Ocean was born Christopher "Lonny" Breaux on October 28, 1987, in Long Beach, California.Christopher Francis Ocean, also known as Frank Ocean, was born in Long Beach, California, on October 28, 1987. He grew up in New Orleans, but moved to Los Angeles in his late teens to pursue a career in music. Ocean started out ghostwriting tracks for such pop stars as Justin Bieber and Beyoncé, but soon achieved fame as an artist when, in 2011, he released an album of his own music, titled nostalgia,Famed musician Frank Ocean was born Christopher Lonny Breaux on October 28, 1987, in Long Beach, California. When he was a child, Breaux’s family moved to New Orleans, where he spent the majority of his youth. He was exposed to the jazz scene there, and also listened to his mother’s R&B CDs.

While in high school, Ocean began recording music and worked various odd jobs to pay for the studio time. After graduating from high school in 2005, he enrolled at the University of New Orleans. However, in August of that year, Hurricane Katrina hit and wreaked havoc on the region. Amidst the chaos, the facility where Ocean was recording at the time was badly flooded and looted, prompting him to set aside his academic ambitions and take some time to pursue his musical goals.

Los Angeles

Ocean moved to Los Angeles to continue his recording projects, intending to stay only a short while. However, as he continued to make meaningful contacts within the music industry, he decided to extend his stay. To make money during this time, Ocean worked processing insurance claims. Eventually, he got a songwriting deal and began collaborating with producers. He contributed to the writing of the Justin Bieber track “Bigger” in 2008, and the following year he co-wrote the track “I Miss You” with Beyoncé Knowles for her album 4.

That same year, Ocean began to work with the Los Angeles–based hip-hop collective Odd Future, most notably with Tyler, the Creator, who encouraged Ocean in