Home | WebMail | Register or Login

      Calgary | Regions | Local Traffic Report | Advertise on Action News | Contact

Posted: 2019-01-10T16:03:54Z | Updated: 2019-01-10T16:03:54Z

GQ magazine on Thursday unveiled a rare interview with singer-songwriter Frank Ocean , whos leading the cover of the magazines first issue under its new editor-in-chief, Will Welch. The new leaders vision for the magazine debuts alongside larger upheavals within the publications parent company , magazine giant Cond Nast .

In an editors letter accompanying the new issue, Welch hailed Ocean, who also styled the cover shoot, the best, most boundary-shattering and timeless artist of his generation. Duh.

Introducing the cover star of our February Music Issue (and a whole new era of GQ): Frank Ocean https://t.co/tgY2IFLfaP pic.twitter.com/4ZzttWRL3c

GQ Magazine (@GQMagazine) January 10, 2019","type":"rich","meta":{"author":"GQ Magazine","author_url":"https://twitter.com/GQMagazine","cache_age":86400,"description":"Introducing the cover star of our February Music Issue (and a whole new era of GQ): Frank Ocean https://t.co/tgY2IFLfaP pic.twitter.com/4ZzttWRL3c GQ Magazine (@GQMagazine) January 10, 2019\n\n","provider_name":"Twitter","thumbnail_height":2048,"thumbnail_url":"https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DwjHxkIWkAUtLVm.jpg:large","thumbnail_width":1506,"title":"GQ Magazine on Twitter","type":"rich","url":"https://twitter.com/GQMagazine/status/1083335396833062912","version":"1.0"},"flags":[],"fullBleed":false,"options":{"theme":"news","device":"mobile","editionInfo":{"id":"us","name":"U.S.","link":"https://action.news","locale":"en_US"},"originalEdition":"us","isMapi":false,"isAmp":false,"isVideoEntry":false,"isEntry":true,"isMt":false,"entryId":"5c375744e4b045f67689832d","entryPermalink":"https://action.news/entry/frank-ocean-gq-cover_n_5c375744e4b045f67689832d","entryTagsList":"gq,frank-ocean,magazines,conde-nast","sectionSlug":"media","deptSlug":"politics-news","sectionRedirectUrl":null,"subcategories":"black-voices,celebrity,queer-voices,arts,entertainment","isWide":false,"headerOverride":null,"noVideoAds":false,"disableFloat":false,"isNative":false,"commercialVideo":{"provider":"custom","site_and_category":"us.media","package":null},"isHighline":false,"vidibleConfigValues":{"cid":"60afc111dcf87c2cd2f5d8bf","overrides":{"front_page_top_videos":{"desktop":"60b64354b171b7444beaff4d","mobileweb":"60b64354b171b7444beaff4d"},"top_media":{"desktop":"60b8e6bdc5449357a7ada147","mobile":"60b8e701c5449357a7ada2ee","iphone":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","ipad":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","androidphone":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","androidtablet":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c"},"anthology":{"desktop":"60b8e616cdd90620331bb0ba","mobile":"60b8e671c5449357a7ad9f66","iphone":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","ipad":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","androidphone":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","androidtablet":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c"},"content":{"desktop":"60b8e616cdd90620331bb0ba","mobile":"60b8e671c5449357a7ad9f66","iphone":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","ipad":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","androidphone":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","androidtablet":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c"}},"playerUpdates":{"5668ae6ee4b0b5e26955d6a6":"60d2472d9340d7032ad7e443","56aa41bae4b091744c0440d8":"60e869dc7c5f3b17b6741b81","5841b2b5cc52c716ec6e5a7f":"60b8e355cdd90620331ba185","58b5e2b8d85a10302feee895":"60b64316b171b7444beafdb2","58b74698f78ced31417819ae":"60b8e5bec5449357a7ad9b52","58b74ccecebcea57e2c3a3d1":"60b8e5eac5449357a7ad9ca5","58cff690d85a100b9992bc39":"60b8e616cdd90620331bb0ba","58