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Frank Ocean Rehearses for Coachella Amid 'Nostalgia, Ultra' Re-Release Rumors
After over five years, Frank Ocean will return to the stage at Coachella this weekend.
Just days ahead of his highly-anticipated set, the reclusive singer was heard rehearsing at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, Calif. Fans who live nearby the festival grounds shared clips on social media of Ocean performing songs including “Nights,” “Nikes,” “Biking,” and “White Ferrari.” One fan noted it would be the first time he has performed the latter song off 2016’s Blonde.
Frank Ocean was heard rehearsing Nights ahead of his Coachella performance. 🎶 pic.twitter.com/fLC2Mgapbl
— Frank Ocean Updates (@blahnded) April 12, 2023
More videos of Frank Ocean rehearsing Nights filmed by a fan that lives near the Coachella Festival
🎥: @50srry pic.twitter.com/JlWWdeChVn
— Frank Ocean Updates (@blahnded) April 12, 2023
A fan on Reddit who drove by the festival claimed to have heard Ocean performing new music and described it as “the most immaculate techno club music with Frank vocals.”
A Frank Ocean fan on reddit that drove near Frank Ocean’s Coachella rehearsal said the new music sounded like “the most immaculate techno club music”. 👀 pic.twitter.com/ZOSQ0G3Wx0
— Frank Ocean Updates (@blahnded) April 12, 2023
This comes amid rumors that Ocean will finally release Nostalgia, Ultra on streaming services as soon as Friday. An orange BMW E30 M3 like the one pictured on the cover of the 2011 mixtape was seen parked in the desert, fueling speculation of a commercial release.
looks like Frank Ocean will be making his debut project ‘Nostalgia Ultra’ available on streaming services after his Cochella performance 👀 pic.twitter.com/BpFxYdHwJZ
— RNB RADAR (@RNB_RADAR) April 12, 2023
The official BMW USA Instagram account also shared videos of the car alongside an Ocean-inspired caption: “The past meets the future this week. As far as what comes next, we’ll let you guys prophesy.”
Nostalgia, Ultra was originally released via Ocean’s Tumblr on Feb. 16, 2011, but has never been available on streaming services. Def Jam had planned to release the 14-track project commercially, but those plans were scrapped. The song “American Wedding,” a remake of the Eagles’ “Hotel California,” stirred controversy after the band accused Ocean of copyright infringement.
Ocean, who last performed at Coachella in 2012, will close out the three-day festival on Sunday. He was supposed to headline the 2020 festival before it was canceled due to the pandemic.