Does Frank Ocean Hate His Fans?
Image Courtesy: Billboard
Frank Ocean has once again circled into the spotlight, maybe for the worse. After his questionable performance the first weekend of Coachella–followed by his shocking announcement he will not be performing at the second weekend of the festival–fans began circling the same question that has been asked for years: Does Frank Ocean hate his fans.
Let’s start with his performance on the first weekend of Coachella, which left fans a little disappointed and confused. The show started an hour late, primarily due to the production redesign Ocean called for. Supposedly, the original production of the set was supposed to include an ice rink and skaters–who had been working for months on the project. Ocean canceled the production set last minute, which caused the delay in his opening, and changed plans for all the backup crew involved. The backup entertainers largely obstructed the audience's view of the singer, who walked around Ocean’s set in a circle. His set followed a pattern of teasers and remixed snippets of his most popular songs, making it difficult for the audience to follow along. He didn’t even grace us with a live performance of favorites like “Nights,” “Nikes,” or “Chanel,” and last minute pulled out of the planned live stream of his set (which many fans were planning on watching for those who couldn’t make it to this year's festival). His performance has been called “experimental” and “obscure,” leaving many questioning Ocean's connection with his fans. He ended the set abruptly after only about an hour and 20 minutes of music, saying he was told that it was “curfew.” He also pulled out of the festival's second weekend, citing an ankle injury.
“It was chaotic. There is some beauty in chaos. It isn’t what I intended to show, but I did enjoy being out there, and I'll see you soon,” said Ocean in a statement he released after the announcement he would not be performing on the second weekend.
It seems his 6-year hiatus from performing has caused the anticipation– and expectations–for his performance to rise. In addition to his hiatus from performing, he hasn't dropped an album since Blond back in 2016. Fans have been blessed with several singles over the years, but it seems the gap gets bigger and bigger each time Ocean drops an album. There's a four-year gap between Chanel Orange (2012) and Blond (2016), and who knows when his next project will be released. Ocean briefly mentioned a new project during his Coachella set but quickly calmed the audience's excitement by saying the project was coming but “not now.” Ocean doesn’t really seem to care what his fans want–and more and more people are starting to point it out.
But was Ocean’s Coachella set really a display of a distaste for his fans? During the show, Ocean gave a long speech talking to the audience about his motives behind headlining the festival this year. During the speech, Ocean shared tear-jerking memories of himself and his late brother at the festival years before.
“I have missed you,” Ocean said to the crowd. “My brother and I used to come here together a lot….One of my favorite memories is watching Rae Sremmurd on that stage with him,” shared Ocean. Ocean’s brother, Ryan Breaux, passed away in 2020 from a fatal car crash that killed him and his friend, who was only 18 and 20 years old at the time.
“I know [Ryan] would have been so excited to be here with all of us, and I want to thank you for the support, ears, and love,” Ocean said to the crowd.
So maybe all the funky remixes and intimate stage setting were really just Ocean trying to perform in a way his fans couldn’t relate to. Or perhaps he is being selfish. After all, these people did spend hundreds of dollars to see him…sit on a chair and briefly walk around the stage? Maybe Ocean prioritizes his music first, which should be no secret to any long-time Frank Ocean fan.
Strike out,
Haley Dockendorff
Boca Raton
Haley Dockendorff is a Content Writer for Strike Magazine Boca. Loud and proud, this Virgo loves writing just about anything that will cause a bit of commotion. If you can’t find her, she’s probably somewhere on a beach with a camera in hand.
