Why Frank Ocean Fans Think a New Album Is Coming
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
Frank Ocean fans have been waiting nearly ten years for a third album from the elusive star, and now some believe it may finally be due to be released, following clues linked to both Ocean and The Wizard of Oz.
Ocean was hailed as a once-in-a-generation talent when his debut album Channel Orange was released in 2012 and he was named as one of the most influential people in the world the following year.
Newsweek has reached out to a representative for Ocean via email outside of regular working hours for comment.
Why It Matters
Ocean is something of an enigma, and rumors of his third project have circulated for so long, they now have an almost mythical quality. Since 2011, he has released two studio albums, Channel Orange (2012) and Blonde (2016), a mixtape (Nostalgia, Ultra released in 2011), and a visual album Endless (2016).
Frank Ocean performs at The Parklife Festival 2017 at Heaton Park on June 11, 2017 in Manchester, England.
Frank Ocean performs at The Parklife Festival 2017 at Heaton Park on June 11, 2017 in Manchester, England.
Visionhaus#GP/Corbis via Getty Images
In 2023, Ocean headlined Coachella in what marked his first live performance since 2017. He began his first set nearly an hour after the scheduled start time, and the performance was criticized by fans and critics alike. He canceled his performance at the second weekend, citing a leg injury. Two years after this performance, rumors started to circulate that Ocean was making a foray into film, with his directorial debut confirmed in January 2025.
What To Know
So, what's got fans' hopes up that a new release could be on the horizon?
A series of very cryptic clues have been dropping over the past week, hinting that the Grammy-award winning artist could be up to something.
On Thursday, May 15, the Instagram user @tedchildish posted an Instagram story with the text: "how have i just seen people putting up Frank posters in Tokyo."
Said posters included a QR code which linked out to an Instagram page with the name @franciswupperman.
Francis Wuppermann was best known as actor Frank Morgan, who played the title role in The Wizard of Oz, the 1939 classic starring Judy Garland
On May 22, @franciswupperman shared their first post on Instagram, where the name 'frank' appeared against different colored backgrounds on different slides. The font echoes the one used on Blonde.
The caption reads: "FRANK a tale of three parts … begins next week."
Outlander Magazine posted about the account on Instagram on May 20, reporting that the accounts' bio at that time was "FRANK: May 22nd." The post speculated that the account belonged to Ocean and was connected to a film release, though this is unconfirmed.
As of reporting, the account's bio reads "Wonderment and joy are retained, heartaches and nightmares are lost," a quote from the 1900 introduction to the original book in the Oz series, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L.Frank Baum. The account has garnered over 75,000 followers and only follows one account: Frank Ocean's Blonded account.
The assumption has been that these hints are about new music; but it is unclear how, if at all, this account is connected to Ocean, something which fans have highlighted and the account could be linked to Ocean's reported upcoming directorial debut, rather than an album.
In January of 2025, following prolonged rumors, it was reported that Ocean would be directing a film starring the actress and model, Taylor Russel and that shooting had begun in Mexico City.
What People Are Saying
@zoe.ashraf commenting on @franciswupperman Instagram post: "frank i have loved u since i was 13 pls understand how crucial this is."
@utkarshoncoke commenting on @franciswupperman Instagram post: "Istg bro if this is some prank."
What's Next
Any details of a potential upcoming musical release, along with the title, plot and cast of Ocean's directorial debut, are unconfirmed.
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