Frank Ocean provides a lesson in managing expectations

Plus, the Tiny Desk gets a green makeover to celebrate the season [View this email online]( [NPR Music]( April 22, 2023 by [Stephen Thompson]( --------------------------------------------------------------- This week we're thinking about fan entitlement; plus, an introduction to your new newsletter writer [Frank Ocean performs at Coachella]( Andy Abeyta/The Desert Sun/USA TODAY Network via Reuters Perhaps you entered last weekend looking to stream Frank Ocean’s Coachella set, safe in the assumption that he’d come armed with new songs — and maybe even an announcement of his long-awaited full-length follow-up to 2016’s Blonde. Then you found out the show wasn’t going to be streamed at all, and then you got word from the folks in attendance that he’d shown up an hour late and abbreviated his set due to “curfew.” Then you heard he didn’t play any new songs, and then reports trickled out that he’d told the crowd there’ll be a new album — just “not right now.” (Here’s Juliana Kim, [writing about Sunday night’s show for NPR Music]( Oh, and that repeat performance Ocean had scheduled for this coming weekend? It’s canceled.
 It’s fair to feel let down when high hopes are dashed. But it’s also worth interrogating our own expectations here: After all, Ocean never said he was performing songs from a new album, any more than he did when he was originally scheduled to play Coachella back in 2020. Such a high-profile concert appearance certainly seemed like a good time to road-test new material, but that didn’t stop Rihanna from trotting out a greatest-hits medley at the Super Bowl earlier this year, did it? Sometimes, albums just aren’t ready and the stars just don’t align. Not everyone is Beyoncé, whose uncommon discipline (and uncommonly disciplined team) allows her to pull off intricately choreographed album rollouts and surprise drops. But a Beyoncéfication seems to have crept into audience expectations, and… look, if everyone could be Beyoncé, everyone would be Beyoncé, right? Frank Ocean’s recorded output is brilliant, but no one would confuse him with a pull-out-all-the-stops showman. As for a follow-up to Blonde — or a new Rihanna album, for that matter — it’s too soon to throw up our hands entirely. They’re clearly working on it, and they’ve clearly got other stuff going on in their lives, but the sheer stakes of it all suggest that we’ll get something eventually. If worst comes to worst, we’ll get the ’20s (or perhaps ’30s) equivalent of Guns N’ Roses’ Chinese Democracy, which seemed like a myth until it finally came out in 2008. That record, along with Ocean’s recent Coachella appearance, provides a useful reminder that most highly anticipated art happens eventually — just not on the timeline our greedy hearts desire. --------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter continues after sponsor message --------------------------------------------------------------- Before we get started We’ll get to this week’s music highlights, but first I ought to briefly introduce myself: I’m Stephen Thompson, I’ve been part of NPR Music since before its launch in 2007 and I co-host NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast. I’m excited to contribute to this newsletter and grateful to all of you who’ve subscribed and spread the word to your friends. But it’s not the only way to keep up on NPR Music! We posted much of this information [in our recent thread]( on a Gab-style microblogging platform, but if you wish to avoid such places, I’ll summarize: You can visit [our website]( follow us [on Instagram]( or visit us [at Facebook](. You can subscribe to, download and/or otherwise follow our outstanding music shows: [Jazz Night In America]( [Louder Than A Riot]( [All Songs Considered]( and [Alt.Latino]( not to mention the occasionally music-adjacent [Pop Culture Happy Hour](. My pal and colleague, Lars Gotrich, writes the [Viking’s Choice newsletter]( which is packed with adventurous music recommendations. Gosh, what else? [Alt.Latino is on TikTok]( (and utterly delightful) for as long as said platform is available to U.S. consumers. Our playlists are updated regularly on [Spotify]( and [Apple Music]( and you can subscribe to [our YouTube channel]( for Tiny Desks and more. One more thing: For the past four and a half years, this newsletter has been written and/or edited by my dear pal Marissa Lorusso, who was affected by the recent round of layoffs at NPR. She’s not just a tough act to follow — I’ve been hanging on her every word the entire time she’s done this job — but she’s also a dear friend, a brilliant editor, a trusted ally and an absolute go-to superstar for any task I’ve seen her face. Marissa has been almost shockingly versatile, working on everything from event planning (for the [Tiny Desk Contest]( to editing and writing for ambitious