Frank Ocean hasn’t released an original song in two years. Fans have been waiting on an album from Frank for nearly four years. He hasn’t released an album since Blonde, which has been ranked the best album of the 2010s by Pitchfork.
Before Blonde, Frank released Channel Orange in 2012. He also released a mixtape Nostalgia, Ulta in 2011, and the visual album Endless around the same time as Blonde. As far as studio albums go, Frank is on a four-year pattern, making 2020 a predicted year for him to release another studio album.
Good music takes time. For the amount of popularity and fame that Frank has gained in the past, his discography is short. Part of the beauty of Frank Ocean’s music is that he has such a respect for his craft that he doesn’t release something unless it is absolutely pristine and done to the best of his ability.
Nowadays, artists often release subpar singles to try and stay relevant, like the single “I love It” by Kanye West featuring Lil Pump. From Kanye’s work following that single, he has shown that he is definitely capable of much better.
Frank Ocean doesn’t need to or want to drop mediocre music to hold his listeners over. If it is being released under his name, it is going to be his best. His newest single “DHL,” reiterates that.
The album cover shows at the bottom 13 silhouettes, and the silhouette that looks like it’s “selected” is in the same position that Frank is on the cover. This has caused a lot of people to speculate that this single is one of 13 that Frank plans on releasing. In fact, it has been confirmed that Frank is releasing at least two more songs: “Cayendo” and “Dear April”.
Lots of Frank Ocean fans are impatiently waiting for him to drop new music.
The longer it takes Ocean to release a project, the more polished his music will be. What people often forget — and that is because of an expectation for many artists to drop music all the time to stay relevant — is that it takes time to produce music as touching and thoughtful as he.
While I understand the complaints of Frank’s fellow fans, I will happily wait.
Mikayla Rochelle is a sophomore studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. What are your thoughts? Tell Mikayla by tweeting her at @mikayla_roch.
