Every year, hundreds of thousands of people drive through dry winds and hills of sand to reach Coachella Valley, where world renowned music artists appear on decorated setlists for four days. The lineup for the 2023 Coachella Festival included Bad Bunny, Rosalia, Metro Boomin, Kali Uchis, BLACKPINK, and most notably, Frank Ocean.

The American singer is without a doubt one of the most influential artists of this generation, having been nominated for the Grammy’s eight times and winning two Grammy awards in 2013 for his album “Channel Orange” and rap performance in “No Church in the Wild”. His records feature noteworthy songs such as “Ivy”, “Bad Religion”, “Thinkin Bout You”, and “Chanel.” However, the artist has not released any music since his album, “Blonde” in 2016.

Since then, fans around the world have been awaiting his return to the public eye. Speculations and theories have spiraled about in the media, but it is clear that there was one major reason for Ocean’s disappearance: the death of his beloved younger brother, Ryan Breaux.

Breaux had unfortunately passed away due to a car crash on August 2, 2020 at age 18. During his performance at Coachella, Ocean explained,

“My brother and I came to this festival a lot. I felt like I was dragged out here half the time because I hated the dust. I know he would’ve been so excited to be here with all of us.”

There is no doubt about the existence of the emotional trauma and burden that Frank Ocean has suffered. His relationship with his brother was cherished, and fans across the world argue that Ocean deserves empathy from those disappointed with his Coachella performance.

This perspective is supported by celebrities such as Justin Bieber, and other fans who assert that Ocean had agreed to the performance before his brother’s passing.

Still, it’s undeniable that a large group of fans were dissatisfied with the experience, as the singer was hidden by the screen for the majority of the time. He did not have a microphone, and mostly lip-synced and danced. This was untypical, and many believe was disrespectful, from a Coachella headliner. The artist arrived at the venue an hour late and ended his performance early. The set wasn’t live-streamed, despite the promises to viewers at home.

This group of people believes that Ocean should have canceled his show if he was not emotionally ready to deliver a performance of the quality expected by a Coachella headliner.

Some have stood up for Frank Ocean, others have found his actions to be rude. Does his brother’s tragic passing excuse his decision to perform at Coachella as a disappointing headliner? Or was this performance Ocean’s opportunity to make peace with his past to continue to grow as an artist?