Frank Ocean on coming out: 'I had to do it for my sanity'

Published Jul 20 2012, 16:01 BST  |  By Lewis Corner

Frank Ocean has spoken about his decision to come out.

The singer revealed in a recent Tumblr post that his first love was a man.



Ocean told The Guardian that he decided to admit his sexuality for his "own sanity and my ability to feel like I'm living a life where I'm happy when I wake up in the morning, and not with this freakin' boulder on my chest".

The star also confessed that he hopes his decision will comfort young gay people, adding: "I wished at 13 there was somebody I looked up to who would have said something like that, who would have been transparent in that way."

Asked about the timing of his coming out, Ocean said: "I knew that I was writing in a way that people would ask questions.

"I knew that my star was rising, and I knew that if I waited I would always have somebody that I respected be able to encourage me to wait longer, to not say it till who knows when."



The musician - who is also part of hip-hop collective Odd Future - downplayed the risk and potential backlash of admitting his true sexuality.

"People are just afraid of things too much. Sure, evil exists, extremism exists. Somebody could commit a hate crime and hurt me. But they could do the same just because I'm black. They could do the same just because I'm American."

Frank Ocean's debut album Channel Orange reached number two on the US Billboard 200 and UK chart last week, despite an early release.

The full interview with Frank Ocean will be available in tomorrow's (July 21) Guardian Guide.