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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Frank Ocean (born Christopher Edwin Breaux; October 28, 1987) is an American singer and songwriter. Many music experts see him as a leader in the alternative R&B music style. 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 journey writing songs for other artists. In 2010, he joined the hip hop group Odd Future. He signed with Def Jam Recordings in 2009. However, 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. 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 four-year break, Ocean released the visual album Endless in 2016. This was to finish his contract with Def Jam. His second studio album, Blonde, came out independently the next day. Blonde was praised by critics. It reached number one on the US Billboard 200 chart. It was also ranked first on Pitchfork's Best Albums of the 2010s list. Since 2017, Ocean has released new songs sometimes. He has also worked as a photographer for magazines. He started his own fashion brand called Homer. He also launched Homer Radio. Many of Ocean's songs have appeared on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Four of his releases have been certified platinum.
Contents
Early Life and Music Beginnings
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, later worked as a contractor. His parents divorced when he was six. He was raised by his mother. When he was five, his family moved to New Orleans. He grew up in a Christian home.
Ocean's grandfather, Lionel McGruder Jr., was like a father to him. Lionel helped others who faced challenges with addiction. He would take Ocean to meetings where he helped people. This inspired Ocean's song "Crack Rock" from Channel Orange. His grandfather also gave him the nickname Lonny, which Frank Ocean still uses. Lionel passed away in 2010. Frank Ocean dedicated the song "There Will Be Tears" to him on his mixtape Nostalgia, Ultra. He also mentioned him in his 2017 song "Lens".
After finishing John Ehret 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 recording 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
Starting Out: Odd Future and Nostalgia, Ultra (2006–2011)
In 2006, Ocean moved to Los Angeles to start his music career. He worked at fast-food jobs to support himself. In less than three years, he became a songwriter. He wrote songs for artists like Justin Bieber, Beyonce, John Legend, and Brandy. Ocean later said he could have kept writing for others. But he wanted to do more with his own music.
He chose the stage name Frank Ocean. He got the name from Frank Sinatra and the 1960s movie Ocean's 11. Soon after, he joined the hip hop group Odd Future. He met them in 2009. His friendship with Odd Future member Tyler, the Creator helped his 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. The mixtape was highly praised. It talked about relationships, personal thoughts, and society. NPR called his songwriting "smart and subtle". Rolling Stone magazine called Ocean a "gifted avant-R&B smoothie".
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In April 2011, Ocean said his relationship with Def Jam had improved. The mixtape made Ocean well-known. It led to him working with rappers Jay-Z and Kanye West. Ocean appeared in Tyler, the Creator's music video for "She". This was from Tyler's album Goblin (2011). His first live show was with Odd Future at the 2011 Coachella festival. He then joined them on their first tour. In May 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 the Kanye West and Jay-Z album, Watch the Throne. Ocean helped write and sang on two songs: "No Church in the Wild" and "Made in America". On July 28, 2011, a song called "Thinkin Bout You" was leaked online. It was a demo song Ocean wrote for Roc Nation artist Bridget Kelly. Kelly renamed the song 'Thinking About Forever'. In September 2011, a music video for Ocean's version was released. In August 2011, Frank Ocean was on the cover of The Fader magazine.
Breakthrough with Channel Orange (2012–2013)
Ocean released the cover art for his first album's main song, "Thinkin Bout You". It was released to digital stores on April 10, 2012. A month earlier, a new version of the song had already leaked. He said the song showed who he was as an artist at that time. He focused on telling stories in his music.
In 2012, Ocean released his first studio album Channel Orange. Critics loved it and named it the best album of the year. It earned Ocean six Grammy Award nominations. Some writers said it pushed the R&B genre in a new direction. Channel Orange was Ocean's first album released by a major record label. It had unique songs known for their stories and social comments. The music blended jazz, soul, and R&B. Funk and electronic music also influenced the album. Songs about unshared feelings received much attention. This was partly because Ocean shared personal feelings before the album came out. This news made headlines around the world.
Channel Orange debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 chart. It sold 131,000 copies in its first week. Most sales were digital copies from iTunes. 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 the You're Not Dead ... 2013 Tour. This was a fourteen-date tour 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 cancelled. James Blake performed instead on the second night. Ocean also appeared on John Mayer's album Paradise Valley. He was featured on a song called "Wildfire".
New Music: Endless and Blonde (2013–2016)
In February 2013, Ocean confirmed he started working on his second 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 planned to record part of the album in Bora Bora.
On March 10, 2014, the song "Hero" was available 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 done. In September 2014, Ocean signed with new management.
In June, Billboard reported that Ocean was working with many artists. These included Happy Perez, Charlie Gambetta, and Kevin Ristro. Producers Hit-Boy, Rodney Jerkins, and Danger Mouse were also involved. On November 29, 2014, Ocean released a short part of a new song. It was called "Memrise" and was from his upcoming album. The Guardian said the song showed his experimental style.
