Frank Ocean’s mother, Katonya Breaux, goes deep on everything from the power of meditation to the unique experience of raising an artistic child in a new interview with Samson Shulman for the Connection Is Magic podcast.
In the interview, Breaux, who was born in New Orleans but grew up in the Los Angeles area, speaks candidly about a number of topics, including her work as an entrepreneur and the emotional journey of parenthood.
“He was always very smart, always gifted, reading at four—like, very smart,” Breaux said when looking back on what the two-time Grammy winner was like as a child. “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.”
Elsewhere, Breaux recalled her son’s meticulous studio process and revealed what he’s taught her over the years. See the full interview below.
It’s now been nearly a decade since we last got a Frank Ocean full-length. In 2016, Blonde and Endless both dominated the news cycle, with the former widely considered one of the greatest albums of all time.
Presumably soon, we can expect to see Ocean’s feature directorial debut, which was last year revealed to star David Jonsson.