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Frank Ocean Biography

Birth Name:
Christopher Breaux
Birth Place:
Long Beach, California, United States
Profession
Singer-songwriter

Fast Facts

  • Moved with his family to New Orleans when he was 5
  • Nicknamed Lonny as a child in honor of his mother's father, whose name was Lionel
  • Left New Orleans for L
  • A
  • in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina
  • Prior to the storm, he was preparing to lay down tracks he'd written in a local recording studio
  • After the storm, however, the studio suffered water damage and was looted, making recording impossible
  • Supported himself in L
  • A
  • by working at Subway, Kinko's and AT&T
  • He even worked as an Allstate claims processor for a time
  • Eventually signed a songwriting deal that led to him contributing to songs recorded by Justin Bieber ("Bigger"), John Legend ("Quickly") and Brandy ("1st and Love")
  • Signed by Def Jam in 2009, though not much came of the deal until after his 2011 mixtape Nostalgia, Ultra turned heads—including those of Beyoncé, Jay Z and Kanye West, who asked him to work with them