Frank Ocean’s two albums, Blonde and Endless, will not be recognised by next year’s Grammys. According to sources, including the Grammys, the records were not submitted for consideration at the forthcoming award ceremony.
Blonde was self-released and was prefaced by a lengthy launch period in which Ocean live-streamed a woodwork class, and Ocean’s Grammy snub could be seen another act of defiance, a disregard for conventional industry accolades. He has not done any interviews to promote the album, which reached No 1 in the Billboard charts in August.
Both albums were released in time for the submissions to be approved: Endless came out on August 12 and Blonde on August 20, with the deadline to submit for Grammy eligibility being September 30.
According to Billboard, representatives for the Grammys confirmed that Ocean’s two albums had not been submitted. A spokesperson for the R’n’B singer was unable to comment on the subject.
While it is not yet known whether this was intentional, Endless may not be eligible because of its format given that it is a single long-form video streamed through Apple Music. The Grammys did, however, announce in June that streaming-only releases are now able to enter the awards.
Channel Orange, Ocean’s 2012 debut album, earned a Grammy for best urban contemporary album and was nominated for five in total.
The 59th annual Grammy awards will take place on February 12.
