On October 28, 1987, Frank Ocean was born. And the music industry soon would be altered forever. Christopher Edwin Breaux, better known by his stage name, Frank Ocean, was born in Long Beach, California, but lived in New Orleans for the majority of his childhood. He grew up with music flowing through the streets of his hometown, and in his blood, seeing that both of his parents and grandfather were all very musically inclined. After graduating from high school, Ocean had plans to study English at the University of New Orleans, but his plans were unexpectedly changed after Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005. As a result of that unfortunate event, Ocean transferred to the University of Louisiana, but soon dropped out to focus on music.
After this, in 2006, Ocean moved to LA to grow his music career. 3 years later, Ocean became a songwriter under the name Lonny Breaux. He wrote songs for many notable artists, including Justin Bieber, Beyoncé, and John Legend. Then, he adopted the stage name Frank Ocean. In 2011, Ocean released Nostalgia, ULTRA, a mixtape including covers as well as original songs. The next year, Ocean released his first studio album, Channel Orange. The album debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200 chart and received a Grammy for the best urban contemporary album. 4 years later, in 2016, Ocean released Endless, then the next day, he released Blond. Blond debuted at the top of the Billboard Hot 200 chart, unlike Endless, which was considered a flop.
Overall, Frank Ocean impacted the music industry greatly and was very successful. He was incredibly influential and changed people’s perspectives on R&B completely. Ocean received 2 Grammys and was nominated for 6 others, as well as receiving the 2013 BRIT award for best international male artist. However, despite his previous success, Ocean seems to have disappeared. After the tragic loss of his brother, Ocean stopped releasing music. His brother, Ryan Breaux, died at age 18 in a devastating car accident. Usually, Ocean would write his pain into his music, turning everything he’s been through into art. However, after losing his brother, Ocean stepped away from releasing music, deciding that he would handle his grief in silence.
Frank Ocean has not officially retired from making music, but his absence has created speculation. As an artist who once let all of his songs revolve around pain and love, it is thought that the loss of his brother was a real turning point in Frank Ocean’s life. While fans hope for new music in the near future, there is a possibility that he may need more time and space to heal.
Despite this break in Ocean’s career, his impact on the music industry remains immense. Ocean found a way to blend vulnerability and innovation, thereby turning every experience into pure art. His music not only blessed many fans’ ears, but it also blessed their souls