When rumors emerged in September 2021 that Frank Ocean was shopping the follow-up album to his 2016 masterpiece Blonde, fans quickly stopped in their tracks.
Ocean — who exited his deal with Def Jam Recordings following the release of his visual LP Endless — has been slated to headline Coachella’s 2023 lineup since last June. Coachella co-founder Paul Tollet sat down with the Los Angeles Times initially confirming the Channel Orange singer’s set this coming April — and fans think Frank won’t be playing seven-year-old music on stage.
Ocean reignited the burning question of his impending return to music without saying a word, as conversation surrounding his reported studio album began to pick back up this week. According to a previous report from Hits Daily Double, it states that Ocean’s attorneys have “been taking meetings and playing the music for execs as he plans his return” since mid-summer.
This comes after Ocean attended the Met Gala that continued a recent string of public appearances in late 2021. In August that same year, Frank had announced a debut line of luxury jewelry and his newly-founded company Homer, which consists of “fine and high jewelry pieces,” ranging from $395 to $1.9 million.
Sitting down with Financial Times in his first interview in over two years, Frank opened up about Homer’s inception — detailing his motivations behind business ownership, his journey into “hard goods,” his relationship with Virgil Abloh, his fashion inspirations and what he keeps locked away on his iPad — “until he’s ready to show the world.” Ocean is also in talks of directing his first feature film with production powerhouse A24 in the near future.
Releasing singles in “DHL,” “In My Room,” “Dear April” and “Cayendo” in 2019-20, Ocean looked to be gearing up for an eventual album release off these tracks. However, when his 18-year-old brother Ryan Breaux tragically passed away in 2020, any previous plans for a project were seemingly put on hold.
In hopes that he has completed a distribution deal, we can only pray that Frank’s long-awaited return comes before he touches down in the Coachella desert.
This story will be updated.
