The Mystery Behind the Enigma
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Frank Ocean's rise to fame in the early 2010s was quick. He gained a notorious reputation for his melodic twists on pseudo-breakup songs and generational popular lyrics that have now long outlived his public facade. Currently, the legend has not released an album since the 2016 album Blonde. Has his mystique been the key to his ongoing fame? He has defied the traditional route of stardom, but will his career run speak for itself, or will it be his enigma of a lifestyle that will trigger generational fame?
Ocean's disappearance is pretty notorious to devoted followers of the fashion and music icon. The disappearance itself is semi-literal, but more so refers to the long breaks and period of downtime the musician has taken, stepping out of the spotlight for a cumulative of a few years.
This trend in the artist’s actions started after the release of 2016's Blonde and continued to intensify. Starting with a few appearances every month or every few months, evolving to now, as his last public appearance in the past few years was at Coachella 2023. Another speculated appearance of the icon was a small stint where he was believed to be spotted boxing in Japan.
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The artist has stayed silent on the death of his late brother, Ryan Breaux, who passed away in a fatal car crash in 2020. But many fans speculate this is one of the main reasons the musician stepped away from fame. Overall, Ocean is an anomaly in terms of how his fame has seemed to deteriorate, regardless of his lack of public appearances. The artist himself has close to no PR or marketing throughout his career, creating mystery and leaving suspense for fans regarding any new projects or even a return to his esteemed career. So, what is it about the musician's discography that has caused his fans to keep propelling him as an icon of 2010s R&B? Surely his inaccessibility as a public figure has made him all the more desirable to his fanbase, propelling his fame even more. Channel Orange, released in 2012, and Blonde, in 2016, were Frank's two biggest albums. Each delivered an almost complete setlist of hits. The albums were masterfully produced and executed, and songs like Ivy, Nights, White Ferrari, Novacane, and Pink + White were the anthem to the modern generation’s breakups, and are lyrically ingrained in anyone born after 2000. Ocean's prolific lyrical abilities are what have helped him defy the changes of modern music tastes and trends.
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A line from Bad Religion, one of the less popularized tracks of Channel Orange, “This unrequited love, to me it's nothing but a one-man cult/And cyanide in my styrofoam cup,” might be the closest example of his masterful skill of writing and production for a track. Comparable to the likeness that artists and bands such as Taylor Swift and Fleetwood Mac are praised for, his technical ability might be what has saved him from his lack of public appearances. His music is distinguishable, and his vision is unique within the music industry, keeping him seemingly in a lane of his own with almost no genre competition. His skill as a musician is undoubtedly undeniable, but maybe, just maybe, his secretive life and mysterious persona are what have set him apart from the rest, and what have made him a household name without the promise of future albums for his devoted fandom.
Strike Out,
Writer: Ava Binkowski
Editor: Isabelle Kim
Graphic Designer:
Tallahassee