Frank Ocean talks politics, social media, and favorite cover songs in rare interview

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In November, Frank Ocean finally made his Instagram public, allowing fans a peek into his luxurious yet mysterious world. Now, the R&B crooner has granted his followers a closer look at his everyday life in a rare interview with GQ magazine. In the wide-ranging discussion, Ocean talks about social media and the way he’s perceived by fans; why he decided to politicize his platform during the 2018 Midterm Elections; his recent move to New York; his New Year’s resolution; and his skincare routine, among other topics.

Ocean said he decided to make his Instagram account public because he felt there was a “dissonance between how I was seen by the audience and where I was actually.” The Blonde singer elaborated further on the misconceptions people have about him:

“I feel like between the numbers of zero to ten, in between every number there’s infinity, you know? I would describe a person as the space between the symbols, beyond the language. That dissonance—the word being a big container for what I was feeling…the way I was seen was not even close to correct. It’s still not correct, either.

With some pop stars, the idea of them is maybe more balanced or fully formed: a half-dozen magazine covers, x amount of interviews, a daily influx of media. There’s a way you wanna be in the visual press, although you could potentially be misrepresented; when you’re completely minimal with media, there’s a lot of pressure on whatever one thing you’re doing, the stakes are higher. Social media helps that, ’cause you’re fully in control and can message that how you want.”

Around Election Day, Ocean encouraged fans to vote by offering free, limited-edition merchandise. He decided to politicize his platform because “the stakes feel higher now.” He added, “Getting seven or eight thousand people who might not have otherwise voted to participate like that is a testament to what public figures can do or encourage with their voice. It feels responsible, especially at this time.”

On making his move to the Big Apple, Ocean dropped a tidbit about his new bedroom setup, which apparently came together partially thanks to renowned director Spike Jonze. “When I first got to the place, I was sleeping in the living room on this mattress Spike [Jonze] told me to get — the Duxiana — which is so nice it has an owners’ club,” Ocean recalled.

While typical New Year’s resolutions involve hitting the gym, Ocean’s is carried over from 2018. “I didn’t do my last one, to be honest with you,” he said. “My last one was self-decoration, and I haven’t finished any of my jewelry, so I’m gonna carry that on to next year [2019].”

Elsewhere in the interview, Ocean stressed the importance of night creams in his skincare routine and named his two favorite songs to cover: “At Your Best” (Aaliyah’s version of The Isley Brothers original) and the Breakfast at Tiffany’s classic “Moon River”.

Read the full interview here.

Revisit “Moon River” below.

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