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Frank Ocean, a member of hip-hop collective Odd Future and solo star in his own right, has revealed that he was once in love with a male friend.
The singer became the centre of rumours about his sexuality after playing journalists his new album, 'Channel Orange', which has open and honest lyrics about his past. Adressing these rumours, Ocean posted what would have been liner notes from the album onto his Tumblr.
In the extract Ocean discusses falling in love with a male friend - a love which was unreciprocated - and how his life changed since that point.
On his Tumblr blog, Ocean wrote: "4 summers ago, I met somebody. I was 19 years old. He was too. WE spent that summer, and the summer after, together. Everyday almost. And on the days we were together, time would glide. Most of the day I’d see him, and his smile. I’d hear his conversation and his silence until it was time to sleep. Sleep I would often share with him. By the time I realized I was in love, it was malignant. It was hopeless. There was no escaping, no negotiatin with the feeling. No choice. It was my first love, it changed my life. Back then, my mind would wander to the women I had been with, the ones I cared for and thought I was in love with. I reminisced about the sentimental songs I enjoyed when I was a teenager. The ones I played when I experienced a girlfriend for the first time. I realized they were written in a language I did not yet speak."
In a prelude to the blog post, Ocean wrote on Twitter that: "We’re all a bunch of golden million dollar babies. my hope is that the babies born these days will inherit less of the bullshit than we did. anyhow, what i’m about to post is for anyone who cares to read. it was intended to fill the thank you’s section in my album credits, but with all the rumors going round.. i figured it’d be good to clarify.. "
Ocean rose to fame in 2011 when he leaked his own mixtape, 'Nostalgia/ Ultra', behind the back of his Def Jam record label. The singer went on to work with Jay-Z and Kanye West on 'Watch The Throne' with his debut album 'Channel Orange' due for release in July.
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