Frank Ocean hints at new album at Coachella performance

Frank Ocean had been quiet for a long time. The joy was all the greater when the “Lost” singer was announced as the headliner at the “Coachella” festival 2023. During his gig on Sunday (April 16), the 35-year-old spoke about his late brother – and his new album.

Frank Ocean came on stage an hour later than announced. There he played a mix of fan-favorites and lesser-known tracks from his discography. It was Ocean’s first major performance in six years, giving fans hope that the former ghostwriter would bring new musical material to Indio, California.

While that wasn’t the case, during a brief break in his set, Frank Ocean announced that there would be a new album, “just not now.” The R’n’B artist, born Christopher Edwin Breaux, has been talking about his late brother, Ryan Breaux, for longer than he has about his new record. He died in a car accident in 2020 at the age of 18.

“My life has changed so much in the last few years…My brother and I, we used to come to this festival a lot and I often felt like I was being dragged here because I hated the dust out here. I always left here with a respiratory infection or something, so I avoided coming here, but I always ended up here,” Ocean said onstage. One of his fondest memories of the festival is seeing Rae Sremmurd perform with his brother. “I know he does [Franks Bruder] would have been so thrilled to be here with all of us and I want to thank you all for the support, listening and love all this time,” he continued.

For his set list, Frank Ocean used his complete musical catalogue. He played songs from his debut EP NOSTALGIA, ULTRA (2011), as well as tracks from his two studio records CHANNEL ORANGE (2012) and BLONDE (2016). In the middle of his show, DJ Crystalmess took over and played a “rave mix” of Ocean’s songs. His return to the big stage ended abruptly when after “At Your Best (You Are Love)” he declared he had to quit because his time was up.