On April 6, 2015, Ocean announced his new album would be out in July. The album was not released in July, and no reason was given. The album was rumored to be called Boys Don't Cry. It was expected to include "Memrise". In February 2016, Ocean was on Kanye West's album The Life of Pablo. He was on the song "Wolves". A month later, West re-edited the song. Ocean's part became its own song called "Frank's Track".
In July 2016, he hinted at a possible album release in July. An image on his website showed a library card for Boys Don't Cry. It had many stamps, suggesting release dates. The dates started in July 2015 and ended in July 2016. Ocean's brother, Ryan Breaux, also hinted at this on Instagram.
By August 1, 2016, a live stream appeared on boysdontcry.co. It showed Ocean working with wood and playing music. These were instrumental parts from his upcoming visual album Endless. Many news outlets reported August 5, 2016, as the release date for Boys Don't Cry. That date was also incorrect. His collaborator Malay said Ocean is a perfectionist.
On August 18 and 19, 2016, the live stream played music. At midnight, an Apple Music link led to Endless. Endless was Ocean's last album with Def Jam Recordings. This fulfilled his contract with them. Before Endless was released, Ocean tried 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 all his master recordings from Def Jam.
On August 20, 2016, a music video for "Nikes" was uploaded. It was on Apple Music and his website. Also on August 20, Ocean announced pop-up shops. These were in Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, and London. They were for his magazine Boys Don't Cry. He also released his second studio album Blonde. Blonde was highly praised. It debuted at number one in several countries, including the United States. 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 Grammy Award consideration. He felt the Grammys did not represent artists like him well. Time ranked Blonde as the best album of 2016. Forbes estimated that Blonde earned Ocean nearly one million in profits. This was because he released it independently. On July 9, 2018, Blonde was certified platinum.
Blonded Radio and Recent Music (2017–2020)
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 are credited for vocals and songwriting. The song was released on February 23, 2017. It was played on the first episode of Ocean's Beats 1 radio show, Blonded Radio. This was Ocean's first recorded collaboration after leaving Def Jam.
The song was certified double platinum. It became Ocean's first top ten song on the Billboard Mainstream Top 40 chart. On March 10, 2017, Ocean released a new song "Chanel". It was on the second episode of Blonded Radio. He also played a version with rapper ASAP Rocky. This was his first solo song after Blonde and Endless. In April, on Blonded Radio, Ocean premiered "Biking". It featured Jay-Z and Tyler, the Creator. He also released "Lens", and a version with Travis Scott. A remix of Endless track "Slide On Me" featured Young Thug. On May 15, Ocean was featured on ASAP Mob's "Raf". On August 28, Ocean released another song, "Provider", on Blonded Radio.
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 or if it will be released. Ocean's voice is in the video game Grand Theft Auto V. He plays himself hosting a radio station called Blonded Los Santos 97.8 FM. He also lent songs like "Provider", "Ivy", "Crack Rock", "Chanel", "Nights", and "Pretty Sweet" to the game.
On February 14, 2018, Ocean released "Moon River". This was a cover of the song from the 1961 film, Breakfast at Tiffany's. In May 2018, Ocean was featured on songs from ASAP Rocky's album Testing. In August 2018, Ocean was on the song "Carousel" from Travis Scott's album Astroworld. In September 2018, it was reported that Ocean had a disagreement with Scott. Ocean later said it was about social issues, not music. The issue was resolved. On November 6, 2018, three special Blonded Radio shows aired. They were related to the US Midterm elections. They included political discussions.
On February 5, 2019, Ocean's Tumblr account was hacked. It hinted at more of his music. On October 19, 2019, Ocean released "DHL" on Blonded Radio. He also announced vinyl singles for "Dear April" and "Cayendo". These featured 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". It featured 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 cancelled.
Ocean was set to headline Coachella in October 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the festival was postponed. Then it was cancelled. In August 2021, Coachella co-founder Paul Tollett confirmed Ocean would headline in 2023. From March 25, 2020, Ocean's website started shipping vinyl singles for "Dear April" and "Cayendo". Many people had issues receiving orders or refunds. The songs were officially released digitally on April 3.
Homer and Recent Activities (2021–Present)
On August 8, 2021, Frank Ocean launched his first fashion project, "Homer". He had announced it in an interview. Homer was described as "an independent American luxury company founded by Frank Ocean". Frank wrote on Instagram that the project kept his mind busy. He hoped to make lasting things. He said it was "3 years in the making". The jewelry company has worked with Prada. It is inspired by "childhood obsessions".
