Frank Ocean’s ‘Blonde’ was a "mysterious four-year process", according to his keyboard player.
The 28-year-old singer-and-rapper finally released his long-awaited new album in August to critical acclaim and commercial success and the LP was preceded by visual album ‘Endless’ which streamed on Apple Music in the days prior.
Now Buddy Ross, who is Ocean’s touring keyboardist and regular collaborator, has admitted the creative process for both projects was meticulous and very mysterious and he had no idea what Ocean’s plans were until the music finally dropped.
Speaking to Pitchfork, he said: "(‘Blonde’) has been a four-year process … I had no idea what I was going to be on until the record came out. So more than anybody, I was just waiting and anticipating the release of this so much. I knew I was hopefully going to be a part of it, but I was also just excited to hear all the little bits and pieces I had heard over the years finally come together.
"I kind of gave up on ever holding onto anything, because I just knew that it was out of my control. I knew that when it did it would be a sweet surprise. I had no clue … I don’t think [Ocean] wanted to let people have full context. He’s like a collage artist in a way. We were all these bits and pieces that he’d send off to do our thing on. But we’d never see him putting it together … I text him sometimes. I just told him how proud I was of the record, for him."
Ross – who has also worked with Haim and Unknown Mortal Orchestra – also revealed he had "no idea" who Ocean was when he first started playing with him in 2012, just ahead of the release of ‘Channel Orange’.
However, he soon realised that the ‘Nike’ singer was a special talent and he feels honoured to be part of his band even though it’s not always clear what parts of his Ocean has used on his tracks.
Ross shared: "I feel like a fan. He’s very mysterious. It’s rad to be part of something that’s so fresh and I almost feel disconnected from it in a way, because I’ve never been a part of something where I was brought in for a couple of hours to try some things and then leave and have no idea – to not remember what I even played on."
Despite the long wait, ‘Blonde’ has proved to be a hit and is currently number one on both the UK and US album charts.
Included among the artist credits on the LP are Beyoncé, Kanye West, Pharrell Williams, James Blake, Jamie xx, Rick Rubin, and Tyler the Creator.
Frank Ocean’s Blonde was a ‘mysterious’ LP
