Since emerging as a shy poet in the music industry in 2011, Frank Ocean has taken the world by storm. After a decade of enchanting millions of fans with his genre-defying melodies, rumors are spreading on social media that Ocean will be saying farewell to producing music, with his final album “Closed Chapter” releasing in the near future.
Frank Ocean will not just walk out of the music industry—he will make waves. Almost every album Ocean has put out is sensational and an achievement in itself. With over 17 billion total streams and 13 billion streams for his solos alone, people resonate with Ocean’s deep and heavy songs about love, longing, misgiving, privilege, loss and many more moving topics.
The question that everyone has been asking is: will he be releasing another album? Probably. In Coachella 2023, Ocean revealed to the crowd that he is in fact working on his new and final album. Whether this alleged album is actually happening is not yet completely confirmed. However, he did release a minute-long snippet of one of his new songs leading everyone to believe this news is true.
Let’s put aside all of these rumors for a moment and take some time to reflect and appreciate his art and rise to fame. Ocean got his start through his talents in songwriting. He ghostwrote for big names like Justin Bieber, Beyoncé and John Legend. However, his big break came when he joined the label “Odd Future.” He released his first mix-tape album in 2011 called “Nostalgia, Ultra.” This album was considered relatively big, with its hit song “Novacane.”
“Nostalgia, Ultra” was a hit, but nothing compared to his next studio album titled “Channel Orange.” He released this body of art in 2012 with the lead single “Thinkin’ Bout You”. This album and single is what brought Ocean to mainstream recognition.
“I probably heard Frank Ocean first on TikTok a couple of years ago” junior Suhaas Bandlamudi said. “ Some of his big songs like ‘Thinkin’ Bout You’ and ‘Lost’ are everywhere, they are very catchy.”
“Channel Orange” is a piece of art celebrated by millions worldwide, earning it a Grammy for “Best Urban Contemporary Album.” It was also nominated for “Album of the Year.” It sold 10 million copies worldwide, and charted second on the Billboard Hot 200. Although it came out nearly 12 years ago, its popularity has continued on streaming platforms.
“I love Channel Orange and listen to it regularly and it is on most of my playlists. It has been that way for years,” sophomore Shaila Esparza said. “Frank Ocean is one of my favorite artists and his music will never get old.”
His next big body of work came out in 2016, titled “Blonde.” This album was recorded in 2013 and was Ocean’s way of imagining himself in a different light. The popularity of this album has since skyrocketed and is still very popular to this day, even though it was released in late August of 2016. It covers topics of love, loss, trauma and self discovery.
On Frank Ocean’s Tumblr he revealed that this album perceived himself as a blonde, American girl in a car. Not knowing how the media and people would react, this made for a leap of faith into the music industry which was well-received.
Although no one really knows if the end of Ocean’s music-producing career is near or far, people remain hopeful.
“Frank Ocean has had a very good run so far,” sophomore Julia Katz said. “Although if he really is dropping new music, I don’t think it will be soon—or even ever.”
Consistently, his fans feel that they have watched him grow and improve throughout the process of it all. Ocean has inspired many and improved the music industry single-handedly. As Ocean’s loving fans prepare to immerse themselves in his final chapter, they can know for sure that their favorite artist has left an amazing legacy.
