Frank Ocean

Is Frank Ocean’s ‘Nostalgia, Ultra’ Coming To Streaming?

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frank ocean nostalgia ultra
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With Frank Ocean slated to headline Coachella for the next two weekends, longtime fans can’t help but wonder whether the elusive singer has some new music in store — or an announcement about some of his older, beloved music, like the star-making mixtape, Nostalgia, Ultra. Specifically, fans believe that the project will make its way to streaming at long last.

There’s certainly reason for hope. Screenshots of the Spotify app interface bearing the cover art and tracklisting from Nostalgia, Ultra have appeared online with some of the listings grayed out. This would suggest that the tape has already been uploaded and is now just waiting for the go-ahead to release.

Earlier this year, pioneering rap trio De La Soul, whose catalog was also unavailable to stream, finally re-released their full discography to DSPs after a protracted label battle that saw them clearing a huge number of samples before they could completely bring back their old albums.

Ocean would face a similar issue; in 2012, a year after the original release of Nostalgia, Ultra, The Eagles’ Don Henley lashed out at Frank for including the entire backing track from “Hotel California” on the tape as “American Wedding.” Perhaps his feelings have changed (unlikely), maybe cooler heads prevailed, maybe Frank backed up the money truck, or perhaps the tape will be released without the offending sample, as had been done for other mixtape re-releases like Chance The Rapper’s Acid Rap.

Whatever the case, Frank Ocean fans are certainly excited at the prospect of finally being able to (legally) stream the tape that made Frank Ocean a Coachella-worthy household name.

How To Watch Coachella 2023 At Home

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Fans who can’t physically make it to Coachella this year are in for quite a treat, as 2023 will be the first-ever opportunity to stream performances from all six stages (Coachella Stage, Outdoor Theater, Sahara, Mojave, Gobi, and Sonora) — without leaving the comfort of your house. Both weekends of April 14-16 and April 21-23 will also be available to watch online for free.

Coachella will host a separate feed for each stage through their YouTube channel.

Bad Bunny, Blackpink, and Frank Ocean are headlining this year’s festival, so you’re sure to hear some good music and won’t have to wait in seriously-packed crowds, fly a plane to Palm Springs, or battle any of the traditional festival terrains to do it.

Other acts playing at Coachella include Gorillaz, Björk, Rosalía, Becky G, Kaytranada, Kali Uchis, Boygenius, Charli XCX, Blondie, and many more. View the complete 2023 lineup here.

The festival will also be offering live chat, “in-stream shopping,” and other “exclusive Shorts” from musicians and creators — alongside the standard festival stage performances. While the daily schedules and times for the streams have yet to be released, fans who want to watch the festival can find Coachella’s official channel here and can also set reminders for each of the stages.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Frank Ocean’s Surprising ‘New Look’ Has Everyone Making The Same Joke About A Certain Religious Figure

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Frank Ocean
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Despite Frank Ocean being one of the world’s biggest superstars, capable of headlining Coachella, no one ever seems to know exactly what he’s up to. That is, of course, by design; the famously reclusive singer-songwriter flies way below the radar, eschewing the trappings of fame for a much more humble — and mysterious — existence.

So, anytime he surfaces, there’s usually a flurry of interest. Fans can’t get enough of wondering whether he’ll release new work, announce a tour, an odd sex toy, or in this case, debut a new look. The avant-garde performer born Christopher Edwin Breaux popped back up recently with a new selfie, revealing that in his absence from the spotlight, he’s not only grown a full beard but also some truly luxurious, shoulder-length locks.

Of course, this new appearance gives him a very strong resemblance to a certain religious figure that many a Black grandma had a painting of hanging on the wall, and fans just couldn’t stop making exactly that joke in response.

Of course, there were some other creative entries to the joke canon. One fan pointed out Frank’s aesthetic similarity to a character in one of hip-hop’s cinematic staples, while others lamented their own resemblance to the newly hirsute singer.

The winner is, of course, professional comic Zack Fox, who gave his take on Instagram:

zack fox frank ocean deepfake response
Instagram

However, all this might be moot; the image appears to be yet another example of the misleading realism of AI and deepfake technology. It’s getting truly scary out here! Whatever the real Frank Ocean is doing, let’s all hope this doesn’t freak him out and send him even further underground, or we might never get new music from him again.

Frank Ocean’s Most Streamed Songs

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American singer, songwriter, and accomplished rapper Frank Ocean is one of the most critically acclaimed artists of the last decade. Overall, the New Orleans musician has managed to brilliantly fuse hip-hop, R&B, and psychedelic soul to create something that no other artist has. After deciding to pursue music and releasing his first major label album in 2012, Ocean became a huge hit. Also, he is an incredibly talented visual artist working as a professional photographer, has launched a fashion brand, and even produced a visual album. Now, his fans have spent the past several years admiring his art, and there is no doubt that he has already made history.

