Brad Pitt Frank Ocean Close To You Spike Jonze Project

Skip navigation!

Photo: Robert Kamau/GC Images.

In one of the entertainment industry's most delightful pairings, Frank Ocean serenaded Brad Pitt at the FYF Fest in Los Angeles on Saturday.

The actor revealed in a May interview with GQ that he's been listening to Ocean's music.

"I've been listening to a lot of Frank Ocean. I find this young man so special," Pitt told GQ. "Talk about getting to the raw truth. He's painfully honest. He's very, very special. I can't find a bad one."

In the same interview, Pitt said that he'd started listening to R&B because the genre "comes from great pain, but it's a celebration."

AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT

"To me, it's embracing what's left," Pitt told GQ.

And it looks like his statements made their way back to Ocean. During his performance on Saturday, Brad Pitt stood on stage while Ocean sang "Close to You." The actor sat to the side while holding a mobile phone; on the concert's screens, the duo was shown side by side.

But there's a chance the performance is about more than just mutual respect between Pitt and Ocean. Spike Jonze — a.k.a., the Oscar-winning director, screenwriter, and producer – was seem filming the performance. So there might be a more significant reason Pitt was acting out a phone conversation during the serenade.

Plus, as IndieWire points out, Jonze also filmed Ocean's performance at London's Lovebox Festival recently. So there might be a secret project on the way soon.

Whatever Jonze and Ocean have up their sleeves, though, fans were loving the Pitt/Ocean situation.

Tonight I watched Frank Ocean, the lord god of music, bring Brad Pitt on stage in LA and serenade him with Close to You by the Carpenters.
— Sophie Heawood (@heawood) July 23, 2017

I've never seen anything like it.
— Sophie Heawood (@heawood) July 23, 2017

I never will again.
— Sophie Heawood (@heawood) July 23, 2017

Just saw #frankocean and #bradPitt in one sitting, less than 10 feet from me. I can die happy now. #MicDrop pic.twitter.com/GMstcL2KIK
— jennilly (@jennilly) July 23, 2017

frank ocean, spike jonze, and brad pitt all on the same stage. I hope everyone there appreciates the magnitude of what they just saw
— brian (@briankinnes) July 23, 2017

Frank Ocean has Brad Pitt emoting into a cell phone as he sings "Close to You." I'm gagged at the beauty #fyffest
— Gerrick D. Kennedy (@GerrickKennedy) July 23, 2017

Brad Pitt just joined Frank Ocean on stage. Now, that was a surprise. #fyffest2017 pic.twitter.com/xt38K4SpcH
— deray mckesson (@deray) July 23, 2017

Frank Ocean presents a Frank Ocean experience directed by Spike Jones, starring Frank Ocean & Brad Pitt
— dolly (@loather) July 23, 2017

i think seeing spike jonze direct brad pitt during frank ocean's set just took first place on my list of extremely LA moments
— bucket (@nicolesnyder) July 23, 2017

I can now say ive seen frank ocean and brad pitt in my lifetime lol
— Stephanie Alfaro (@_stepphers) July 23, 2017

FRANK OCEAN JUST BROUGHT OUT BRAD PITT WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL
— princess ikea (@sarahisenburger) July 23, 2017

more invested in the brad pitt frank ocean friendship than anything i've got goin on rn
— hunter harris (@hunteryharris) July 23, 2017

More from Music

Cowboy Carter Isn’t Revenge. It’s A Reeducation.

In Beyoncé’s Homecoming film, a seminal text for any card-carrying member of the Beyhive, Nina Simone’s voice kicks in at around the 16-minute mark. I

by Kathleen Newman-B...

The Queen’s Gone Country — What We Know About Beyoncé’s Renais...

There’s a popular saying that we all have the same 24 hours in a day as Beyoncé, but the way the global phenom works nonstop, that adage can’t be accu

by Ineye Komonibo

Unbothered
Is It Time Beyoncé & Jay-Z Stopped “Showing Up” To The Grammys?
How many times? How many times are we going to do this? Time and time again, The Recording Academy tells us exactly what kind of institution it is. We shou
by Kathleen Newman-B...

Unbothered
The Rap Girls Are Fighting (Again) — But Is There Such A Thing As...
Another day, another rap beef that has the internet divided. And this time, it’s a battle of the heavyweights in a match-up that’s only beginning: the
by Ineye Komonibo

Movies
R29’s Ranking Of The Cheesiest Netflix Original Festive Films
by Jazmin Kopotsha

Entertainment
Spotify Wrapped Proves Women Are Winning — But There’s Stil...
We’ve finally been blessed with one of the most glorious days of the musical calendar — Spotify Wrapped Day. Now an institution in the music w
by Alexandra Koster

Unbothered
Megan Thee Stallion Sheds Her Skin In “Cobra”
After a brief (but well-deserved) professional hiatus, Megan thee Stallion has officially returned to the music world with “Cobra,” a poignant single t
by Ineye Komonibo

Entertainment
With GUTS, Olivia Rodrigo Wants Us To Scream Through The P...
Ask Olivia Rodrigo in 2021 where her teenage dream is, and she will apologise for not enjoying her youth. Ask her in 2023 and she will ponder whether lif
by Allie Daisy King

Entertainment
I Went To Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour As A Non-Swiftie & Left In A N...
I wouldn’t call myself a Swiftie. As an entertainment journalist, I have mad respect for Taylor Swift, the career she’s built, and the catchy bops and
by Melissah Yang

Unbothered
Tina Turner Brought Rock & Roll Back Home To Black Women
Black women like Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Big Mama Thornton, and Betty Davis were the vocal bibles for rock and roll. These Black women, along with others li
by Taylor Crumpton

Unbothered
I Went To Beyoncé’s Renaissance Tour & Here’s Everything You Need...
Beyoncé kicked off her highly-anticipated Renaissance World Tour this week in Stockholm, Sweden and it has already been declared “the greatest pop
by Alexis Jackson

Entertainment
Coachella Brought Diverse Headliners To The Desert, So What’...
On Friday night, Bad Bunny (aka Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio) made history at Coachella, and not with a new collab or hit song (he has plenty to choose
by Katherine Singh

R29 Original Series

AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT