Frank Ocean's Blonde: What happened after the artist released his surprise album

Frank Ocean released his second studio album, Blonde, one year ago.

The record (which is stylised as Blond) was the long awaited follow up to Ocean’s critically acclaimed 2012 debut LP Channel Orange. Since its release the album has been largely praised by fans and critics, with its impact on music, fashion and popular culture still being felt today.

In its first week alone, Blonde sold over 276,000 copies worldwide and was able to knock Drake’s Views off of the top of the Billboard 200. And by the end of last year, The Independent, Pitchfork and Rolling Stone all placed Blonde in their top five albums of 2016, while Time magazine went on to place the album in the top spot.

However Ocean’s success has not been solely commercial and it has not been solely musical. Alongside Blonde, in the last year Frank Ocean has released a 360-page publication, collaborated with artists like Calvin Harris and Migos, hosted an Apple Music radio show, and has sold out shows and festivals across the globe.

Ocean’s appeal seems to come from more than just his music. As Pitchfork once said of the New Orleans’ raised singer, Ocean is a “great storyteller” who eventually “became the story” of his own work, with the last year being no exception.

Blonde’s themes of nostalgia and sentimentality, materialism, love, loss and the singer’s own sexuality all came together for a rich and deeply introspective listen. The album was complimented with guest vocals from Beyonce and Andre 3000 which, along with the production of Pharrell Williams, Jamie XX and Tyler, The Creator, led to it being cherished by Ocean’s audience - and critics - as a defining album of the year.

Frank Ocean has created a sound and an aesthetic uniquely his own. It is this same style that that Ocean carries into everything he creates that has helped cause the resurgence in his popularity this last year.

Having gone four years without releasing music and three without making a public experience, Ocean surprised his fans last year when he released Blonde with little to no publicity.

On 19 August 2016, Ocean officially marked the end of his relationship with Def Jam Records by releasing the visual album Endless, which featured visuals of Ocean assembling a never-ending staircase.

To the surprise of his fans who were still processing Endless, Blonde – Ocean’s first independently released album – was released the next day.

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After four years of silence Ocean’s fans were finally able to indulge in not one, but two albums, and could also pick up a free 360-page magazine entitled “Boys Don’t Cry". The publication, which echoed the themes and styles of Blonde, was exclusive to four pop-up stores in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and London.

After the release of Blonde, Ocean thanked his fans on Tumblr, noting the positive reception to his album. He said “I had the time of my life making all of this. Thank you all. Especially those of you who never let me forget I had to finish.”

Instead of returning to silence, Ocean has continued to put out music. Since releasing March 2017, Ocean has released three of his own singles ("Chanel", "Biking", and "Lens") and has worked with Calvin Harris and Migos, A$AP Mob, Jay-Z and Tyler, The Creator.

Last November, Ocean told The New York Times that he would be boycotting the 59th annual Grammy awards despite previously winning a Grammy and being nominated for six others.

In a follow up blog post, Ocean explained his boycott was due to dissatisfaction with the “cultural bias and general nerve damage [the Grammy’s] suffers from.”

As someone who proudly identifies as bisexual, Ocean has been using his platform to discuss prevalent LGBTQ+ issues and experiences. Some of his latest releases, like Chanel, celebrate the singer’s sexuality. Also, in February, the R&B singer took to Tumblr to vent his anger after the deadly Pulse nightclub shooting in Florida.

He wrote “Many hate us and wish we didn’t exist. Many are annoyed by our wanting to be married like everyone else or use the correct restroom like everyone else.”

This summer, he performed at a number of festivals and gigs across Europe and America. In June, the R&B singer performed at Parklife in Manchester, and his headline appearance at Lovebox last month was the singer’s first London appearance in three years.

With the release of his most accomplished album to date, hours of supplementary material, and singles still being released regularly, it seems Ocean is unlikely to stop defining contemporary music and culture any time soon.