Chanel

With just over 600 million streams on Spotify, “Chanel” gives fans a mesmerizing sonic experience. The song was a surprise release in 2017 which Frank Ocean clearly used to showcase his unique thoughts beneath the surface. The luxury brand Chanel’s famous logo displays two Cs facing opposite directions, which the songwriter uses as an analogy for an abundance of instances throughout his life. The lyrics to the first verse (“My guy pretty like a girl/And he got fight stories to tell/I see both sides like Chanel”) tell the story of Frank Ocean’s partner, who displays characteristics that are both masculine and feminine, comparing that to the double-sided Chanel logo. Also, he uses the song to discuss seeing his life from multiple perspectives, finding the balance between humility and pride.

Pink + White

“Pink + White” is one of Frank Ocean’s softer songs. It combines R&B and smooth jazz with a touch of soul and hip hop. The song was released in 2016 as a part of his second studio album, Blonde. He wrote and produced this track alongside American music sensation Pharrell Williams. Frank Ocean is notorious for using color as a leitmotif throughout his lyrics, making this a more defining song of his career. Overall, this song tells the story of a relationship which reached a peak, and is now inevitably facing a downhill spiral.

Thinkin Bout You

Frank Ocean’s hit song “Thinkin Bout You” was released as a part of his debut album Channel Orange in 2012. The song quickly rose to fame and now has almost 700 million Spotify streams. It was initially released as a demo through his Tumblr account in 2011. It was officially was put out into the world the following year. Ocean initially had written the song on behalf of American singer Bridget Kelly, but later claimed it as his own. “Thinkin Bout You” certainly made a name for itself in 2012. Also, it was nominated for a Grammy award for record of the year.

Lost

Also, “Lost” is undoubtedly one of Frank Ocean’s more exciting hits to listen to. The song smoothly and effortlessly blends R&B with pop to create a fun, catchy melody. Often, it is alluded to as the highlight of Channel Orange, according to both fans and critics alike. This track tells the exciting story of a woman getting lost in the thrill of a drug peddling lifestyle that isn’t quite what she expected it to be.

Slide

“Slide” is a collaboration that technically only features Frank Ocean. But, it is important to note as it has nearly 900 million Spotify streams and was an extremely valuable contribution to his career. The song was produced and released by Calvin Harris in 2017. It features both Frank Ocean and Migos. Together, the three artists created a top hit song. It combines hip-hop and dance-pop to create a smooth yet fun-filled experience for fans all over the world.

Frank Ocean has yet to release a track since his most recent single in 2019. His music career remains mysterious. But, fans have been speculating as of late that he may be releasing old music under a different name. However, it has yet to be confirmed. Fans are crossing their fingers for more exceptional releases by the amazing visionary artist.

Where To Buy Tickets For Coachella 2023

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After a two-festival hiatus, The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, also known as, ‘Coachella’, will take place this year on Friday April 14th until Sunday April 23rd. The event takes place over two weekends, with ticket packages being split between weekend one and weekend two. The festival features a stacked lineup of artists across all genres of music, as well as some of the best food vendors from the Los Angeles area.

Who Will Be at Coachella?

The headliners for the event are Bad Bunny, BLACKPINK, and Frank Ocean. Along with the headliners, there will also be performances by a myriad of other artists including Gorillaz, Pusha T, Metro Boomin, $uicideboy$, boygenius, Yung Lean, Björk, Kali Uchis, A Boogie, Calvin Harris and many more. The event will also include large-scale art installations by artists such as NEWSUBSTANCE and Maggie West.

Where to Find Tickets?


As per usual, tickets for the event are hard to come by, as weekend one is already sold out on the official ‘Coachella’ website. However, tickets for weekend two are still available on the ‘Coachella’ Website, as packages range from $549 to $1,069 plus fees. Car camping and tent camping are also sold out on ‘Coachella’s’ website.

With the cheapest general admission option, attendants will gain entrance into the venue and be provided with day parking lots for all three days. This option does not include shuttle access to the venue.

The VIP option for weekend two offers specialty food & drink vendors, air-conditioned restrooms, shaded seating areas and full cash bars. Attendants who purchase the VIP option will also have access to shuttles to the venue and can visit the car and tent camping areas.

