Frank Ocean leaves a trail of crumbs leading to (maybe, hopefully) his next album release
Frank Ocean teases an artist who has "changed his mind about the singles model"
Beyoncé herself said it years ago: “People don’t make albums anymore. They don’t make albums. They try to sell a bunch of quick little singles and they burn out.” Her remarks came at the peak of the music industry’s method of churning out a slew of singles and pulling together an album concept later. Frank Ocean’s no stranger to this model, and it seems as if he’s considering changing his approach to releasing music, returning to crafting cohesive bodies of work.
Ever-so-cryptic, Ocean recently dropped a new Blonded merch package, with a poster explaining the reasoning behind his string of singles and PrEP+ club nights in 2019. In the narrative, he’s referred to as “the Recording Artist,” and makes attempts to make a case for the “singles distribution model.”
The full poster text reads:
“In the summer of 2019, Blonded produced a photo series shot on Thursday, August 8, 2019, by photographer Michael Marcelle. The photo series follows the story of a fictitious Recording Artist as he navigates the radio system.
In one scene the actor Jeremy Strong plays a Chairman of a major record label. On the walls: a clock, two framed records. The Chairman is flanked by another figure. Both are dressed in suits, wearing ties, and are positioned behind a long boardroom table. They are opposite a shadowed figure in the foreground—the Recording Artist—whose subjectivity the viewer is to inhabit.
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 The Recording Artist believes the latter to be outdated, and that releasing singles is more suited to modern consumption habits where people curate their own playlists which are then shared within private circles.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 photo series coincided with the planning of three Blonded live radio events that year. They were held on three Thursday nights towards the end of 2019, in the basement of the Knockdown Center in Queens, New York. On October 19th, 24th, and the 31st, 2019, doors opened at 10PM. A custom nightclub with vintage lighting fixtures was installed for the duration of each party.
On the first night, Bouffant Bouffant played at 10:15PM, followed by Justice at midnight, Sango at 1:15AM and Sherelle at 2:30AM. Leeon, Arca, Papi Juice, Shyboi, Joey LaBeija, Last Japan, and DJ Heather played sets on subsequent nights.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, these events were intended to grow from small club events to larger raves across the world.
The Recording Artist has since changed his mind about the singles model, and is again interested in more durational bodies of work.”
This poster text illuminates some of the latest moves made by the artist, as he recently dropped a merch collection featuring Strong titled “Chairman.” Although Ocean is a verified Kendall Roy stan, the merch drop makes more sense in the context of the 2019 photoshoot and his narrative surrounding his return to full album releases.
Ocean’s last full album came in the form of 2016's Blonde—a follow-up to 2012's Grammy-winning record Channel Orange. Since then, Ocean’s released double-sided singles, including 2019's “In My Room” and “D.H.L.,” and 2020's “Dear April” and “Cayendo.” With Ocean also set to finally headline Coachella later this year, the stars may really align for a new album.