Frank Ocean’s latest albums won’t be winning any Grammy Awards next year (17) after the deadline to be considered for a nomination was missed.
Frank Ocean kept fans waiting for a follow-up to his Grammy-winning 2012 debut album Channel Orange, and surprised the music industry when he dropped visual album Endless and studio record Blonde in August (16).
While both records were released well before 30 September (16) – the cut-off date to be eligible for the 2017 awards – they were not submitted to be considered for victory at the annual ceremony.
A source told Billboard.com that none of Ocean’s record labels, management or other representatives put his latest offerings forward to be considered by the Recording Academy.
It is unclear whether Endless and Blonde were deliberately not submitted for the awards or whether an oversight has taken place, similar to when Drake missed out on a nomination at the 2016 ceremony for his popular single Hotline Bling, due to a “clerical error” from his label Cash Money.
Billboard also notes that while the Recording Academy changed the rules for the Grammy Awards in June (16) to make streaming-only releases eligible for awards, Endless’ “visual album” categorisation makes it unclear whether it would even be able to be considered for a gong.
Ocean hit headlines in early August after posting a cryptic live video stream on his website, showing an Apple Music-sponsored black and white video feed of a warehouse. He updated his live stream later in the month with footage showing him building a staircase in the same warehouse, which is the basis for the visuals seen in Endless.
Endless features collaborations with musicians such as James Blake, Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood and Jazmine Sullivan, and the London Contemporary Orchestra provides much of the background music.
Nominations for The Grammys, which will be held on 12 February (17), will be announced on 6 December (16).
