Frank Ocean
By: Madeline Chavira
Christopher Francis Ocean, better
known by his stage name Frank Ocean, is an American singer/ songwriter. He is a
very talented and aspiring artist that has achieved so much. He truly started
from nothing and worked hard on his own to get where he is today. He is most
famous for his lyrics that deal with themes of love, misgiving, nostalgia and
longing. The reason why I believe he is such a great artist is because his
music is so soothing and enticing I can’t help but keep listening.
He has received two Grammy’s for Best Urban Contemporary Album and Best Rap/
Sung Collaboration and has even been nominated and won various prestigious
European music awards. With only two albums out (Nostalgia, Ultra and Channel
Orange), he is at the top of his game and is still recording.
Frank Ocean was born in Long Beach,
California but soon moved to New Orleans, Louisiana where was influenced by the
local jazz scene and loved music ever since. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit his
hometown and destroyed his recording studio. With nothing left in New Orleans
he decided to start new in Los Angeles. He got a songwriting deal and began
writing songs for artist like Justin Bieber, John Legend, and Beyoncé. As much
as he liked writing songs he wanted to be a songwriter and perform his own songs. He began to record his own mix tapes. He joined rap groups and was featured in songs with big
named rappers until his breakthrough single “Thinkin Bout You”.
This is a link to Frank Ocean’s fansite. It is an online
source for information and news about Frank Ocean. The website is frequently
updated with information about his new music and collaborations. It has tabs
with links to music, music vidoes, lyrics, photos, concerts, and more.
· New York Times Article
This link is to an article by Jeff Himmelman for the New
York Times that was published in 2013. I really liked this article because it
shows how real and down to earth Frank Ocean is. It also goes through a little
bit of his history along with some samples of his music sprinkled throughout
the article.
This link is to his personal tumblr where he posts pictures
of his performances or just recreational pictures. He also posts some poems,
links to ticket for his shows and merchandise, videos, and sneak peeks to his new
music. It is a great way to connect to his fans on a personal level.