While driving to my daughter's field trip to chaperone this morning I decided to listen to Frank Ocean. I really enjoy his work. His music is a vibe. It relaxes me. I can really sit back and chill while listening to his stuff. It puts me in a good mood and makes the rest of the day a breeze. But, while listening this morning I realized that we may not get any new music from him ever again. Let’s discuss.

Looking at his discography, the last full length record he put out was "Blonde". That was pre pandemic. And he is notoriously hard on himself and the music he releases. It takes him forever. He never seems to like the third and fourth run through of his music. He is a perfectionist to a fault. He is way too hard on himself. He sets the bar far too high. And I saw what he did at Coachella last year. He was a headliner. People were hyped to hear new music. There were expectations. And he came out, vibed to his own music, sang a few notes here and there and left the stage, not returning for any subsequent weekend. He was supposed to play all three weekends. He claimed that he sprained his ankle, but I think he got too much in his own head. I have to imagine he read, or heard what people were saying about his lone performance and it got to him.

Since Coachella, Frank Ocean has been nowhere to be found. He has been silent on the music front and the social media front. No one seems to know what he is doing. No one seems to know if he is making new music. I like to think he is working hard in the studio. I like to imagine he is going the extra mile to erase what happened the last time he performed live. I like to think he has holed himself up and is cranking out some epic stuff. But I have doubts. I fear that he may just walk away.

I could see him doing just that. He could walk out of the music industry right now and be looked at as a legend based simply on "Blonde" and "Channel Orange". Those are two of the greatest R&B records to ever be released. The writing is top notch. The production is second to none. The stories he paints from song to song is some of the best music that any fan could ask for. So why not just walk away? Why not just wash his hands of the music industry and walk out in a wild yet legendary way. I would not be surprised at all if he did just that. If he just up and quit and moved to the mountains, he'd be forever considered one of the best to do it in the industry. Coachella would be forgotten. The long, seemingly unending wait for new music would be no more. He could go out, leave it all behind and enjoy retirement. What's really stopping him? I listen to his two full length eps all the time. I won't stop listening to those two albums ever. I know his fans will listen to them endlessly.

So, if I had to make a prediction, if people are trying to figure out where my mind is with Frank Ocean and his next step, I'd have to say I don't think he is going to be making any new music anytime soon. Maybe he will never make new music ever again. And while that really bums me out, I will always have "Blonde" and "Channel Orange", and for that I am forever grateful to Frank Ocean. While I hope he makes new music, I don't foresee it coming, maybe ever. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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