Frank ocean blonde album lead up
Now, the question is, how did Ocean win this battle? Did he? And what does it mean for the other labels, streaming services and the industry at large? UMG chairman/CEO Lucian Grainge reacted swiftly by informing the heads of his labels that Universal was done with streaming exclusives on one platform and on a global basis, which has been at the center of the streaming services’ arms race in the last 18 months, though it remains unconfirmed whether or not Grainge’s policy change was a direct result of Ocean’s strategy behind Blond. Nonetheless, I’m hopeful that Ocean will someday release a project as beautiful as “Blonde.Frank Ocean’s ‘Blonde’: 10 MVPs Who Contributed to the Album
Ocean has only released singles since 2017 and even canceled the release of his upcoming vinyl release of a single. Where is Frank Ocean now, has he released any other projects recently? Has he done anything further with this project or maybe a separate one? It definitely has been an impactful one for me and my high school years. I think those who really can appreciate the thought behind lyrics and instrumental context can appreciate this album. While the love concept for this album could relate to so many albums of all genres, Ocean took that idea a step further and covered all aspects of love, both relationships and acquaintances. “Blonde” did not win any Grammys, unfortunately, as the album wasn’t submitted by Ocean’s label. 20, 2016, “Blonde” was Ocean’s second studio album. Another track that changed the mood is track 14, “White Ferrari,” which features Ocean’s beautiful voice and range and ends in a soft and sweet tone. The girlfriend thought he was cheating and broke up with him. I am right in front of you every day, and that virtual means nothing”. His argument was “I don’t need to accept you. The track titled “Facebook Story” is audio of a man with a thick French accent telling a story of how his ex-girlfriend got jealous because he wouldn’t accept her on Facebook. The album also includes tracks that aren’t songs at all but more of an interlude. He does so much with the power of emotions directed through sound and words themselves. Ocean marked this shift on purpose as the rest of the album is in a chaotic yet sweet and light mood. Yet this 3:30 mark also marks 30 minutes of the album so far.
Then at 3:30, the whole song completely changes to a type of psychedelic ballad with the same mentions of the relationship. One of the most impactful moments is 3 minutes into the song, there seems to be a breakdown guitar rift. The song is about the highs and lows of a certain relationship Frank has experienced. My favorite song is the ninth track: “Nights.” This song has so much meaning behind the lyrics, but also the structure of the instrumental.
Shortly after that track comes the track titled “Self Control.” “Self Control” can be considered a slow love ballad about a relationship that is slowly falling apart. As the album plays through you eventually get to listen to “Pink+White,” which is a song about love, not so much romantically, yet more about love for one that’s passed and recalling the lessons given to him. This song addresses the idea that materialistic items are damaging and pointless. The album starts with the infamous track “Nikes”, which includes Ocean’s voice at a higher pitch to start the song. This is huge because a lot of Ocean’s peers rely on features to bring more listeners to an album however, there are still other artists on the album they just aren’t credited.
The album features 17 tracks with no credited features. This range is what makes this album so impactful. Ocean tells the story of all sides of love: the good, the bad, jealousy and even self-love. This is where the album “Blonde” by Frank Ocean is different. Single people may not even want to hear these songs as they are often so similar and cheesy. There are so many love songs out there, yet some may argue they can all sound the same and mainstream. As Valentine’s Day rounds the corner, one way people celebrate the holiday is with music.