Frank Ocean is best known as American singer, songwriter, producer and rapper. He is one of the most influential musicians in the world.
Ocean was born on the 28th of October 1987 in California, though his family soon moved to New Orleans. He was introduced to music through his mother and would visit jazz bars. In 2005, he enrolled in the University of New Orleans to study English, however he left early to focus on his music career, and in 2006 he moved to Los Angeles. He soon became an established songwriter and wrote for artists such as Justin Bieber, John Legend and Brandy.
After being successful as a songwriter for a few years, Ocean decided he wanted to continue pursuing a career as a singer. In 2009 he joined the hip-hop collective Odd Future and in 2011 he signed with Def Jam Recordings. However, he felt the label wasn’t helping him and so he started working on a solo mixtape. Nostalgia, Ultra, Ocean’s self-mixtape, was released in February 2011 to wide-spread critical acclaim. After the release of his mixtape, his relationship with his label improved and they re-released Nostalgia, Ultra as an EP.
Ocean’s studio albums Channel Orange and Blonde are both certified platinum; in 2016 he released a visual album called Endless, which was the end of his contract with Def Jam Recordings. He has since gone on to released many singles through his Beats 1 Radio Show Blonded Radio. Throughout his career he has collaborated with artists such as Jay-Z, Kanye West, John Mayer, Pharrell Williams, Danger Mouse, Calvin Harris and Tyler the Creator. He has won numerous awards including two Grammy Awards, a Brit Award and an NME Award. In 2013 he was listed on Time’s 100 most influential people in the world and in 2017 he was listed on Forbe’s 30 under 30.
Ocean has one of the most iconic musical styles of the generation. Critics have described his style as idiosyncratic, avant-garde R&B, avant-soul and psych-soul. Insider and the Wall Street Journal regard him as one of the dominant artists of the 10’s.
In August, after spending years releasing only singles and no new albums, Ocean revealed the project that he had been working on, his independent American luxury company, Homer. Homer’s premier collection consists of 25-pieces of fine and high jewellery. The centerpiece of the collection is an almost USD 2 million diamond necklace. The rest of the collection draws inspiration from pop art, with many bright colours characterizing the collection. Currently, Homer’s collection can only be brought from their store in New York City, either in person or over the phone.
In a time where many luxury companies are struggling to engage with younger generations, Frank Ocean and Homer provide a refreshing take on luxury. Homer has the potential to bring engage younger generations in luxury in a way that well-known brands have not achieved.