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On December 29, 2023, an alleged Frank Ocean and Blood Orange demo tape immediately sent the artist's fans into a frenzy, as this could mean a potential Frank Ocean project was in the works. The alleged leak was posted by several accounts on X (formerly Twitter), with fans quick to share their excitement over the supposed Frank Ocean x Blood Orange collaboration.
With Ocean's last project, Blonde, released back in 2016, regarded by critics as the most contemporary and diverse soundtrack ever produced in his career, fans have been buzzing for years with anticipation for the artist's next big project.
The seven-year hiatus had fans debating whether Frank had quit music or was on a prolonged break till the alleged leak surfaced, which seems to have re-ignited their passion for more Frank Ocean music.
The alleged Frank Ocean leak leaves fans begging for more
As of late October 2023, Frank returned to Instagram, posting stories of his selfies, songs he's been listening to lately, and a snippet of him dancing to some of his newer work in a studio. From the teaser on his story, fans believed the Blonde artist had finally returned with potential new music on the way.
On December 29, 2023, an alleged snippet of a Frank Ocean/Blood Orange demo track surfaced online, with fans reacting positively to the supposed track consisting of harmony and vocal performances from both artists.
The alleged snippet birthed rumors that a new Ocean project could be a collaboration with Blood Orange, an alias used by Devonte Hynes, an artist influenced by alternative and indie music heavily inspired by R&B, funk, lo-fi pop, and soul. Here are some reactions from fans:
Frank Ocean is an artist who established himself as one of the 21st century's most relevant contemporary musical icons. His first project, Channel Orange, is his most critically acclaimed work, earning him his first Grammy award, with his follow-up project, Blonde, only accentuating his contemporary status.
Blonde, released in 2016, is regarded as his best work, with the 15-track project exploring his vulnerability not just as an artist but as an individual, tackling themes of love, relationships, drug addiction, mortality, mental health, and depression. Frank expressed his raw emotions through Hip-Hop subgenres like R&B, soul, and psychedelic pop.
Blonde was Ocean's last major project release. Since then, the artist has released a couple of singles like Chanel (2017), Moon River (2018), DHL (2019), In My Room (2019), Dear April (2020), and Cayendo (2020).
Three years have passed since Ocean released any dedicated singles or albums. In that time, however, he headlined Coachella, dropped new collections from Homer, an independent American luxury company founded by Ocean, and published a book.
His Coachella performance was a widely spoken about event, with the set starting an hour late due to production and personal issues. Frank still delivered an elusive, strange, and captivating set through all the last-minute changes. During his performance, the artist was concealed behind a large screen, which would project shots of him performing to the audience.
During the performance, the artist also nodded to the existence of an album when he said,
“I want to talk about why I’m here because it’s not because of a new album, not that there’s not a new album.”
Frank Ocean's perfectionist streak is the most suspected reason for a delay in any official music updates or release-ready projects. This idea was confirmed by John Carroll Kirby, an artist who collaborated with Ocean on DHL. In an interview with Blackbird Spyplane (a substack publication covering culture, style, and fashion), Kirby said:
“He feels frozen under the expectations people have put on him to follow up Blonde with a 10/10 classic. Like, he can’t bear the idea of putting something out and people going, ‘Huh, kinda mid’, and he’s paralyzed by that.”
There is no official announcement from Frank on any release dates or confirmation from him on the rumors surrounding an upcoming album with Blood Orange. But fans are left excited since the alleged leak on December 29, 2023, could confirm what his community has been discussing for the past seven years - Frank Ocean is about to release another album.
Why Frank Ocean is considered an unconventional artist
Frank Ocean is an individual who's managed to create a fanbase that finds him frustrating and intriguing at the same time. He's an artist who rarely does press interviews, and whenever he does, he obscures details about his personal life from the public.
He regularly reschedules dates for announced projects and performances or outright cancels them. He barely endorses any brands and has publicly stated multiple times that he's not interested in the "money."
As a songwriter, he created a unique path to success, as cited above, by abandoning everything considered "industry standard," which is why Frank Ocean is often considered one of our generation's most influential and creative minds.
Frank has been nominated for a Grammy award seven times, of which he won twice. Frank's debut solo album Channel Orange, released in 2012, hit No. 2 on the Billboard 200, earning him the Best Urban Contemporary Album award at the 55th Grammy Awards the same year.
He earned his second Grammy for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for his work on No Church In The Wild, featuring Jay Z, The Dream, and Kanye West.
