Frank Ocean makes his debut at VMAs with smooth performance
While boyband One Direction was the biggest winners of the night grabbing three kudos at the 2012 MTV VMAs, it was Frank Ocean who stole the show with his debut performance at the event on Thursday night.
On top of that, the breakout R&B star exceeded our expectations with an intimate and beautifully art-directed performance of his Channel Orange lead-off track, "Thinkin' Bout You". Behind tall grass and before a starry, moonlit backdrop, Ocean pivoted into his falsetto for the song's heartsick lyrics as a guitarist offered the simplest accompaniment in shadow. The performance brought the VMA audience to their feet, and critics and fans shortly followed, flooding social networks with kudos.
Todd Martens of the Los Angeles Times anointed Ocean's stripped-bare campfire confessional a "stunner", saying: "as the closeups were all on Ocean, and as he shifted from graceful singing to wavering falsetto, it was never less than riveting."
Frank Ocean "Thinkin' Bout You" performance at VMAs:
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