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Blonde is the second studio album by the American singer Frank Ocean.[a] It was released on August 20, 2016, as a timed exclusive on both the iTunes Store and Apple Music, which followed immediately after the August 19 release of Ocean's video album Endless. The album features guest vocals from André 3000, Beyoncé, and Kim Burrell, among others. Production was handled by Ocean himself, alongside a variety of high-profile record producers, including Malay and Om'Mas Keith, both of whom collaborated with Ocean on Channel Orange. The album also features production from James Blake, Jon Brion, Buddy Ross, Pharrell Williams, Rostam Batmanglij, among others.

Initially known as Boys Don't Cry and teased for a July 2015 release, Blonde suffered several delays and was the subject of widespread media anticipation leading up to its release. Recording for the album took place throughout 2013 and 2016 at New York's Electric Lady Studios and, after a period of writer's block, in London at Abbey Road Studios and in Los Angeles' Henson Recording Studios. Blonde features an abstract and experimental sound in comparison to Ocean's previous releases, encompassing styles such as R&B, pop, soul, avant-garde, indie rock, electronica, psychedelia, and hip hop. The rhythms on the album are considered languid and minimal. The album's themes surround Ocean dealing with his masculinity and emotions, inspired by sexual experiences, heartbreak, loss, duality, and trauma.