Frank Ocean has been swimming in my Spotify playlists for five months. His music has increasingly drifted my way ever since, and this is because of my sister, Payton Schram. Overall, Ocean’s music wraps around listeners in short intervals of time.
It has been nine years since Frank Ocean’s last album was released – Blond in 2016. Ocean, real name Christopher Breaux, has been involved with the music industry since he debuted his first single “John Ehret High School Alma Mater (Live)” on May 1, 2005.
Breaux vanished after nearly 11 years of making music- 2 studio albums, one visual album, one mixtape, and 21 singles.
I have chosen four songs that showcase the features that make Frank Ocean’s music popular among his audience and other artists.
The first is “Lost” from Ocean’s one of two studio albums Channel Orange. This song highlights the Alternative R&B genre of Ocean’s style of music.
When I listened to it for the first time, my sister told me that this song got her hooked on Frank Ocean. It is completely relatable because the song discusses an individual wanting to switch onto a better path in life.
“Lost” is one of those songs where you can study the lyrics, melody, and tone simultaneously. Overall, I give this song four music notes out of five.
Traveling from Channel Orange to Ocean’s second studio album, Blond, I found my favorite song, “Self Control.”
“Self Control” is a song that connects with the audience immediately and personally. It examines the pure, raw emotion that specializes in Ocean as an artist. “Self Control” regards the misfortunes in relationships that transpire at unpredictable, unfortunate times.
Because love is a complex concept for young adults to comprehend, this piece of music is appropriate and relatable to that audience—hence why it is my favorite piece by him. This song will always get five out of five music notes.
In Channel Orange, the song that arguably spotlighted Ocean makes its second appearance with Ocean’s hit “Thinkin’ Bout You.”
The common theme within these songs concerns different experiences of love. “Thinkin’ Bout You” highlights unrequited love, another emotion-induced Alternative R&B piece. Two individuals, one who reaches out for the other, while the other is oblivious to the attempts being made.
One of the many common high school experiences consists of having a secret crush. This piece grasps the younger audience continuously. Even though it is not my favorite, I still enjoy the rhythmic tune it produces. I give this song four music notes out of five.
This final piece competes with “Self Control” for the title of “My Favorite Frank Ocean Song.” Returning to the Blond album, there is “White Ferrari.” If you yearn for an emotionally appealing song that separates itself from traditional gloomy music, Ocean’s “White Ferrari” is the song to have on repeat.
The piece was published in honor of Ocean’s brother passing away but revolves around the silence between two lovers who struggle to express themselves but are dedicated to one another. “White Ferrari” is soft on the ears and can be studied easily. This theme is similar to how smooth “Lost” is. I love this song regardless of its popularity because of TikTok. Without a doubt, this song gets five music notes out of five.
Overall, I recommend Frank Ocean to anyone. His music style comforts you regardless of what genre you listen to.
Although he has been away from the music industry for about a decade, there have been rumors going around and he has been teasing his fans about potentially releasing another album. So for you brand new listeners, there might still be an opportunity for you to experience his music firsthand.
