The article sees the former recluse answer burning questions from a slew of his contemporaries.
Following his recent return to social media and the public eye R&B sensation Frank Ocean features as the cover star of Dazed magazine’s latest physical print.
The new article sees Ocean on the firing line as he answers burning questions from a slew of his contemporaries within the music and arts world such as Chic’s Nile Rodgers, Rosalía, JPEGMAFIA, John Waters and Arca. Topics within the article range from when listeners can expect a long-awaited vinyl press of 2012’s Channel Orange, what Ocean perceives as the distinction between the personas of Frank and – his birth name – Christopher, what the one film score Ocean wishes that he had written is and more.
Glimpse a number of our highlights from the article below and head to the Dazed website to order a copy of the physical bits ahead of its release.
“AMANDLA STENBERG: What practices do you rely on – in mind, body and soul – to create and protect the space from which you channel your artistry?
FRANK OCEAN: Freezing cold showers in the morning. Cold water kinda brings me back into the game of it all. I like that I’m taking a foreign language class every morning (with coffee haha) because I think that it sharpens my brain before the day. A good amount of physical activity during the week and verbalising positivity is key!
JONATHAN ANDERSON: If you could have your portrait done by any painter dead or alive, who would it be?
FRANK OCEAN: I’d love to see Caravaggio render me perfect and then Albert Oehlen make it mental.
JOHN WATERS: Any movie you wished you wrote the title song for?
FRANK OCEAN: Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence.
REX ORANGE COUNTY: What’s the most important physical thing in your life?
FRANK OCEAN: My hard drives.
NILE RODGERS: When is Channel Orange coming out on vinyl?
FRANK OCEAN: ASAP.
ARCA: Are there any similarities or differences between Frank and Christopher? Do you have any other names or nicknames you like to go by that you wanna share? Kiss on your forehead byeee
FRANK OCEAN: Christopher is a triangle wave. Frank is a pulse wave. I’m a little synthesiser. Xo
JPEGMAFIA: How did it feel fucking over a label like that (Ocean released Endless in 2016 to fulfil his contract with Def Jam, releasing Blonde independently one day later)? Old white niggas do that to us all the time, but how did it feel giving them a taste of their own elixir? And what did you build in the video for Endless? Can I live in it?
FRANK OCEAN: Eyy, Peggy! You know, it’s funny talking about it these days because I couldn’t really tell anybody anything for a couple of years. Couldn’t tell anyone at the label, obviously. But I also couldn’t talk with anyone at Apple because the industry is too small and it would’ve gotten back to the label for sure. So I kept it to myself and a few in my circle. I carried my hard drives around with me when I travelled because I used to not store anything online. Those drives became a physical representation of the stakes. If the files had leaked, everything would have worked out very differently for me. When August came around and both projects were uploaded I felt the euphoria, yeah, but mostly I just needed to sleep. I probably slept something like 15 hours. To answer your second question, I built a 12-foot staircase with my fucking bare hands some days before! It’s in my storage, you want it??
LUCIEN CLARKE: What’s your total inspiration and drive?
FRANK OCEAN: Unlimited. All-Time.”
Words by Sam Wilkinson.
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