Christopher Francis "Frank" Ocean (born
Christopher Edwin Breaux October 28, 1987), is an American singer, songwriter and rapper from
New Orleans, Louisiana. Ocean embarked on his musical career as a
ghostwriter for several prominent artists, including
John Legend,
Justin Bieber and
Brandy. In 2010, he became a member of alternative hip hop collective OFWGKTA, also known as
Odd Future. Ocean subsequently released his breakout mixtape,
Nostalgia, Ultra, to critical acclaim in 2011. The singles, "
Novacane" and "
Swim Good", both achieved chart success. In 2012, Ocean finished in second place in
BBC's
Sound of 2012 poll.