On January 3rd 2020, the lineup for this year’s Coachella Music Festival was officially announced, and the rumors that had been floating around the internet for weeks were finally confirmed: Frank Ocean is schedueld to be the Sunday night headliner. The exact moment that I heard this news, the thought that immediately came to mind was, “Okay. How am I going to afford a ticket, hotel, a flight to California, and 3 decent outfits?” There was no doubt in my mind that I was going to the festival in Indio. Frank Ocean is my favorite artist, and the opportunity to see him live falls into the same category as seeing a pig fly. So, is my bank account looking a little bare right now? Yes. But is it worth it? Absolutely.
The last time Ocean performed live was FYF Festival in July of 2017, so by the time Coachella rolls around, it will be nearly 3 years since the last time he took the stage. He also hasn’t relased an album since his project Blond in August of 2016, so we’re coming up on 4 years of no new albums, ladies! He is one of the few artists of our generation who is stripped down to being like solely because of their music, as there isn’t a whole lot to judge him for besides that. His rareity of performance and very vague social media presence are part of his appeal, making it feel as though being able to see him live is a lottery of some sort, or like you saw a shooting star.
Frank Ocean’s position as headliner has also led to the predictions of him dropping a new album before the festival, as he’s released 2 new singles entitled DHL and In My Room in the past couple of months (both of which absolutely bang). Even though I would be over the moon about a new album, I will happily sit in the desert and listen to Channel Orange and Blond for 2 hours straight, bawling my eyes out from pure euphoria.
Obviously I’m excited to see all of the other amazing artists on the lineup (Lana Del Rey, Calvin Harris, Flume, Daniel Caesar, Travis Scott, and Louis the Child to name a few), but being able to see this man live after 6 years of obsession is going to hit so differently. Catch another article at the end of April of me rambling about this godly experience.