Christopher Francis Ocean (born Christopher Breaux; October 28, 1987), better known by his stage name Frank Ocean, is an American singer-songwriter from New Orleans, Louisiana. Breaux made an early career as a ghost-writer for artists such as Justin Bieber, Bridget Kelly, Aramide Makinde and John Legend. In mid 2010 he became a member of OFWGKTA premiering on Domo Genesis' track, "SteamRoller". In February 2011, he released his debut mixtape, Nostalgia, Ultra, to critical acclaim. He released two singles; "Novacane" and "Swim Good". Both singles achieved chart success. Ocean went on a 7 show tour through North America and Europe promoting the mixtape. He is currently located in New York City.
The mixtape caught the interest of recording artists such as Kanye West, Beyoncé Knowles and Jay-Z, and he appeared on Watch the Throne. On January 5, 2012, the BBC announced that he had finished in second place in the BBC's Sound of 2012 poll. Ocean is currently working on his debut studio album, set to be released Summer 2012, while the same year he appeared at Coachella and he is scheduled to appear at Lollapalooza. His debut album, Channel Orange, is reportedly set to be released on July 17, 2012.
Frank Ocean began his career with the producer duo The MIDI Mafia. Ocean joined Los Angeles-based hip hop collective OFWGKTA, whom he met through his connections, at the end of 2009. In late 2009, he met Tricky Stewart, who helped Ocean sign a contract with Def Jam Recordings as a solo artist, however, he was initially unable to build a relationship with the company. In 2010, he changed his name from Christopher Breaux to Christopher Francis William Ocean via a legal website.
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