On December 25, 2021, Ocean released a new 9-minute song. It was on his Blonded Radio show. 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. This is a weekly Apple Music 1 show. It shares music played in their office.
On January 10, 2023, Coachella announced Ocean would headline on April 16 and 23. These were his first live shows since 2017. Ocean started his set almost an hour late on April 16. He had to end the show early due to local rules. Fans and critics widely criticized the performance. It was not live-streamed on YouTube like other shows. No professional photographers were allowed. No merchandise was available. Many felt Ocean's effort was disappointing. He cancelled his appearance for the festival's second weekend. He said it was due to a leg injury.
In January 2025, it was confirmed that Ocean would direct his first movie. David Jonsson was announced as the lead actor. The movie was filming in Mexico City. Its title, story details, and release dates were not confirmed.
Musical Style and Themes
Music writers describe Ocean's music as unique. His music often uses the 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". He is also known as an "avant-soul singer". Steven Hyden called him "an introspective psych-soul balladeer".
In Ocean's songwriting, Jon Pareles noticed influences from R&B songwriters. These include Prince, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Maxwell, and Erykah Badu. Jody Rosen called him a torch singer. This is because of his focus on sad romantic stories in slow songs. Chris Richards described Ocean's live shows as "low-key". While nostalgia, ULTRA used sampled melodies, Channel Orange showed Ocean as the main composer. Music journalist Robert Christgau said Ocean avoids showing off when he is the only composer.
Ocean's lyrics often explore themes of love, longing, doubt, and looking back at the past. His song "Novacane" compares a numb relationship to mainstream radio. "Voodoo" mixes spiritual and personal themes. This is a unique take on common R&B topics. Corbon Goble said "Voodoo" shows Ocean's "sometimes-bleak, depressive lyrical tendencies". MTV News writer Tirhakah Love said Ocean's songs change how we think about memories. They make us "dive deep into our own memories and feel something indelibly real". Some songs on Channel Orange hint at Ocean's experience with unshared feelings.
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 wrote that Frank Ocean has been a fascinating artist. He said Ocean's music goes beyond simple R&B. He has moved the genre forward with his detailed stories. Culture critic Nelson George said Ocean has created a unique sound. This sound balances adult concerns with young men trying to understand their feelings. Callie Ahlgrim said Ocean "changed our very understanding of modern music". She said 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 said Ocean is one of the most important artists in all of music. Jon Savage called Ocean a "consummate contemporary artist". He said Ocean explores new sounds deeply. Savage praised Ocean for taking R&B to a "new level". Pitchfork called Ocean a "master of confessional songwriting". They said he earned a special status with his mysterious personality and unique pop 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, Boys Don't Cry. It came out with his album Blonde. The magazine focused on fashion and cars. It included photo projects from many artists, including Ocean himself. Four months later, Print magazine published more of Frank Ocean's photo work.
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 i-D fashion magazine.
Personal Life
Family
Ocean's younger brother, Ryan Breaux, passed away in a car crash on August 2, 2020. He was 18 years old. The crash involved a single vehicle.
Public Statements
Ocean wrote an open letter that he first planned for his Channel Orange album notes. On July 4, 2012, he published the letter on his Tumblr blog. He shared about strong feelings he had for another young man when he was 19. He called it his first true love. He used the blog to thank the man for his impact. He also thanked his mother and friends. He said, "I don't have any secrets I need kept anymore... I feel like a free man." Many famous people supported Ocean after his announcement. These included Beyoncé and Jay-Z.
People in the hip hop industry generally reacted positively. Tyler, the Creator and other members of OFWGKTA shared their support for Ocean. Russell Simmons wrote an article praising him. He said Ocean's decision gave hope to many young people. In a 2012 interview, Ocean said that life is always changing. He felt the same way about music styles as he did about labels for people.
In June 2016, after a tragic event in Orlando, Ocean wrote an essay. He shared his sadness and frustration. He mentioned that his first experience with hateful comments was from his father when he was six. He talked about how some people pass on hateful ideas. In 2017, Ocean's father sued him. On October 17, 2017, a judge ruled in favor of Ocean. The judge said his father did not provide enough proof.
Name Change
In a 2011 interview, Ocean said he tried to change his name. He wanted to change it to Christopher Francis Ocean 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 was delayed. This was due to several speeding tickets. It was finally made legal on April 23, 2015.
Political Views
In 2019, Ocean encouraged British fans to vote for the Labour Party. He did this through an Instagram story.
Ocean has shown support for the people of the Gaza Strip. He signed an October 2023 letter from artists. This letter urged then-President Joe Biden to call for peace 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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Ocean in 2011
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Ocean (right) with Tyler, the Creator at Coachella in April 2012
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Ocean performing at Coachella 2012
See also
In Spanish: Frank Ocean para niños
