Frank Ocean, an R&B singer and member of Odd Future, opened up about his sexuality and said his first love was a man.
Whoever you are, wherever you are.. I’m starting to think we’re a lot alike,” Ocean opened his long letter on Tumblr. “Human beings spinning on blackness. All wanting to be seen, touched, paid attention to.”
“Four summers ago, I met somebody. I was 19 years old. He was too. We spent that summer, and the summer after, together. Everyday almost,” Ocean said of his relationship. “By the time I realized I was in love, it was malignant. It was hopeless. There was no escaping, no negotiating with the feeling. No choice. It was my first love, it changed my life.”
Ocean went on to say that he thought about the women he had been with and thought he was in love with and the love songs he listened to and “realized they were written in a language I did not yet speak.”
The singer said that when he told his male companion about his true feelings, he was kind but didn’t admit his feelings for another three years.
“I’ve never had more respect for life and living than I have right now. Maybe it takes a near death experience to feel alive,” Ocean wrote in his closing. “To my mother, you raised me strong. I know I’m only brave because you were first.. so thank you. All of you. For everything good. I feel like a free man. If I listen closely.. I can hear the sky falling too.”
In the letter, Ocean thanked those who he had previously told about his sexuality for “keeping him “alive” and “safe.” The letter, which was originally penned in December 2011, was originally slated to appear in the liner notes for the singer’s upcoming second album, “Channel Orange,” which is slated for release on July 17, 2012.
Ocean opted to open up about his sexuality after an album review on the blog This Is Max noted that his lyrics reference a “him” instead of a “her.”
In a post shortly before his letter, Ocean wrote, “We’re all a bunch of golden million dollar babies. my hope is that the babies born these days will inherit less of the bullshit than we did. anyhow, what I’m about to post is for anyone who cares to read. It was intended to fill the thank you’s section in my album credits, but with all the rumors going round.. I figured it’d be good to clarify…”
Ocean, whose given name is Christopher Breaux, began his career as a ghost-writer for artists like Justin Bieber, Bridget Kelly and John Legend. He released his critically-acclaimed first mix tape “Nostalgia, Ultra” in February 2011.
His singles “Novacane” and “Swim Good” achieved chart success and led to recognition from Jay-Z and Kanye West, who included Ocean on their album “Watch the Throne.”