song "Slide." Ocean and hip-hop group Migos were featured on it. The song was released two days later. It was from Harris's album Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1. Ocean and Migos helped write and sing on the song. It was Ocean's first collaboration since leaving Def Jam.
"Slide" became very popular and was certified double platinum. It was Ocean's first top ten song on the Billboard Mainstream Top 40 chart. On March 10, 2017, Ocean released a new song, "Chanel." He played it on his radio show, Blonded Radio. He also played a version with rapper ASAP Rocky. This was his first solo song since Blonde and Endless. On later episodes of Blonded Radio, Ocean released more songs. These included "Biking" with Jay-Z and Tyler, the Creator. He also released "Lens" and a remix of "Slide On Me" with Young Thug. On May 15, Ocean was featured on ASAP Mob's "Raf." On August 28, Ocean released another song, "Provider."
In October 2017, Ocean published a photo essay called "New 17" in i-D magazine. In November 2017, Ocean hinted that his fifth music project was finished. But it is not known when it will be released. Ocean's voice is in the video game Grand Theft Auto V. He hosts a radio station in the game called Blonded Los Santos 97.8 FM. He also lent several of his songs to the game.
On February 14, 2018, Ocean released "Moon River." It was a cover of a song from the 1961 film, Breakfast at Tiffany's. In May 2018, Ocean was on two songs from ASAP Rocky's album Testing. In August 2018, Ocean was featured on "Carousel" from Travis Scott's album Astroworld. In September 2018, it was reported that Ocean had a legal issue with Scott. Ocean later said it was about social issues, not music, and was resolved. On November 6, 2018, three special episodes of Blonded Radio aired. They were related to the US Midterm elections. The shows did not have new songs by Ocean. They included talks about politics and Ocean being an openly queer Black man in rap music.
On February 5, 2019, Ocean's Tumblr account was hacked. It hinted at more of his music. On October 19, 2019, Ocean released a new song called "DHL." He announced 7-inch vinyl singles for two new songs, "Dear April" and "Cayendo." These singles had remixes by Justice and Sango. On November 1, 2019, Ocean released "In My Room." On November 3, he posted another vinyl single for "Little Demon" with a remix by Arca. However, on February 25, 2020, Ocean announced he would replace "Little Demon" with an unreleased song. The vinyl for "Little Demon" was canceled.
Ocean was scheduled to perform at Coachella in October 2020. But the festival was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In August 2021, Coachella confirmed Ocean would headline the festival in 2023. From March 25, 2020, Ocean's website started shipping the vinyl singles for "Dear April" and "Cayendo." These songs were officially released digitally on April 3.
On August 8, 2021, Frank Ocean launched his first fashion project, "Homer." He described Homer as "an independent American luxury company." Ocean said the project helped his mind stay active. He hopes to make things that last. The jewelry company has worked with Prada. It gets ideas from "childhood obsessions."
On December 25, 2021, Ocean released a new 9-minute song on Blonded Radio. It featured music from Cory Henry. In June 2022, it was announced that Ocean was talking about directing his first movie. A24 would produce it. In October, Ocean started Homer Radio. It is a weekly Apple Music 1 show.
On January 10, 2023, Coachella announced Ocean would headline the festival on April 16 and 23. These were his first live shows since 2017. Ocean started his show almost an hour late on April 16. He had to end it early due to local rules. Many fans and critics did not like the performance. It was not live-streamed on YouTube like other shows. No professional photographers were allowed. Ocean canceled his second Coachella performance due to a leg injury.
Musical Style
Music writers say Frank Ocean's music has a unique style. His music often uses an electronic keyboard, which Ocean plays himself. It usually has a quiet rhythm section. His songs are often at a medium speed. They have unusual melodies and sometimes experimental song structures. Critics have called him an "avant-garde R&B artist" and a "pop musician." Steven Hyden called him an "introspective psych-soul balladeer."
Ocean's song lyrics often talk about love, longing, doubts, and memories.
Impact on Music
Music critics say Ocean helped create alternative R&B. He brought a different style to R&B music. Both Insider and The Wall Street Journal called Ocean the most important artist of the 2010s. He was on Time magazine's list of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2013. He was also on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in 2017.
Andy Kellman from AllMusic wrote that Frank Ocean has been a very interesting artist since the early 2010s. He said Ocean's music is artful and hard to put into one category. Yet, he has moved R&B forward with his detailed stories. These stories show him as both a yearning romantic and a confident person.
Culture critic Nelson George says Ocean has found his own path in music. He is not competing with commercial R&B artists. He is creating a sound that balances adult feelings with young men trying to understand their desires. Callie Ahlgrim from Insider said Ocean "changed our very understanding of modern music." She added that he talks about youth, innocence, lost love, and loneliness. He does this in a way that feels new and special. This makes personal feelings seem universal.
Jacob Shamsian from Business Insider said Ocean is one of the most important artists in all of music. In a GQ article, Jon Savage called Ocean a "consummate contemporary artist." Savage praised Ocean for taking R&B to a "new level." He creates surprising sound pictures that fit his lyrics. Pitchfork called Ocean a "master of confessional songwriting." He gained a special status with his unique style. In 2023, Rolling Stone ranked Ocean among the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.
Photography Work
On August 20, 2016, Ocean released a 360-page magazine called Boys Don't Cry. It came out with his album Blonde. The magazine was about fashion and cars. It included photo projects from many photographers, including Ocean himself. Four months later, British magazine Print published more photos by Frank Ocean.
On May 1, 2017, Ocean attended the annual Met Gala. He was a special photographer for Vogue magazine. On October 23, 2017, he created two covers and a visual essay for the British fashion magazine, i-D.
Personal Life
Family
Frank Ocean's younger brother, Ryan Breaux, passed away in a car crash on August 2, 2020. He was 18 years old.
Name Change
In a 2011 interview, Ocean said he tried to change his name to Christopher Francis Ocean. He did this through a legal website on his 23rd birthday. The change was partly inspired by the 1960 film Ocean's 11. In March 2014, it was reported he was legally changing his name to Frank Ocean. In November 2014, it was revealed the name change had not been made legal yet. This was due to several speeding tickets. His name change was finally made legal on April 23, 2015.
Political Views
In 2019, Ocean encouraged British fans to vote for the Labour Party in the 2019 UK general elections. He did this through an Instagram story.
Ocean has shown support for the people in the Gaza Strip during the Israel–Hamas war. In October 2023, he signed an open letter from artists. The letter asked President Joe Biden to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
Awards and Nominations
Discography
Studio Albums
- Channel Orange (2012)
- Blonde (2016)
Mixtape
- Nostalgia, Ultra (2011)
Visual Album
- Endless (2016)
Images for kids
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Frank Ocean's signature
See also
In Spanish: Frank Ocean para niños
