This is seriously gorgeous.
Source: youtube.com
"Whilst on tour in Texas, we decided to cover a song by a Texan. She is one of our favourite artists of all time, Beyonce. This song has always meant a lot to us and was written with another artist we really admire, Frank Ocean. Happy Valentines day to you all. Lots of love, xx The xx"
Via: xx-xx.co.uk
Source: youtube.com
It wasn’t his best, but Frank Ocean’s performance of “Forrest Gump” at the Grammys was unforgettable.
Objectively speaking, the performance felt off. Frank's voice was under pitch. The elaborate staging distracted rather than highlighted the song. And his whistling stood out more than the song's beautiful lyrics. So, yes, objectively speaking, it wasn't pretty.
But it's Tuesday, a full two days since the Grammys dragged to a close, and I'm still thinking about Frank Ocean's performance. A young black man got on stage in front of the entire music industry and millions of television viewers and sang a simple, sweet love song about another man. It's 2013, and that, I believe, is what history sounds like.
A group of parents and teachers in Indiana are organizing a separate high school prom to exclude queer students. A few weeks ago, Jadin Bell, a gay teen in Oregon, hung himself on a playground after persistent bullying. I think about Jadin and queer kids in small towns in Indiana and the South Side of Chicago and my hometown of Lewisville, Texas a lot. I think about them whenever I listen to Frank sing "I know you Forrest / I know you wouldn't hurt a beetle / But you're so buff and so strong / I'm nervous Forrest." I wonder if, like me, those kids were so grateful for Frank to just be there that they didn't hear the off notes. I wonder if, even after the performance was over, they could still hear Frank singing "If this is love, I know it's true / I won't forget you."
At the point that any man is willing to be candid and vulnerable in front of a national audience, I take note. And when that man is singing about another man, softly, sheepishly even, yes, I find myself thinking about it days later.
It's easy to take breakthroughs for granted, especially amidst the flurry of tweets, sound bytes, and breaking news headlines, but I just wanted to take a moment, briefly, gratefully, and remember what Frank Ocean did for all of us and himself.
Frank Ocean was among the long list of performers at MTV's Video Music Awards broadcast on Thursday night. He shared the stage with the likes of Rihanna, A$AP Rocky, Pink and One Direction, but it's safe to say his VMAs performance stood out among that company.
Ocean sang a stripped-down version of "Thinking About You," a song off channel ORANGE. Ocean was seated by a fake campfire, wearing his trademark bandana. The young Odd Future crooner's vocals sound studio-perfect.
