




Frank Ocean, a renounced visionary in modern music and art, has not always been celebrated as one of today's top music producers. Some people today fail to acknowledge his artistic insight simply because they do not agree with his sexuality, as it has often been questioned for the majority of his career. However, before Frank Ocean officially stated his sexual preferences, there is reason to believe that Ocean hinted at his sexuality from the beginning of his career. Analyzing his very first music video and hit single, “Novacane”, an in-depth look gives reason to believe that the form of the visual elements combined with the lyrics of the song hint there is a deeper meaning to the music video. “Novacane” is written from Ocean's perspective about his relationship with a young college woman with aspirations to be a dentist, but at the moment is doing pornography to pay her way through college and has a habit of doing drugs, particularly Novocain. The majority of the song, as well as the video, relates to sex and drugs. By analyzing the form of the visual elements in “Novacane”, there is reasonable evidence that there is a correlation between the lyrics and the music video, which most people fail to see; this is significant to the reveal of Frank Ocean’s sexuality.

The form of the women, the way they are presented as illusive, almost like a hallucination, provides insight to Ocean’s sexuality. Although it is unclear if Ocean does engage in any sexual relations with the women, through the elements of the video he makes it clear that he is not completely enticed with the women. In Figure 1, we see Ocean with illusions of young women in a smoky form. The smoky form is significant to the idea that Ocean is not with the women for sex, because the form imposes a question to the viewer if the women are truly there or not. Sometimes there are illusions of multiple women, deviating from the single women mentioned in the song, successfully adding another layer of question through the form of the video. This perplexed form also goes with the lyrics of the song, "Even when I'm fucking, Viagra-popping" conveying that Ocean has no real desire for the women. Just as the viewer may be questioning if the women are there or not, Ocean is questioning what is real to him, as well as what he truly wants regarding his sexual relations.


Another important aspect to the smoky women throughout the video is that Ocean never pays any attention to them, failing to even acknowledge them. The women appear to be desirable and attempting to seduce Ocean but he completely neglects them, nonetheless does not even look their way. Again, the form of the video, in this case, the neglect Ocean has, correlates with the lyrics of the song. Throughout the entirety of the video, Ocean maintains a face and figure that rejects emotion. There are no coincidences Ocean sings, “Zero emotion, muted emotion, computed emotion” conveying the message that Ocean has no intimate emotion toward women, he rather mutes his true emotions and feelings, and acts in ways that are natural or computed to most males - perhaps to hide his sexuality. The only instance of Ocean interacting with someone through the entire video is when he is abruptly slapped at the end. The slap ends the video in a surprising fashion as well as slaps Frank Ocean out of his hypnotic state. The hand that slaps him is clearly tangible (as seen in Figure 2) and points out that he is being denied by women for not engaging with them; rather he is questioning what they are to him. The idea that Ocean is not conforming with socially normative heterosexual traits reinforces the concept that he could be hinting at his real sexuality through his work, as suggested by the analysis of “Novacane”.


Perhaps the most concise aspect of the video is the form of disorientation that Ocean conveys; he is clearly affected by a numbing drug, such as Novocain. While the numbness and disorientation are caused by the Novocain, as seen in Figure 3, Ocean’s form and current state have meaning to the concept of his sexuality. It may be that Ocean chooses to display the disorientation to symbolize his confusion with his own sexuality and acknowledging that it is against the norm - creating an internal conflict. This leaves Ocean feeling disorientated and numb. An analysis of the lyrics leads the viewer to believe that he is pinning this disorientation on the women he is with, “I blame it on the model broad with the Hollywood smile” because of her belief Ocean desires her. Perhaps Ocean is blaming his internal conflict on women because if he were acting as a typical heterosexual male, he would pursue women. The outcome of their relationship results in Ocean feeling disorientated and numb, not only because of the drugs the two of them do, but because of the internal conflict Ocean is fighting within himself.


In conclusion, Frank Ocean uses the form of “Novacane”, in relationship to its lyrics, to express his sexual orientation. This is an outstanding fact considering that “Novacane” is the first single the artist ever wrote and it wasn’t until much later in his career that he admitted the truths about his sexuality. As the deeper analysis of the artist’s pop single suggested, Ocean declared he does not identify as a straight male. Although the smoky illusions of the girls and the lyrics about sex and drugs seem to be conveying a sexual relationship between the two characters in the song, it isn’t until further analysis that it is evident Ocean is questioning his attraction to women resulting in disorientation and numbness. The specific form of the smoky women, the apparent neglect towards females, and the disorientated Ocean are all evidence supporting Ocean is directing a music video that brings awareness to his sexuality, despite him being hesitant to publically state his sexuality - all in a music video that seems to be solely about sex and drugs. “Novacane” brings light to the conflicts of people who may be struggling to express their sexuality, pointing out that it is not an easy process and can be internally conflicting. This phenomenon also leads all appreciators of music and video to question what lays beneath the lyrics and to question what seems to be true at first glance. Frank Ocean’s “Novacane” music video, is not only a masterful combination of music and film, but it creates implications that encourage viewers to take a deeper look into art and generate interpretations.



