Frank Ocean

Born Christopher Breaux, the performer who adopted the stage name Frank Ocean has enjoyed success with his own singles, including “Thinkin’ Bout You” and “Lost,” but has also penned hits for Brandy (“1st and Love”), Beyonce (“I Miss You”) and Justin Bieber (“Bigger”). The Louisiana native — who attended both the University of New Orleans and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette — moved to L.A. following Hurricane Katrina and ditched a career in the insurance industry to make music.

Releasing his debut album, Channel Orange, in 2012, Ocean earned a Grammy for Best Urban Contemporary Album shortly thereafter. Prior to releasing Channel Orange, Ocean drew controversy with his critically acclaimed mixtape Nostalgia, Ultra. Sampling music from The Eagles’ “Hotel California” on his track “American Wedding,” the performer was threatened with a lawsuit from Warner Music Group. (At 2012’s Coachella, Ocean did perform “American Wedding,” but switched the Eagles’ sampling for a revised version all his own.)

On July 4, 2012, Ocean used his Tumblr blog to announce that his first love was a man, telling fans that he found his first true love at age 19.