The lesser spotted Frank Ocean – who hasn’t released an album in almost nine years – appears to be teasing... something, if reports from the US are to be believed.
A brown billboard has appeared on the road to Coachella in the Colorado Valley with the words “KIKI BOY 2025.” Apparently the reclusive musician’s private Instagram account is @kikiboyyyyyyy (yes, with seven ‘y’s)
The account was only launched last month and seems to have just eight followers, two of whom are SZA and Michael Uzowuru, who produced some of the tracks on Ocean’s last album Blonde. Another is Sean Matsukawa, the engineer and producer who has also worked with SZA, Kendrick Lamar, Ariana Grande and others.
Artists taking out billboards in the run-up to Coachella is not a new thing. Indeed this year Laufey has one that reads: “Still struggling with my name? Visit SayLaufey.com to learn.” Whilst Clairo’s current effort includes a pun on her album title: “I got Charmed at Coachella.”
So does the teaser billboard precede new music from the r n’ b auteur? Or just another one-off Coachella appearance? Ocean played the 2023 edition of the festival, though just once.
His appearance during the event’s second weekend was cancelled and even his first weekend performance had to be cut short due to Coachella’s strict curfew. “It was chaotic. There is some beauty in chaos,” he said at the time. “It isn’t what I intended to show, but I enjoy being out there and I’ll see you soon.”
Being one of pop’s more hermetic characters means that all sort of rumour and conjecture has sprouted up around Ocean in recent years. He was said to have been readying an album in 2020 but then apparently thought better of it when his brother died in a car accident that year. More recently Variety reported that he had turned his attention to cinema and was shooting his directorial debut in Mexico City.
The billboard could, of course, be teasing the movie. I guess we will find out in the fullness of time.
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