Sign up to Roisin O’Connor’s free weekly newsletter Now Hear This for the inside track on all things music
Get our Now Hear This email for free
Last year, Frank Ocean revealed neither Blonde nor Endless - his two 2016 released - would be eligible for the 2017 Grammys, calling them “dated” and saying: “I’d rather this be my Colin Kaepernick moment.”
In an interview with Rolling Stone, two members of the creative team behind the ceremony - producer Ken Ehrlich and writer David Wild - discussed Ocean’s absence.
Specifically, the pair talked about Ocean’s performance at the 2013 Grammys where he played “Forrest Gump” from Channel Orange with a minimal backdrop.
"Frank had a very definite idea of exactly what he wanted to do and how he wanted to do it," Wild told the publication. "Ken said, that's not great TV, and what he's taught all of us is, 'We're not putting on a radio show ... you have to make it a TV moment.' And he knew from the start that that was not one of those moments.”
Ehrlich added that the Ocean was “rigid” about the performance, deciding that only his vision would work for the show.
Frank Ocean's greatest artworks
Show all 7
The artist has since responded on Tumblr, saying that performance was in no way to blame for his absence. Instead, Ocean directed attention to last year’s ceremony in which Taylor Swift’s 1989 beat Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly, calling it “hands down one of the most 'faulty’ TV moments I’ve seen”. Read the statement in full below.
Meanwhile, the Grammys will go ahead tonight, with the likes of Daft Punk and Adele performing at the ceremony. Here’s how to watch.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies