mayday

9mo

I’ve been trying to let people know for years but a lot of the newer fanbase just couldn’t understand. One was a tagline for club nights, and the silhouettes concept was singles promoting said club nights. Everyone really wanted there to be an album but you could tell based off the sound, release & writing that he was just in the zone of catch and shoot during that time.

I was going to write something on this topic: his concept of the “half-a-single” that spawned nearly 9 years ago and the entire timeline of him reiterating that idea but i’m glad he laid it to rest anyway.

innuendo

5y

· edited

"...there is so so much I'm excited to share with all you strangers. Love." - Frank via IG Stories.

HDD reported the album is being previewed to labels (to quote: "sources are also saying the album is f***ing great.") Unlikely that Frank is looking to sign to any of them though, but is instead browsing deals (distribution?) for his next project to be released under.

Various ig posts/sightings of Frank through a handheld camcorder. Footage (studio/misc.) dates back from as early as 2018. All signs point to some sort of visual documentation/archiving of Frank's process over the last few years

Distribution through A24 (see timeline below) or may be distributed independently. Taylor Russell in talks to star. Written and directed by Frank Ocean. Eric Roth's seal of approval (or at least confirmation of existence). Filmed in CDMX + ... ?.

The project is described as a free-form, non-traditional narrative movie with real and surreal elements.

In a 2019 interview with W Magazine Frank mentioned:

I’m working with a string arranger right now in Rio, and every time we go back and forth, because I don’t put things on the Internet, I have to send a drive with someone to Rio, or I have to go myself.

With a description that vague it's pretty much impossible to guess who he was referring to, but with Tyler's recent work with composer Arthur Verocai for Louis Vuitton's FW22 show probably narrows it down to him due to their close proximity. Verocai has worked with DOOM, Madlib and most recently BADBADNOTGOOD.

Blake Mills, songwriter and guitarist, hinted at working with a "(notoriously) secretive" musician during the Summer of 2020 in an interview with the Washington Post.

He is now one of the primary producers in a studio at ... Sound City, where ... he was working on an album by an artist so famously secretive he can’t talk about it at all.

In an IG story Frank stated he'd worked with Cory Henry (incredibly talented pianist and organist) during the summer of 2020 for the blonded radio 2021 Xmas show. Coincidentally, this was the around the same time Blake Mills had said he was working with that "famously secretive" artist in LA. Possibly multiple album studio sessions including both Henry and Mills occurred during this time frame.

1. Art studio in Chinatown - no music playing but "Frank Ocean ... is often seen ducking in and out of the space during the week." Via Artnet, 2021

2. Additional potential collaborators

• Daniel Aged, El Guincho, Noah Goldstein - worked with Frank on a lot of the 2019-2020 singles he released. Sir Dylan (Dylan Patrice), Micheal Uzowuru, Vegyn, Wheezy (Homer 2022 campaign)
• Pino Palladino? renowned bassist (D'angelo, Roots, Badu, Mayer etc) recently released a collab album with Mills (Notes With Attachments). An accessible collaborator if Frank was in the need of a bassist. SebastiAn, Dev Hynes / Blood Orange, more...

3. Sonics - based on the (sparse) list of potential collaborators above it's hard to predict exactly what this album is going to sound like as they could have anywhere between very minimal to very substantial contributions to the project. @KAYTRANADA guesses this might have a lot of soul/jazz/funk elements which makes sense taking a surface-level look at the who he's been rumored to have worked with. But it's Frank Ocean, so who knows.

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timeline

For the first time ever ! Channel Orange is officially available on vinyl (@ blonded.co).

Payton Talbott (UFC fighter) posts a snippet of new Frank Ocean music.

David Jonsson to Star in Frank Ocean’s Directorial Debut Film

David Jonsson will star in the lead role of Frank Ocean‘s forthcoming directorial debut film, and has begun shooting the project in Mexico City. The independent film is currently untitled, and plot details remain under wraps.

https://variety.com/2025/film/news/david-jonsson-frank-ocean-film-1236291928/

Taylor Russell is rumored to be in talks to star in Frank Ocean’s directorial debut.

https://www.theinsneider.com/p/frank-ocean-directorial-debut-cast-taylor-russell-emilia-perez-review-the-fly-new-movie-nikyatu-jusu

Michael Uzowuru mentions new work done with Frank in Miami for an interview with The New York Times

...In the following years, the two teamed up on the understated hit “Chanel” and the plucky, anxious “In My Room.” More recently, they’ve been working on new music together in Miami.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/19/arts/music/michael-uzowuru-childish-gambino.html

Frank posts a snippet of new music on IG !

