Odd Future's Frank Ocean says his first love was a man
Getting ahead of rumors about his sexuality, Odd Future's Frank Ocean released a lengthy personal statement about his first love -- a 19-year-old male.
The 23-year-old New Orleans singer, songwriter and rapper posted the statement earlier this week at his website, giving fans insight into his first love four years ago and affirming his bisexuality.
"4 summers ago. I met somebody. I was 19 years old. He was too. We spent that summer, and the summer after, together. Everyday almost. And on the days we were together, time would glide ...By the time I realized I was in love. It was malignant. It was hopeless. There was no escaping. No negotiating with the feeling. No choice. It was my first love, it changed my life."
The deeply personal account, dated Dec. 27, 2011, was intended for the thank you section of his impending "Channel Orange" album, according to the post. Ocean's sexuality recently became a hot topic in the music world when lyrics from the album leaked online.
Ocean is set to head out on a solo trek in support of the forthcoming debut set, which will hit retailers July 17 via Def Jam Records. The outing kicks off July 14 in Vancouver and features 14 major market stops, including an Aug. 4 appearance at Chicago's Lollapalooza.
"Channel Orange" comes more than a year after his self-released mixtape, "Nostalgia, Ultra," which includes the popular singles "Novacane" and "Swim Good," both of which charted on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.
Fans can hear the new album's nearly 10-minute lead single, "Pyramids," now via Ocean's website.
Ocean began his career writing songs for musicians such as Justin Bieber ("Bigger"), John Legend ("Quickly") and Brandy Norwood ("1st & Love"). The young artist penned "I Miss You," on Beyonce's 2011 hit album, "4," and made a guest appearance on Jay-Z and Kanye West's chart-topping collaborative album, "Watch the Throne," on the single "No Church in the Wild."
14 - Vancouver, British Columbia - Commodore Ballroom
16 - San Francisco, CA - The Regency Ballroom
17 - Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern
19 - Austin, TX - La Zona Rosa
20 - Dallas, TX - Southside Music Hall
22 - Atlanta, GA - Center Stage Theatre
23 - Washington, D.C. - 9:30 Club
25 - Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer
26 - New York, NY - Terminal 5
28 - Boston, MA - Paradise Rock Club
29 - Montreal, Quebec - Club Soda
31 - Toronto, Ontario - The Guvernment
August 2012
1 - Detroit, MI - St. Andrews Hall
3 - Chicago, IL - Metro/Smart Bar
4 - Chicago, IL - Lollapalooza
9 - Oslo, Norway - Oya Fstival
Never miss a story
Get the news as it happens via Facebook, Twitter or our old-fashioned RSS feed
Follow @soundspike