Outside of the official ‘Coachella’ website, tickets are available on StubHub for both weekends one and two. The starting price for general admission tickets for weekend one on StubHub is $500 and can reach up to $9,450 for exclusive seating and hotel packages. Tickets on StubHub for weekend two start at $414 for general admission seating. This was the cheapest option out of all sites selling tickets to ‘Coachella’ for general admission seating.

Tickets for ‘Coachella’ on Vividseat’s website are roughly the same price with general admission tickets for both weekends starting at around $450. Vividseats also has options for VIP seating, which costs around $2,000.

Other Sites and Best Options

SeatGeek also still has tickets available for both weekends, with the cheapest option being general admission tickets for week two starting at $470. General admission tickets for week one start at $533. Seat Geek also has more expensive options for VIP packages, which also range at about $2,000 to $2,5000.

Other websites that are also still selling tickets to ‘Coachella’ include Fanimal.com, TickPick.com, and Viagogo.com. The prices on these sites vary and each were similar to or more expensive than those of StubHub, Vividseats, and SeatGeek.

Tickets are selling quickly on all sites and the prices of tickets will likely increase as the show gets closer. If you are looking to attend ‘Coachella’ for the cheapest option, websites such as StubHub and SeatGeek offer the lowest rates for general admission tickets. However, these offers do not include lodging or shuttle access to the venue.

If you are looking to purchase a VIP package to attend ‘Coachella’, the cheapest option would be to purchase tickets from Coachella’s official website, as all other VIP packages on outside sites were nearly twice the price.

Dozens of artists will grace the desert at Coachella 2023 and hundreds of thousands of fans will be in attendance. Coachella 2023 is shaping up to be one of the most diverse and exciting music events of the year and tickets are still available, but are going fast.

Breaking Down Frank Ocean’s Cryptic Message in Four Acts

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Image via Getty/Samir Hussein
  • Image via Getty/Tyler Kaufman

    ACT I: The Recording Artist (Character + Plot)

  • Image via Instagram/ Michael Marcelle

    ACT 2: The Recording Artist vs. The Chairman (Conflict)

  • Image via Getty

    ACT 3: The Pandemic of 2020 (Climax)

  • ACT 4: The Recording Artist has an epiphany (Resolution)

Is Frank Ocean Teasing a New Album in His New Merch Release?

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Is Frank Ocean moving toward a new album? With a headlining performance at Coachella on the way, Ocean is hinting at a potential new body of work through upcoming merch.

In posters, Ocean details the story of an artist who is sitting in front of two men in suits, label executives, as he details that he once believed singles were the way of the future and playlisting took over. Ocean now details that he thinks bodies of work matter.

“In the summer of 2019, Blonded produced a photo series shot on Thursday, August 8, 2019 by photographer Michael Marcelle,” the message opened. “The photo series follows the story of a fictitious Recording Artist as he navigates the radio system.

“The Recording Artist attempts to explain to the major music label the singles distribution model as opposed to the long-form album model. The Recording Artist believes the latter to be outdated, and that releasing singles is more suited to modern consumption habits where people curate their own playlists which are then shared within private circles. The meeting does not appear to be productive.”

The note closes, “The Recording Artist has since changed his mind about the singles model, and is again interested in more durational bodies of work.”

Frank Ocean’s last album was 2016’s Blonde.

The post Is Frank Ocean Teasing a New Album in His New Merch Release? appeared first on The Source.

Posters Included With Frank Ocean’s ‘Blonde’ Vinyl May Be The Closest Thing To An Album Announcement We’re Going To Get

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Frank Ocean fans have been waiting for an album announcement from the elusive singer for quite some time. The 35-year-old singer’s last full-length project, Blonde, was released nearly seven years ago, in 2016. Since then, his supporters have had to make do with sporadic singles and public appearances like his club night DJ set PrEP+. However, that may soon change, as Ocean is reportedly set to headline the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival this spring, which could be accompanied by another album — or so fans hope.

Intriguingly, the closest thing we have to confirmation of a new album came with his last one — or at least, the vinyl record version of Blonde that was reissued in December. According to fan accounts receiving their orders over the weekend, a foldout poster included with the vinyl hints at Frank’s future album plans through the story of a “fictitious Recording Artist” — an obvious stand-in for Frank himself.

The gist of the story is that Frank — or the Recording Artist — had become disillusioned with the long-form release strategy and planned to pivot to solely releasing singles, a practice he believed better suited to modern listening habits. However, in the time since Blonde was released, and with COVID-19 derailing his DJ plans, “The Recording Artist has since changed his mind about the singles model, and is again interested in more durational bodies of work.”

Although he doesn’t reveal just what his album plans are, at least fans can take comfort in knowing that he does want to put one out.