Attitude’s Artist of the Year: Frank Ocean
By Will Stroude
The heartfelt letter that Frank Ocean penned in 2012, in which he wrote about his first true (and unrequited) love — for another man, felt like a real watershed moment. Not only was he one of the first male R’n’B artists to address his sexuality at the beginning of his career; his incredible talent also allowed him to dominate pop culture with Channel Orange – a record that put queerness front and centre.
It’s testament to the strength of his art that his four year hiatus could generate a level of hysteria reserved for only the greatest in pop culture. And when he dropped Blonde this year, he reaffirmed his position as one of the most interesting and important musicians we have today – and our Artist of the Year.
Read more about Frank Ocean and the rest of winners from the Attitude Awards 2016, presented in association with Virgin Holidays, in our special November issue, which comes with six different covers featuring the night’s biggest winners.
It’s available to download from 11pm tonight at pocketmags.com/attitude and available in shops from Wednesday (October 12). You can order the cover of your choice from 10am on Tuesday (October 11) at newsstand.co.uk.
