Image Courtesy of BULLDOG BUGLE
FRANK OCEAN PERFORMS "Blonde" at Coachella
On March 14, 2025, music lovers across the world rejoiced as their ears were blessed by the elusive and mysterious Frank Ocean. Ocean is a widely praised two-time Grammy winner who recently ended a nearly four-year period without recording music. His last feature was on the song “LEMONHEAD” in June 2021 performed by his close friend Tyler, The Creator.
After releasing his instant-hit debut album Channel Orange in 2012, Ocean returned to the studio for 4 years and released his second and most recent album, Blonde, in 2016. With each album amassing over 5.5 and 7.2 billion streams, respectively, it is safe to say that Ocean has made waves in the R&B industry, even receiving praise from the famed couple Jay-Z and Beyoncé, who claimed that Ocean has “some of the best music that [they’ve] ever heard.”
Ryan Damasco ‘26 agreed with the celebrity couple, sharing, “I think that Frank Ocean is one of the all-time greats. His songs always match the vibe, and his features on other songs always hit.”
As mentioned earlier, Ocean emerged from the darkness in mid-March and released a 36-second snippet as background music on a video released by his rumoured boyfriend, UFC fighter Payton Talbott, whom Ocean has been seen with since the summer of 2024.
Despite only being 36 seconds long, Ocean’s snippet sent waves throughout the music industry. Not only are the lyrics addictive, but the realization that Ocean is back in the studio has left many fans optimistic, believing that he is on his way to releasing his 3rd studio album within the near future.
Tyler, The Creator superfan Kyler Frial ‘26 has been buying into the hype and is almost certain that a new album will be coming soon. When asked about his optimism, he responded, “I’ve been seeing lots of stuff on Instagram that makes me think he’s coming back. The billboard and account are really promising. I know Tyler [The Creator] and Frank [Ocean] always make really good music together, and I’m super excited.”
The billboard and account that Frial mentions have taken social media by storm. Many residents and visitors of the Palm Springs area noticed a strange billboard with the text “KIKI BOY 2025″ written on it. Similarly, a new private Instagram account, @kikiboyyyyyyy, was created at the same time, with only eight followers, some of whom include friends of Ocean like SZA and Tyler, The Creator, as well as Ocean’s main account, @blonded.
The release of Ocean’s snippet has left many followers and fans wondering. Did he seriously drop 36 seconds of music and disappear again, or does he plan to drop an album? While many signs suggest that the snippet is more than meets the eye, only time will tell if Ocean will once again bless the ears of his over 36 million monthly listeners with Kiki Boy.