Christopher Francis Ocean (born Christopher Breaux; October 28, 1987), better known by his stage name Frank Ocean, is anAmerican singer-songwriter from New Orleans, Louisiana. Ocean's early career was as a ghostwriter for artists such as Brandy, Justin Bieber, and John Legend. In 2010, he became a member of alternative hip hop collective OFWGKTA, and his debut mixtape, Nostalgia, Ultra, was released the following year to critical acclaim. He released two singles: "Novacane" and 'Swim Good", which both achieved chart success. The mixtape gained the interest of recording artists such as Kanye West, Beyoncé Knowles and Jay-Z, and he consequently appeared on West and Jay-Z's Watch the Throne album.

In 2012, the BBC announced that Ocean finished second place in its Sound of 2012 poll. Ocean appeared at the Coachella festival as well as at Lollapalooza at the end of his 2012 summer tour.

His debut studio album, Channel Orange, was released in July 2012 as a digital download exclusively on iTunes, one week ahead of its scheduled full release. The album was promoted with three charting singles: "Thinkin Bout You," "Pyramids," and "Sweet Life." Ocean wrote an open letter, intended for his liner notes on Channel Orange, that would pre-emptively address "speculation about his same-sex attraction," he instead blogged it on Tumblr. Ocean became one of the first major hip-hop/R&B artists to announce that he had fallen in love with someone of the same sex, when the industry is known for homophobia.