It has been a while since fans heard from the elusive Frank Ocean, but after he recently broke radio silence, some fans might be wondering if he’s planning on releasing a new album soon.
Is Frank Ocean Recording New Music?
He must be. On Wednesday night (November 8), he posted an Instagram Story that appeared to contain a snippet of a new song — the first unheard music he’s shared with fans since December 2021, when he played a nine-minute song on his Apple Music show, Blonded Radio. This could be the first indication that more is in store, hyping up some fans for the possibility of a follow-up to 2016’s Blonde. So…
Does Frank Ocean Have An Album On The Way?
Back in April, Frank gave fans the most recent update on a potential album, which is that it exists — but not really(?). During his… “controversial” Coachella set, Frank said, “I want to talk about why I’m here because it’s not because of a new album. It’s because… not that there’s not a new album, just like… but there’s not right now.” Which clears everything right up. If there is, in fact, a new album coming, though, Frank will have plenty to address on it.
What Is Frank Ocean’s New Album About?
To be honest, there’s no telling, but with everything that has happened in the last seven years since Blonde, there’s no shortage of inspiration. We’ve had a global pandemic, an attempted insurrection, the rise and fall of crypto, and the emergence of AI. Black folks reclaimed dance music again, and we all know he has a vested interest in the ball culture that Beyoncé mined so expertly on Renaissance. Frank has also experienced personal turmoil; during Coachella, he talked about the 2020 death of his brother Ryan in a car crash, something that could have affected his music plans.
When Can We Expect A Release Date For Frank Ocean’s New Album?
Whenever Frank feels like revealing one. For what it’s worth, he’s never been fond of the traditional structures of the music industry, releasing Blonde literally a day after the visual album Endless without so much as a cryptic social media post to promote it.
Will Frank Ocean’s New Album Have Features?
Again, there’s little concrete information to go on here. However, judging by Frank’s past output and vast music industry connections, just about anyone from Beyoncé to Tyler The Creator could appear on a future project. While Endless and Blonde were both mostly solo affairs, his debut album Channel Orange contained features from André 3000, Earl Sweatshirt, and John Mayer. As a songwriter, he’s worked with Brandy, John Legend, Justin Bieber, and more, so he could easily call in a few favors.