Frank Ocean fans have been clamoring for a new album since 2016’s Blonde, and there’s a new glimmer of hope that a follow-up could be on the way as it’s been revealed that he’s working on new music with one of the album’s producers.
The revelation was made in a New York Times profile on Michael Uzowuru, the Los Angeles-bred musician who co-produced the Blonde standout “Nights.”
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Detailing his work with the enigmatic R&B star, the article reads: “Uzowuru would go on to contribute to his acclaimed 2016 LP Blonde, and lend a hand to his visual album, Endless. In the following years, the two teamed up on the understated hit ‘Chanel’ and the plucky, anxious’ ‘In My Room.’
“More recently, they’ve been working on new music together in Miami.”
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Frank himself praised Uzowuru, telling the publication: “Me and Michael’s careers exist post Hip Hop — that genre, that culture, informs both of us greatly. But his appetite has grown; his vocabulary, musically, has grown so much over the time that I’ve known him.”
He also credited the 32-year-old, along with Rick Rubin, of helping him overcome writer’s block: “Michael is a friend I talk to about where I’m at artistically very often.”
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Uzowuru recriprocated the love, saying of Frank: “I couldn’t love him or care about him more. I’m very grateful for him as a person outside of the work, so it doesn’t matter if we work. I don’t need to work with him, because it’s so much bigger. He’s separate from everyone else. He’s family.”
It’s unclear which project, if any, the music is intended for, with the article noting that Uzowuru is “sitting on an unreleased solo album,” described as “an ambient record he occasionally sends to friends.”
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Nevertheless, a quick glance at Michael Uzowuru’s résumé should make fans even more excited by the news. In addition to Frank Ocean, the former Odd Future affiliate has worked with other high-profile stars such as Beyoncé, SZA and Childish Gambino (whose new album Bando Stone & The New World he helped create).
While Uzowuru has ramped up his output in recent years, Frank has retreated further into the shadows, with his last release, the double offering of “Dear April” and “Cayendo,” arriving back in 2020.
The Grammy-winner has offered only a few hints of new music since then, most notably during his polarizing performance at last year’s Coachella where he said: “I want to talk about why I’m here, because it’s not because of a new album. It’s because — not that there’s not a new album… but there’s not right now. Chill, chill, chill. No, it’s not right now.”
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He also shared a 60-second snippet of an unreleased song in a rare social media post last fall and previewed another never-before-heard track shortly after that.
As the eighth anniversary of Blonde approaches, the long wait for a follow-up has only cemented the album’s status as a cult classic.
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In May, Frank’s sophomore LP soared to No. 34 on the Billboard 200, marking its highest position on the chart since its original run in 2016.
