NME reports that Frank Ocean has today been announced as the first headliner for Lovebox Festival for 2017. The festival runs from the 14-15 July, in London’s famous Victoria Park. The announcement of Ocean as a headliner has also been billed as a “London festival exclusive”. Ocean will headline the Friday night of the festival, and tickets can be bought from Lovebox’s official site here.

A press release by the festivals organiser says“Visionary artist Frank Ocean has earned his place as one of the most celebrated and critically acclaimed acts of this era… Frank Ocean is sure to lead the way of what will be an unforgettable roster, once again making London’s own Lovebox a defining moment of the festival season. This outstanding headliner is the first taste of great things to come for Lovebox 2017.”
The announcement and subsequent performance will mark Ocean’s long-awaited return to the stage, with his last performance coming in July 2014. Also long-awaited was the release of Ocean’s second studio album Blonde earlier this year, which garnered much critical acclaim in the process.

Ocean also gave his first interview in three years recently, to the New York Times, following a prolonged absence from the music press, after the release of Blonde. The interview told that Ocean had already been working on new music, but that he may also never release an album again. The interview with NY Times also confirmed that even now, Ocean is working on new music in an “anonymous music studio”. Ocean himself has recently parted ways with Def Jam, and suggested that he may even move away from full-length album releases in the future, saying “Because I’m not in a record deal, I don’t have to operate in an album format. I can operate in half-a-song format.”