Intro
1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.
2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.
Frank Ocean is one of the hottest new artists around. He started out writing songs for pop stars like Justin Bieber and John Legend, and last year he released his first full-length album, Channel Orange, to critical acclaim. Critics and fans love his innovative approach to R and B music. He has even won over some listeners who don’t typically listen to R and B.
Frank Ocean also made headlines when he came out as bisexual. He wrote a message on his blog explaining that his first love was a man. His announcement got lots of support from other members of the R and B world, including Beyonce and Jay-Z. It was a brave announcement, since not that many R and B musicians have come out. Hear what Jeff and Sara think about Frank Ocean in this music English lesson.
Dialog
1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.
2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.
Sara: I’m not typically a fan of R and B, but I am actually really into this new Frank Ocean album.
Jeff: Oh yeah? What’s intriguing about it?
Sara: Well, you know, the interesting thing about him is he wrote music for some major pop stars, like Justin Bieber and John Legend and that kind of thing, but his own music is actually almost sort of experimental. His songs have really interesting forms, and the lyrics are really good, and they just take off in all these unexpected directions.
Jeff: It’s interesting to hear that he actually backs up a lot of the hype around him. I know there’s quite a bit of hype.
Sara: Yeah there is.
Jeff: With his coming out.
Sara: Yeah, I think right around when his album was supposed to come out, he came out as bisexual on his blog, and it was a pretty big deal because not that many popular artists, particularly African American artists or R and B artists really come out, you know.
Jeff: Yeah, it was kind of groundbreaking, really. With as popular as he is.
Sara: Yeah, and you know, people like Beyonce, and other artists really gave props to him on their own sites, and said they really respected him, which I think is cool, I think it’s cool that someone can do something like that and even if it seems like it might be a publicity stunt, I think it’s still showing that there are people of all different sexualities doing all different kinds of things, and it’s OK.
Grammar Point
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Discussion
Sara is surprised. She isn’t usually an R and B fan, but she really likes Frank Ocean. Jeff wonders why. Sara says he won her over because his lyrics are strong, and his songs take unexpected shapes. She thinks he lives up to the hype.
He’s groundbreaking in other ways, too. He came out as bisexual, which is rare for any pop artist. Sara and Jeff give him props for doing so, and for being a strong musician.
Have you heard Frank Ocean’s music? Do you like R and B? Did you hear about Frank Ocean coming out on his website?
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