A personal connection to Frank Ocean’s art

Frank Ocean, whose real name is Christopher Edwin Breaux, began recording and creating music in 2005 while still a high school student. After releasing two albums, Frank Ocean “vanished from the world,” according to many of his followers.

Frank Ocean, in my opinion, is simply living his own life. He posts frequently on social media, but some of his famous acquaintances are typically unaware of his whereabouts. 

Frank Ocean is someone I relate to in a lot of ways. I find comfort and consolation in his music, as well as in the poetry lyrics of his songs. Being a Frank Ocean girl, I have a great sense of sensitivity and consistency in finding people’s positive sides. Frank Ocean is calming to me when I’m by myself in nature, and I listen to him whether I’m feeling joyful or sad.

Frank’s music connects people. His voice conveys a profound sense of vulnerability and longing, capturing the human experience in a manner that no one else can. His music captures the pain of longing for something or someone.  

The desire you hear in his songs makes you feel the emotions of your own experiences, so you don’t even need to relate to his story to feel the weight of his experiences. He has a talent for expressing feelings that are difficult to describe. His songs affirm our human experiences, encourage us to experience the entire range of our emotions, and help us to stop repressing the legitimate sensations that music evokes by letting us know that there are people who suffer just as much as we do.  

Frank Ocean’s “Thinking about you” is one of the songs that most people can relate to, especially because it explores unrequited love and the feelings that go along with it in an open and vulnerable way. “White Ferrari,” which is about cruelly holding on knowing you have to let go, is one of my personal faves. He begins with the statement, “I’m sure we’re taller in another dimension,” implying that there is nothing left for them in this universe, but that he knows whoever he was applying to would be together in another lifetime. This isn’t just about his partner not seeing the world the way he does, it can also serve as a reminder that there is a lot out there that we are unaware of.

In addition to being relatable, his music can teach you a lot about the experience of love fading or ending, and two people following different paths, but it can also teach you how to be a happy person without barriers.

It serves only as a reminder to think clearly; you don’t have to give up on your optimistic outlook on the world just because others do. The line, “it’s just a skull” is so moving because it conveys the idea that our thoughts are the only thing stopping us from taking action and achieving our outcomes. It reflects on the feeling of loving someone so much that their happiness means more to you than being with them. As such, even if it means seeing them happy with someone else, it teaches you to let them go.

In 2020, Ryan Breaux, Ocean’s younger brother, lost his life in an automobile accident. Following that, Ocean addressed the loss and acknowledged the anguish and grief he was experiencing during his Coachella 2023 performance.

Frank Ocean started his Coachella performance by stating, “My brother and I come to this festival a lot….” He acknowledged that his brother would have been thrilled to be there, saying, “I felt like I was dragged out here half the time because I hated the dust.”

But then Ocean vanished entirely from the public eye after the performance; he didn’t release any records, go on any tours, or do anything else. People were disappointed when he didn’t release a new album, but they didn’t forget about him. 

To me, this just means we should cherish the music Ocean produced when he did. As he once noted, “My music definitely comes from a place of experience. Everything connects to a truth.” For now, we will have to enjoy the truths he was ready to share.