Frank Ocean’s new release Blonde appears at last – four years in the making
Ocean’s new album has been a long time coming, but as one of the major talents to emerge in the second decade of the century, it’s definitely a big deal
Frank Ocean’s Blonde dropped last Saturday night on Apple Music. But this is not like most album releases.
Yes, it’s not every day that an album release is accompanied by pop-up shops in a handful of cities, where you can pick up the 17-track LP and accompanying publication that includes interviews, short stories and a poem about McDonald’s written by Kanye West. But that aside, the release of Blonde is a pretty big deal.
Fans and the industry had been waiting four years for this moment, which came after numerous rumoured and reported release dates passed by without new music. Anticipation about how the avant-garde R&B artist would follow his successful debut had built up considerably.
“I had the time of my life making all of this,” Ocean posted to his Tumblr shortly after the album’s release. “Thank you all. Especially those of you who never let me forget I had to finish. Which is basically every one of y’all. Haha. Love you.”
Ocean’s first major label album, 2012’s Channel Orange, became one of the most critically acclaimed releases that year, earning the new artist six Grammy nominations, including for the top prizes. He took home two.