Channel Orange (stylized as channel ORANGE) is the debut studio album by American recording artist Frank Ocean, released on July 10, 2012, by Def Jam Recordings. After releasing his 2011 mixtape Nostalgia, Ultra, Ocean began writing the album with creative partner Malay, who assisted him with its recording at EastWest Studio in Hollywood. Rather than rely on samples as he had with his mixtape, Ocean wanted to approach sound and song structure differently on Channel Orange.