The enigmatic Frank Ocean has not released music or performed a show since the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. This weekend, though, he will make his return to the stage in Indio, California for Coachella 2023.
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Slated to headline on consecutive Sundays (April 16 & 23), Ocean is making up for the cancelled 2020 Coachella set he was meant to do before the coronavirus hit. With his presence in front of thousands of fans this weekend, he will hopefully put many rumors to bed, and potentially play some unreleased music.
On Tuesday (April 11), a Reddit user named onimajipy happened to hear a rehearsal for Ocean’s upcoming performance. Along with capturing a video of Frank practicing his song “Nights” from Blonde (2016), the user also provided follow-up insight about potential new music Ocean could be planning to preview during his set.
“I’m likely 50% sure I heard the new shit, it’s the club sound,” onimajipy said in a reply. “I personally don’t enjoy club music that much but the song playing was so mesmerizing with Frank’s vocals. I ain’t never heard it, and (I) know pretty much his whole discography.”
The prospect of Ocean trying his hand at club/dance music is likely thrilling for some fans. After a year where Beyoncé and Drake both released studio albums with dance influences, it makes sense why Frank would be compelled to head in that direction.
One day before the “Nights” video surfaced, BMW also alluded to impending activity from Frank. Uploading an Instagram video on-site at Coachella, the car brand included a clip of an orange BMW E30 M3, the same vehicle Ocean used in the cover art of his debut mixtape, Nostalgia, Ultra (2011), which is not available on digital streaming platforms. Using a cryptic caption, though, fans believe the advertisement could be hinting at Nostalgia, Ultra‘s addition to DSPs.
“The past meets the future this week. As far as what comes next, we’ll let you guys prophesy,” BMW wrote.
Towards the end of 2022, Ocean wiped all the media from his Instagram page, an age-old promotion tactic for artists preparing to release an album. Additionally, a note he included in packages for a recent merchandise sale he held for his Blonded brand also got supporters riled up.
“The Recording Artist has since changed his mind about the singles model, and is again interested in more durational bodies of work.” Ocean wrote in the third person in a pamphlet accompanying Blonded Merch.
Back in 2021, HitsDailyDouble reported that Ocean was shopping around a new album. Not much developed in terms of that story, but a new LP from Ocean would be monumental for the entire mainstream music landscape. Almost seven years removed from his last full-length effort, and three years since his last single releases, “Dear April” and “Cayendo,” in 2020, fans could be in for some fascinating updates at Coachella.
Photo by Josh Brasted/WireImage
