There is one question that I always know the answer to: Who is your favorite artist? My response is almost immediate when I say, "Frank Ocean." Honestly, my friends are probably sick of how much I talk about my love for Frank. But when there's an artist out there like Frank Ocean, it's hard to shut up about him.
There isn't one song by him that I haven't connected with at one point or another. His music is raw and real and gives his audience a deep view into his life. Personally, I heard his second commercial album, Blonde, before I ever even listened to his first, Channel Orange. When I was younger, I never really found music that I connected with, so it wasn't a big deal to me. I remember hearing things about Frank in 2012, but it never occurred to me to go look him up. I regret that. However, when I heard Blonde, I realized what I've been missing.
When you first listen to Blonde, you might think something along the lines of "It's too sad." While Frank Ocean's music does seem to have a sad tone, there is something so emotional in his songs that can get you to discover something about yourself. I connected and related to a different song during different times in my life, which just showed me how timeless this album really is. Even though its two years old, I still find myself going back and discovering new sounds that I didn't notice the first 50 times I heard it. You can tell how much time Frank spent perfecting this album. It has even been stated once that he had over fifty different versions of "White Ferrari," because he needed to make it perfect. He takes you through a story. A story of dealing with love and the deepness of it and finding your way through it. He takes you through a story of finding yourself while your world feels like it's falling apart around you.
His other projects, Nostalgia, Ultra, Channel Orange and Endless, all mean something different to me. These art pieces all connect with different moments and events in my life. Nostalgia, Ultra reminds me of love and sunsets. Channel Orange reminds me of summers and friends. Endless reminds me of winter and new changes. All of his albums have different themes and different ideas that he wants to tell his audience. You can see his growth and his evolution of views as his music ages.
During really hard times in my life, Frank Ocean has been there. Even his unreleased songs mean so much to me and though they have a different sound than his recent projects, you can tell that he cares about the music he creates. Though he stays out of the media, Frank is one of my inspirations. He's a role model to so many different people because of his journey with his sexuality. Through a Tumblr post, he released a letter about how he fell in love the first time with a man and how much it hurt him when the love wasn't reciprocated. For so many people struggling with their sexuality, seeing Frank go through the same struggles as them gives them the feeling that they aren't alone. Frank Ocean's music can create a safe space for people to feel accepted. The reason why I love him is because of how his music can help so many people not feel alone.
If you haven't heard Frank Ocean, you're missing out. He is one of the artists who will create classics and be remembered as a legend for our generation. He will always be remembered as the artist who made me feel loved.