projects (most notably [Turning the Tables]( to speaking with great warmth, preparation and clarity on All Songs Considered and Pop Culture Happy Hour. Marissa is one of the most no-fuss, hyper-competent people I’ve ever worked with. While I remain firmly convinced that our professional paths will cross again, I’m toasting her as I write this, while also grumbling bitterly about her departure. --------------------------------------------------------------- More to read, watch and hear - Just three weeks ago, I joined Weekend Edition Sunday’s Ayesha Rascoe as we [attempted to enlist ChatGPT]( in writing songs for us in the style of Diane Warren, Beyoncé and Lin-Manuel Miranda. Our efforts have already been definitively surpassed. As Chloe Veltman [reports on Morning Edition]( AI-produced imitations of Drake, The Weeknd, Eminem and Oasis have surfaced, prompting debate about… well, lots of things, as you can imagine. Ethics, for one. Legality, for another. Oh, and, you know, the future of recorded music. - We’re less than a month away from announcing our winner of the ninth annual Tiny Desk Contest. And as excited as we are to christen a new standard-bearer — [here’s a list of past winners]( in case you’d like a refresher — it’s nice to take a moment to bask one last time in the sheer volume of thrilling entries. This time around, our judges watched nearly 6,000 entries, so it would be malpractice to highlight just one artist out of all that talent. Which brings us to [our latest installment of Top Shelf]( in which NPR Music’s Bobby Carter and KEXP’s Albina Cabrera break down some of their favorite submissions on YouTube. Catch up on their picks, then scope out the [newly announced Tiny Desk Contest On The Road Tour]( taking place across eight cities in June and July. - My mortal enemy, Bob Boilen, has [a new episode of his little All Songs Considered podcast](. And, since the great Marissa Lorusso and the also-great Hazel Cills are joining him this week, I’m delighted — willing, even — to spread the word! Our two-out-of-three-ain’t-bad braintrust brings you new songs from Indigo de Souza, Peter One, Speedy Ortiz, Bully, Charlotte Cornfield and Laura Wolf. Also on the All Songs front, another of my mortal enemies (in this case Robin Hilton) [is back in the New Music Friday host chair]( after my despotic two-week reign. - Jazz Night In America has [an excellent primer on this year’s NEA Jazz Masters]( Kenny Garrett, Regina Carter, Louis Hayes and Sue Mingus. I fell in love with Carter’s music when she played the Tiny Desk [all the way back in 2010]( so it’s a special delight to see her immortalized. - Andy Beta [profiles]( the long-running, supersized jazz band Natural Information Society — and its leader, Joshua Abrams, who worked with The Roots all the way back in the early ’90s. - Eyder Peralta and Alt.Latino’s Anamaria Sayre talk to All Things Considered host Juana Summers about [the recent explosion of regional Mexican music]( on the world stage. They break down the stories behind Bad Bunny’s new collaboration with Grupo Frontera, as well as Peso Pluma and Eslabon Armado’s hit “Ella Baila Sola,” which this week became the first Mexican regional song ever to hit the top 10 of Billboard’s Hot 100. --------------------------------------------------------------- Tiny Desk [Lara Downes performs a Tiny Desk concert]( Estefania Mitre/NPR We’ve seen a lot in the 15 years we’ve been doing Tiny Desk concerts, but this was the first time an artist brought a suitcase full of fake flowers, ivy and butterflies. (I can only assume Bono and The Edge are reading this, so let me just say: Y’all dropped the ball.) Classical pianist [Lara Downes joined us]( to play pieces that signify springtime and renewal, and when it came to selling her ideas visually, she left nothing to chance. Also this week: Chilean jazz singer Claudia Acuña performed [a subtle and sumptuous set]( plus, Alternative Press put together [a lovely oral history of the Tiny Desk]( on the occasion of our 15th anniversary. --------------------------------------------------------------- One More Thing Hey, you loved that new Feist record, right? It’s so great! Now, for the love of all that is holy, [check out Fenne Lily, too](. The guitar! Seriously, the guitar. --------------------------------------------------------------- Listen to your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to find your local station stream. [Listen Live]( [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [Twitter]( Need a new playlist? Follow NPR Music on [Spotify]( and [Apple Music]( What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: [nprmusic@npr.org](mailto:nprmusic@npr.org?subject=Newsletter%20Feedback) Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! [They can sign up here.]( Looking for more great content? 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