Christopher Breaux (born October 28, 1987), known professionally as Frank Ocean, is an American singer, songwriter, and rapper. He has been described as one of the greatest songwriters of his generation, and is recognized for his idiosyncratic musical style, introspective and elliptical lyrics, and wide vocal range. Ocean is credited with pioneering and popularizing alternative R&B, and is known for his intermittent and experimental musical approach. Ocean began his musical career as a ghostwriter, prior to joining the hip hop collective Odd Future in 2010. In 2011, Ocean released his critically successful debut mixtape Nostalgia, Ultra and subsequently secured a recording contract with Def Jam Recordings. Drawing on electro-funk, pop-soul, jazz-funk,[9] and psychedelia, Ocean's debut album Channel Orange (2012) was one of the most acclaimed albums of 2012. It was nominated for Album of the Year and won Best Urban Contemporary Album at the 2013 Grammy Awards, while the album's hit single "Thinkin Bout You" garnered Ocean a nomination for Record of the Year.