Maybe we get our hopes up a little bit.
Is there a more enigmatic man in music than Frank Ocean? It’s rhetorical. No, there isn’t. The R&B icon has continued to defy expectations in ways both impressive and frustrating. He’s kept a low profile since his disastrous Coachella performance in 2023. No new music has materialized since, with many fearing that a long-awaited third album will never come. Well, there’s some good news on the horizon. According to Michael Uzowuru, Ocean’s longtime collaborator, the singer is in fact working on another album.
Uzowuru was recently profiled by the New York Times. His resume is staggering, as he’s worked with the likes of Solange, Kevin Abstract, Beyonce and Vince Staples just to name a few. That being said, his most lauded work may be with Frank Ocean. The two men worked closely on the joint 2016 releases Endless and Blonde. Michael Uzowuru served as a co-writer and producer on several tracks across the albums. If anybody knows anything about new Frank Ocean music, it’s him. And he blessed fans with some exciting info regarding the next album.
Frank Ocean’s Next Album Is Inspired By Dance Music
FRANK OCEAN IS WORKING ON NEW MUSIC IN MIAMI 🚨
He’s been working with Blonde/Endless collaborator Michael Uzowuru 👀 pic.twitter.com/PtFruqhL4v
— NFR Podcast (@nfr_podcast) July 19, 2024
Michael Uzowuru, who also has solo music, did not provide any concrete details. In fact, he isn’t quoted as saying Ocean’s name specifically. The New York Times does note, however, that Uzowuru is working on new music with Ocean as we speak. Both artists are holed up in Miami. That’s all we get. It isn’t much, but it’s the most we’ve gotten since the aforementioned debacle at Coachella. If Frank Ocean’s previous statements are to be trusted, than the music he’s making in Miami is influenced by house.
During a 2019 profile with W Magazine, Frank Ocean shed light on his musical obsessions. He told the outlet that he’d been inspired by time spend in nightclubs. “I’ve been interested in club, and the many different iterations of nightlife for music and songs,” he explained. “And so the things I look at now have a lot to do with those scenes: Detroit, Chicago, techno, house, French electronic.” Electronic influence can be heard on the latest batch of Frank Ocean singles. By latest, of course, we mean “In My Room” and “DHL” from 2019. Hopefully Michael Uzowuru’s update leads to something concrete. The producer’s signature sound, meanwhile, can be heard on the recent Donald Glover show Swarm.
