Frank Ocean

Frank Ocean (born Christopher Edwin Breaux; October 28, 1987), is an American singer, songwriter, and rapper. He has been described as one of the greatest songwriters of his generation, and is recognized for his idiosyncratic musical style, introspective and elliptical lyrics, and wide vocal range. Ocean is credited with pioneering and popularizing alternative R&B, and is known for his intermittent and experimental musical approach.

Ocean began his musical career as a ghostwriter, prior to joining the hip hop collective Odd Future in 2010. In 2011, Ocean released his critically successful debut mixtape Nostalgia, Ultra and subsequently secured a recording contract with Def Jam Recordings. Drawing on electro-funk, pop-soul, jazz-funk, and psychedelia, Ocean's debut album Channel Orange (2012) was one of the most acclaimed albums of 2012. It was nominated for Album of the Year and won Best Urban Contemporary Album at the 2013 Grammy Awards, while the album's hit single "Thinkin Bout You" garnered Ocean a nomination for Record of the Year.

After a four-year hiatus, Ocean released the visual project Endless (2016) to fulfill contractual obligations with Def Jam, before self-releasing his highly anticipated second album Blonde (2016) a day later. Blonde debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Encompassing experimental, soul, and psychedelic music, the album received widespread critical success.

Among his accolades, Ocean has won two Grammy Awards and a Brit Award for International Male Solo Artist. He was named by Time as one of the world's most influential people in 2013, while his albums have been listed in Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (2020). Outside music, Ocean has collaborated as a photographer with Vogue and i-D, and founded the luxury brand Homer.