Frank Ocean has made history of contemporary music. After years of writer’s block, Ocean released his album Blonde in 2016, where he draws inspiration from various artists yet creates something completely his own. Blonde received much critical acclaim ever since its initial release for how it challenges the conventions of the rhythm and blues (R&B) genre and its originality. For listeners, his music means more than the pure artistry. The sound combined with the lyrics breathes life into the pure form of emotions. Blonde amazes listeners by how closely it resembles life itself. Blonde, without a doubt, is a modern-day masterpiece.

After three years in creation, Ocean finally released his long-awaited studio album Blonde on August 20, 2016. What might instantly catch listeners’ attention is the title of the album. While the cover of the album apparently states Blond as the title, the album is referred to as Blonde in Apple Music and other platforms, including Ocean’s official Instagram account. The ambiguity of the album title is rather deliberate, leaving the title open to interpretation. The Atlantic suggests a theory connecting the title to Ocean’s sexual orientation. Since the word "blonde" is a gendered adjective, the title may be related to the lyrics which address his experience with both men and women.

This is also reflected in the themes of the album which can be defined as duality, love, and relationships. The dual meaning of the title Blonde and the notable beat transition in “Nights” at the 30-minute mark of an hour-long album imply that the album deals greatly with the theme of duality — whether it be a duality between masculinity and femininity or of love and heartbreak. On the album, Ocean deals with his past relationships, his youth, and self-reflection — sometimes as loneliness and sometimes as independence.

The themes of duality, love, and relationships run throughout the entirety of Ocean’s album and are made clearer with his delicate, yet sometimes explicit lyrics. “That’s the way every day goes. Every time we’ve no control. If the sky is pink and white. If the ground is black and yellow.” In his lyrics for “Pink+White,” Ocean says there are some things in life that cannot be controlled. With the calculated details of construction and elaborate ways of expression, the meaning of words can be more vividly felt instead of being seen directly with the eyes.

Ocean is an artist that goes beyond labels, and that applies as much to his music as it does to his sexual orientation. During his interview with GQ, he answered the question about whether he considers himself bisexual. “I’ll respectfully say that life is dynamic and comes along with dynamic experiences, and the same sentiment that I have towards genres of music, I have towards a lot of labels and boxes and shit.” Ocean bends and combines different genres of music. Although his album Blonde is classified as R&B, the album mixes in sounds of different genres such as indie and psychedelic pop, featuring instruments like synthesizers and studio effects along with the vocals, keyboards, and guitar. He also plays with pitch to experiment with sounds that would better fit the theme of young love in some of his songs. In Blonde, the artist’s versatility is highlighted, and it shows that he isn’t confined to a genre or a label.

Ocean’s album is extremely personal, which makes it universal. The songs in this album are based on Ocean’s anecdote but the emotions felt through them can apply to everyone. Ocean lets himself be vulnerable through his songs and the listeners can sink in reminiscence of their own feelings and memories along with the beats. There are several ways to understand Ocean’s Blonde, and the lack of answers is what makes the album hit close to home for so many people. Listeners will be able to connect to Blonde in their own different ways.

Blonde was far from being conventional but because of that, the album presented the audience with sounds and emotions never heard or felt before. Blonde hit the five year mark since its release and still remains unparalleled. Ocean crafted something special with his genius and honesty. Borrowing and merging sounds from different genres, Ocean brilliantly captures the essence of human lives and the duality that exists within them. People are still anticipating Ocean will release a new album. However, it is an enigma as to when the artist is going to amaze the public with a new one.