Each time the cryptically beloved Frank Ocean updates fans on news regarding his music, he turns blonded RADIO to reveal his projects.
Most recently, Frank delivered a nearly nine minute long freestyle titled “iceman” on Christmas 2021, which had momentarily staved off fans hungry for new music, considering he has not put out any official music since 2020’s simultaneously released singles “Cayendo” and “Dear April.”
On Sunday (July 10), Frank sent his stans into frenzy once again, announcing a new episode of blonded RADIO just about 20 minutes before the episode aired. Throughout the first half of the episode, Frank shared a lengthy clip of a conversation he held with a drug expert about the concept of micro-dosing, specifically with mushrooms and LSD. Subtly in this dialogue, Frank revealed he had been recording music in Malibu, California this summer.
Then about 35 minutes into the episode, the background music shifted from a dance track to a piano-driven instrumental with occasional synth noises and eventually to a groovy drum beat paired with serene guitar playing, which were all allegedly produced by Frank. This portion consists of a Chinese speaker named Mingtong Gu discussing the Chinese meditative practice named Qi Gong, which helps explore the way energy is exerted in the physical and spiritual world, how it is accessed and how it is a universal language.
At the same time the episode began on the Apple 1 Radio station, Frank launched new merchandise on his blonded.co website, including six new t-shirts and a poster.
In the time between the Christmas episode and Sunday’s, there have been a few news tidbits about Frank, including his potential headlining set for Coachella 2023 and an upcoming A24 film he could be directing. While no news of upcoming music has been that convincing, Frank had rumored to be shopping his next album with labels and executives to gauge their opinions of it.
Ultimately, Frank moves at his own pace and all we can do is wait for the next small step towards a tangible music release. Until then, go buy some of his latest merch here.
