Its physical release was accompanied by a magazine entitled Boys Don't Cry.īlonde features an abstract and experimental sound in comparison to Ocean's previous releases, encompassing styles such as R&B, pop, soul, avant-garde, indie rock, electronica, psychedelia, and hip hop. Beginning in 2013 and ending in 2016, recording for the album took place at New York's Electric Lady Studios and, after a period of writer's block, in London at Abbey Road Studios and in Los Angeles' Henson Recording Studios. Initially known as Boys Don't Cry and teased for a July 2015 release, the album suffered several delays and was the subject of widespread media anticipation leading up to its release. In 2013, Ocean confirmed that his follow up to Channel Orange would be another concept album. Production was handled by Ocean himself, alongside a variety of high-profile record producers, including Malay and Om'Mas Keith, who collaborated with Ocean on Channel Orange, as well as James Blake, Jon Brion, Buddy Ross, Pharrell Williams, and Rostam Batmanglij, among others. The album features guest vocals from André 3000, Beyoncé, and Kim Burrell, among others. It was released on August 20, 2016, as a timed exclusive on the iTunes Store and Apple Music, and followed the August 19 release of Ocean's video album Endless.
It was a timely reminder: Ocean blossoms fully when he has complete creative control.Blonde (alternatively titled blond) is the second studio album by American singer Frank Ocean. In 2016, after missed release dates and cryptic silence, Ocean surprise-released Endless, his final record with Def Jam, via a black-and-white live video stream-and, the next day, self-released Blonde, an album that blurred boundaries between soul, hip-hop, electronica, and indie rock.
Though never outwardly labeling his sexuality, Ocean became one of the first Black artists to address his queerness so openly. That website remains his direct communication line to his fans-the platform on which he revealed that his “first love” was a man, days prior to releasing his 2012 major-label debut, Channel Orange. Raised in New Orleans, the singer-songwriter signed to Def Jam Recordings as a solo artist in 2009, but his contentious relationship with the label led him to share his 2011 breakout mixtape, Nostalgia, Ultra, as a free download on Tumblr. A master of confessional songwriting, Frank Ocean earned cult-icon status with his enigmatic persona and idiosyncratic approach to pop.
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