Is Frank Ocean Thinking About You?

Being a Frank Ocean enthusiast can be summed up in two words: unrequited love. Since Tumblr’s heyday, Ocean has been steadily expanding his musical repertoire and treating our cochleas with the cathartic vocals, inimitable lyricism, and genre-bending production that have made him one of the most influential artists in modern music. However, his reclusive behavior and the unorthodox methods in which he distributes his creative offerings have sent his cult followers on a, well, endless emotional roller coaster ride. Ocean’s following has been forced to grapple with his elusive personality, and as a result, the dynamic between him and his fans continues to fluctuate.

There’s no artist who toes the line between being deeply relatable and completely mysterious quite like Ocean. Through his lyrics, we’re able to capture anecdotes about his personal life — but it still feels like we’re only scratching the surface of fully understanding who he is. These snapshots and fleeting moments are why we pay such close attention to his every move and clutch onto his every word.

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In the same fashion that a television show or a movie can make you feel connected to its characters or move you to tears, Ocean creates art that makes you feel seen. He displays an unprecedented ability to amalgamate elements of trap, neo-soul, R&B and psychedelic pop to create sonic masterpieces. He bobs and weaves through chords with catchy melodies, brings experimental sounds to the fore and croons about heavy themes such as self-love and self-hate, failed relationships, depression and drugs. He’s painfully honest, which leaves room for his intimate topics to resonate with listeners.

Ocean also makes music that lends itself to rabid fan conspiracies — a quality that few artists possess. There’s even a podcast, Dissect, devoted to examining the motifs from his tunes like the heartbreak that he references on “Ivy” and being open about his sexuality on “Thinkin Bout You.”

Ocean is an inconsistent and largely incomparable artist, and the most difficult part to cope with is that he simply won’t meet you halfway. He seems to have become more sporadic with his releases and performances as his profile and popularity grows, which, in a strange inverse, might make him even more reclusive. Since channel ORANGE released in 2012, Ocean has released two full-length projects, dropped just enough singles to count on two hands, given us several feature verses, played one headlining tour and performed at a handful of music festivals. This output is meager for an artist of Ocean’s stature, one whose every release is a cultural moment.

Homer

Ocean’s constant breadcrumbing continues to leave fans irked and confused. He teased the release of an album titled Boys Don’t Cry in 2015, the same year that he canceled his headlining performance at FYF Fest. Similarly, in 2019, he released singles “DHL” and “In My Room” with intriguing cover art that suggested the arrival of a larger body of work, but nothing ever materialized. The back of the posters that dropped during the most recent Blonde vinyl restock in December 2022 featured a cryptic message suggesting that he is “interested in more durational bodies of work,” but there has been no clarification on what this meant. He shows no desire to reconcile with his fans other than by selling his luxury Homer jewelry — which isn’t accessible to the average middle class consumer due to its high price points.

Like all artists who have “made it,” Ocean wouldn’t be anywhere without his fans. There has always been a disconnect between the two because he rarely participates in interviews and has little to no social media presence, yet has everyone talking about him without saying a word. Though his reputation as one of the greatest singer-songwriters of the past few decades is due to his transcendent skill, his talent would fall on deaf ears if people weren’t willing to listen to him — to put up with his whims and sporadic behavior because they love and respect his art.

Ocean recently headlined music’s biggest stage during weekend one of Coachella 2023. The performance underwent last minute production changes such as the removal of an ice rink, and he muscled through the show with an ankle fracture. During the set, Ocean hinted at the idea of a new album releasing, which of course, got fans riled up. But one of the more important segments was when he opened up about mourning the loss of his brother. It was a rare and emotional moment, especially coming from someone who prefers to live a private life, and it bonded him closer to his fans that were seeking an update from him.

Blonded

Overall, Ocean’s performance was divisive. Some marveled at how he remixed his songs with tantalizing instrumentations and new progressions. Others felt it was lackluster due to his tardiness, peculiar rave segment, and abrupt ending. In an unprecedented move, Coachella didn’t post about the performance. Ocean even claimed that it wasn’t what he intended to show in his statement before backing out of the festival’s second weekend. The mentioning of his brother’s passing and the aforementioned injury shouldn’t be dismissed. But considering its polarizing reactions and the anticipation that was built up around this performance given that it was his first in six years — even BMW hyped it up with social content centered around his orange E30 from his Nostalgia, Ultra cover art — it gives us another reason to ask, “Does Ocean care about his fans?”

And now that AI has entered the chat, it’s even harder to discern what’s real and what’s not, especially as it pertains to an artist that prefers to remain solitary and mysterious. With the rise of AI-generated content, including deep fake audio and video, there is a risk that more fabricated Frank Ocean songs or interviews will continue to circulate online, as Ocean himself isn’t the type to debunk any speculation or rumors. This blurring of boundaries between reality and artificial content could potentially erode the trust and connection between Ocean and his fans even further, which is why maintaining transparency and open communication to navigate this evolving landscape is so important.

The flip side of Ocean’s behavior is that in some ways, he has defied the traditional music industry playbook. For a lot of artists in today’s sphere, neglecting to perform, promote and consistently release radio hits and new projects and would be career suicide. But for Ocean, it has become part of his brand. He’s allowed his music to retain a sense of intrigue and anticipation, ensuring that each release becomes a momentous event that fans eagerly anticipate and savor. In an era of constant streaming and instant gratification, where artists often release multiple projects, singles, and collaborations to remain in the public eye, his deliberate approach challenges the industry’s expectations. This departure sets him apart and adds to the allure of his artistry.

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Uncertainty surrounds Ocean’s future endeavors, including when he will perform again or release new music, but there is an underlying understanding and empathy that Ocean, like any other human being, operates on his own timeline and sets his own personal boundaries. Fans may desire more music from Ocean, but they can redirect their energy towards exploring his existing discography and dive deeper into the nuances of his production and his lyrics, or listen to the artists that inspire him to trace the lineage of his music. Engaging with other fans in online communities or attending events where his music is celebrated is also viable. And just like he sings on Blonde, you can wish him Godspeed with his next project — but don’t get your hopes up.