Last week, the complete list of 2017 GRAMMY nominees was released. Many of the artists listed came as no surprise: Beyoncé, Adele and Justin Bieber are all up for Album of the Year. Panic! At The Disco, Blink-182 and Weezer each have a nomination for Best Rock Album. David Bowie even has a posthumous nod for Best Alternative Album.
As I went through the list, however, I couldn't help but noticing one thing: where in God's name was Frank Ocean on this list? Over the summer, the elusive artist released "Blonde," his first album since 2012's "Channel Orange." Ocean took home the Best Urban Contemporary Album GRAMMY for that in 2013.
Ocean is notorious for staying out of the spotlight of Hollywood as much as he can. He remained silent during the years between "Channel Orange" and "Blonde," and as soon as the latter album was released without much prior notice, he disappeared once again.
It is often noted that Ocean has no interest in being a celebrity. He appears to just simply want to release his music and then go back to writing more without interruption of paparazzi or tabloid headlines.
But, despite being so adverse to traditional celebrity fame, Frank Ocean should absolutely have still received a GRAMMY nomination for "Blonde." It isn't like he missed the cutoff date to be considered for an award, like what happened with Lady Gaga's "Joanne" or Green Day's "Revolution Radio."
To be considered for the GRAMMYs for this year, an artist or band had to have released an album between October 1, 2015 and and September 30, 2016. Ocean's newest album dropped in August 2016.
When listening to "Blonde," it is quite clear to see why Frank Ocean deserves the GRAMMY nomination. Each song is carefully constructed with both lyrics and instrumentation in mind. It's hard to not find yourself intently listening to the entirety of "Blonde" when it's playing, just deep in thought about what you're hearing. There is something extremely innovative about Ocean's style. It's really unlike anything else playing on the radio.
Perhaps one can blame this lack of nomination on Frank Ocean's underground tendencies. Because he has no interest in being a prime-time musician with a large role in the spotlight, the reach of his music is not as great as it could be.
Certainly, when driving down the highway listening to your favorite Billboard Top 100 radio station, you won't hear songs off "Blonde." In fact, most people I know don't even know of any of his music. And I have to admit, that makes me really sad because I feel like they're missing out on something truly great.
In the end, though, I really can't blame Ocean for his distaste for Hollywood. By keeping himself out of the celebrity life, he maintains a certain integrity in his music. He's not concerned with being famous. His thoughts center more around making good, thoughtful music, not making sure he has a hot single off whatever album he puts out.
I wholeheartedly believe that "Blonde" deserved a GRAMMY nomination for Best Urban Contemporary Album, just as "Channel Orange" was nomination for and won. As a piece of music, it is beyond worthy, and I am sad that it won't be recognized at the awards.
However, I do feel a satisfaction in knowing that the truth in his music was not compromised for the sake of winning such an award. Frank Ocean doesn't concern himself with thoughts of "This album will get me a GRAMMY." Instead, he focuses on making music that is true to who he is as an artist, and I will always admire that about him.
