Frank Ocean’s mother, Katonya Breaux, can’t help but laugh when imagining her son as a postal worker.
In a new interview with Samson Shulman for the Connection Is Magic podcast, Breaux looked back on what her son, now a globally celebrated artist, was like as a kid. She also revealed how witnessing her son’s “determination” and “commitment” helped her see his path in a new light.
“He was always very smart, always gifted, reading at four—like, very smart,” Breaux recalled. “But he didn’t show an interest in music until 14. But I was an old school mom. I was all about the grades and getting a good job, maybe at the post office, that you can depend on. I was that mom. It took watching him and his determination and his commitment to what he wanted to create the shift in me. Imagine him being a postman right now.”
Applying her experiences with motherhood more generally, Breaux, who also advocated for the benefits of meditation in the newly released interview, argued that “fear” is at the core of many parenting decisions.
“We raise our kids based on fear,” she said, citing her own “tumultuous upbringing” as an example.
It’s important, Breaux added, to ensure you’re viewing your children as distinct individuals.
“Our kids aren’t us,” she said. “Our kids are totally separate souls with their own journeys and their own lives. I wish it didn’t take me so long, but when it switched for me, it switched. Then, I was on board.”
Elsewhere, Breaux detailed a moment in which a young Ocean, as a potential early sign of the perceived perfectionism that has become a staple of his artistic identity, opted to break a CD featuring early versions of his music after deeming it unfit for public consumption.
See the full conversation below.