Slawn posts a pic of Frank (filming something) in a studio in London.

Frank Ocean is spotted filming something in Amsterdam.

Frank Ocean pulls out of Coachella Weekend 2, citing two fractures and a sprain in his left leg, per Variety.

Frank Ocean closed the opening weekend of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.

Frank Ocean schedules an album cover/video teaser shoot with a BMW M3 ahead of his Coachella performance.

Blonde is re-issued on vinyl.

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Eric Roth (screenwriter) mentions he'd given Frank feedback for a visual album/project.
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Launch of Homer Radio

https://music.apple.com/us/curator/homer-radio/1620058858

A one hour window into what plays around our office after hours (...) This is Homer Radio. An office soundtrack. Can’t you hear our ‘voice’? It’s not a dead line.” — Frank Ocean

2 new episodes of blonded Radio @ 4:30 PM and 5:05 PM PT. E1 featuring a conversation with Dr. James Fadiman and E2 with Qi Gong Master Mingtong Gu.

E1 "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" replay: https://music.apple.com/us/station/blonded-lucy-in-the-sky-with-diamonds/ra.1601887936

E2 "blonded ENERGY!" replay: https://music.apple.com/us/station/blonded-energy/ra.1601887882

Frank Ocean in talks to Direct first feature film with A24 + 2AM.

Frank Ocean is currently working with production company 2AM on his potential feature film, should it go ahead. The 2AM venture is backed by investing from A24, the studio where all of 2AM’s current projects are being distributed from. Project referred to as Philly internally.
If Frank Ocean is able to make availability within his schedule, the hope is to begin filming sometime this Fall and have production wrapped before the New Year arrives. Sources have said that Ocean has already eyed New Mexico as a potential location to film his feature directorial debut.

https://discussingfilm.net/2022/06/01/frank-ocean-in-talks-to-direct-first-feature-film-with-a24-exclusive/

Blonded Radio @ 11 AM PST / 2 PM EST. With guest speaker Wim "The Iceman" Hof and additional words by Frank. Sounds by Frank, Cory Henry and Dylan Patrice.

Replay available: https://music.apple.com/us/station/blonded-xmas/ra.1490633668

YouTube mirror

NEW TRACK: “Come on World, You Can’t Go!”

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HDD report LP5 is being previewed for labels (to quote: "sources are also saying the album is f***ing great.") Unlikely that Frank is looking to sign to any of them though, but is instead browsing deals (distribution??) for his next project to be released under.
https://hitsdailydouble.com/news&id=328274&title=OCEAN-ACTIVITY

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Rosalia posts a picture of her and Frank at a studio on her ig account @​holamotomami

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Met Gala appearance.

Dreamcore

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Frank Ocean posts a picture from a studio.

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Launch of Homer + FT Interview
homer.com ::: @​homer

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Frank Ocean announced as Coachella 2023 headliner.
https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2021-08-02/frank-ocean-coachella-2023-paul-tollett

Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival co-founder confirmed with the Times that Frank Ocean will return to Coachella as a headliner in 2023.

ialexlopes

9mo

LMAO

innuendo

9mo

?

ialexlopes

9mo

laughing is a coping mechanism to bad news :(

Johnny Dior

9mo

Does this guy only consider music as a hobby?

Tomata Du Plenty

9mo

Maybe I'm misremembering it, but didn't he already explain years ago that the previous project that got scrapped during covid was just going to be a collection of singles? Why is this news? I remember a poster with Jeremy Strong explaining it and saying that he was back in album mode, but maybe it was just a fever dream.

beflygelt

9mo

dunno if I appreciated this enough when we got it

beflygelt

9mo

dunno if I appreciated this enough when we got it

Shooa

9mo

its actually gonna be ten years between albums bro I cant believe it

cosmogramma

9mo

Coachella performance was worth the price just for getting to hear this tbh

ialexlopes

9mo

laughing is a coping mechanism to bad news :(

YoungNastyShawty

9mo

Spent all day listening to Frank. Bruh legit might be the GOAT of our generation. Like no hyperbole

ILoveCheeseCake

8mo

New Blonded merch on his story