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Frank Ocean releases debut album a week early after opening up about his sexuality
RnB/Hip Hop | Tuesday 10th July 2012 | Osh
Frank Ocean releases debut album a week early after opening up about his sexuality
Frank Ocean has released his album ‘Channel Orange’ today, a week before its official release date. This has come a week after his revelation about his sexuality. In addition, the bisexual singer is going to stream his solo debut album online so fans can view it online.
Last week, Ocean wrote on his blog on Tumblr that he was emotionally attached to a man and that this man was his first love, at the age of 19. He wrote how he felt towards him and his fans have respected him for being open honest. Fans on Twitter have given Ocean their full support after publicly talking about his sexuality. This possibly could have been something Frank had to get off his chest, rather than gaining sympathy or doing it for public attention.
In relation to his music, fans are ever so excited to hear his debut album. Those who have already listened to ‘Channel Orange’, some fans have described it as “perfect” and another described the album as “an example of what real RnB is about”.
Fans have been waiting for this news for a while and it has finally arrived! Bringing the album forward a week is already proving to be a real success. With Ocean’s unique voice and his music style, it’s hard to understand why people wouldn’t have a liking for his music.
Opening up about his sexuality has bought some respect as it isn’t usual for artists to open up about their sexuality. This respect has come from fans, artists from within the music industry and this could potentially lead to other artists opening up about their sexuality. Beyonce showed her support towards Frank by posting on her blog. She wrote “Be fearless, be honest, be gorgeous, be brave, be poetic, be open, be free, be yourself, be in love, be happy, be inspiration.” Russell Simons, the co-founder of Def Jam wrote on his site that it was “a big day for hip-hop” on the day Frank posted his blog.
It’s rare for an artist from the RnB and Hip Hop genre to open up about their sexuality, but maybe Ocean’s blog where he displayed his emotions and affection for the man he was emotionally attached to will lead for more artists to reveal their sexuality. This revelation could potentially change and impact hip-hop culture.
Sexuality is hardly ever discussed in the public domain, especially within the music industry, but Ocean’s revelation may have changed that. What implications will this have on the music industry as a whole?
Despite that, his debut album is already looking like an instant hit among fans. He has won many people over with his unique voice, how different he is to other artist’s in the music sense and as some people have tweeted, he is “an example of what real RnB is about”. It’s one thing to be an artist, but it takes someone special to be honest in an industry that can be ruthless.
Frank Ocean’s album ‘Orange Channel’ is available to download from iTunes today (10th July, 2012).
Written by Hiten Mandalia
