American singer-songwriter Frank Ocean was BOTD in 1987. Born in Long Beach, California, he was raised in New Orleans by his mother after his parents’ divorce. He enrolled at the University of New Orleans in 2005, until his family home was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, forcing him to relocate to the University of Louisiana in Lafayette. He dropped out soon after, moving to Los Angeles to pursue a music career. He worked as a ghostwriter before joining hip-hop collective Odd Future. His 212 debut album Channel Orange, a musical fusion drawing on jazz, soul, R&B, electronica and funk, with dense elliptical lyrics, was highly acclaimed, winning a Grammy Award for Best Urban Contemporary Album, while its lead single Thinkin Bout You was nominated for Record of the Year. Ocean attracted attention when he announced that his lyrics were inspired by his relationship with a man, making him one of the few openly queer Black hip-hop artists. After a four year hiatus, he had further success with his 2016 self-produced album Blonde, which reached No 1 on the US Billboard 200. He has since released singles with Calvin Harris, Travis Scott and Jay-Z, and recorded a cover of Henri Mancini’s ballad Moon River. In 2016, he expressed solidarity with the victims of the Orlando nightclub shooting, describing his early experiences of his father expressing homophobic views. The following year, his father unsuccessfully sued him for defamation, resulting in a trial where Ocean and both his parents gave evidence in court. He is rumoured to be dating mixed martial arts fighter Payton Talbott.