cffb3fb6d9b972a49a3c9d":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","58cffdd74d96935d7d6ec180":"60b8e671c5449357a7ad9f66","58d03a84f78ced6518eb2fa7":"60b643c82e76be41f112735c","592edf20e0fa177b0c26f7fd":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","5b35266b158f855373e28256":"60b64354b171b7444beaff4d","5c116f29f79c4171d82b7c2a":"60b64440b171b7444beb040b","5c1170fc600c9a697bf0c6b9":"60b646102e76be41f1127ffc","5c47791afa1b317df8ae0c4f":"60b8e6bdc5449357a7ada147","5c477987a6b48b35f164773d":"60b8e701c5449357a7ada2ee","5c4779ee943c3c2a64f28371":"60b8e747cdd90620331bb861","5c477a26fcd67b26879bc7c2":"60b8e788c5449357a7ada67b","5d8921a78c3ae845f366c9b6":"60ae7be5f3a7c13a30417ff9","58b98b00ba82aa39a6534321":"60d0de7c9340d7032ad1146c","58b9d14cb6d9b96c9ec32af3":"60d0dec19340d7032ad115a0","58cff8eccebcea42931e0436":"60d0e005b627221e9d819d44","592edf5de0fa177b0c26f95b":"60d0e38fb627221e9d81adcf","58cff72fd85a100b9992c112":"60d0e447b627221e9d81b0da","56b4d34fe4b022697697c400":"60d2472d9340d7032ad7e443","60b8e4c0c5449357a7ad957d":"60e869dc7c5f3b17b6741b81"}},"connatixConfigValues":{"defaultPlayer":"ff7fdddc-5441-4253-abc4-f12a33fad58b","clickToPlayPlayer":"d014396e-b366-4c17-aeac-3ce906fa3fd0","videoPagePlayer":"f010447b-d244-4111-a314-7b4542ae4145","verticalPlayer":"e58cb05a-0bc8-4210-9108-fea82726c065","stickyPlayerControl":"52ea1755-d601-4ad1-bccc-d8cce3f0e5da","stickyPlayerON":"8055e9e5-3bda-4933-8d45-9ad814fb6e22"},"topConnatixThumnbailSrc":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mNkYAAAAAYAAjCB0C8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=","customAmpComponents":[],"ampAssetsUrl":"https://amp.assets.huffpost.com","videoTraits":null,"positionInUnitCounts":{"buzz_head":{"count":0},"buzz_body":{"count":0},"buzz_bottom":{"count":0}},"positionInSubUnitCounts":{"article_body":{"count":10},"blog_summary":{"count":0},"before_you_go_content":{"count":0}},"connatixCountsHelper":{"count":1},"buzzfeedTracking":{"context_page_id":"5c375744e4b045f67689832d","context_page_type":"buzz","destination":"huffpost","mode":"mobile","page_edition":"en-us"},"tags":[{"name":" GQ","slug":"gq","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/gq","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/gq","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/gq"},"url":"https://action.news/topic/gq"},{"name":"Frank Ocean","slug":"frank-ocean","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/frank-ocean","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/frank-ocean","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/frank-ocean"},"department":{"name":"Entertainment","slug":"entertainment"},"section":{"title":"Entertainment","slug":"entertainment"},"topic":{"title":"Frank Ocean","slug":"frank-ocean","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://action.news/entertainment/topic/frank-ocean"},{"name":"Magazines","slug":"magazines","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/magazines","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/magazines","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/magazines"},"department":{"name":"Latest News","slug":"politics-news"},"section":{"title":"Media","slug":"media"},"topic":{"title":"Magazines","slug":"magazines","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://action.news/news/topic/magazines"},{"name":"Conde Nast","slug":"conde-nast","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/conde-nast","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/conde-nast","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/conde-nast"},"department":{"name":"Latest News","slug":"politics-news"},"section":{"title":"Media","slug":"media"},"topic":{"title":"Conde Nast","slug":"conde-nast","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://action.news/news/topic/conde-nast"}],"isLiveblogLive":null,"isLiveblog":false,"cetUnit":"buzz_body","bodyAds":["
\r\n\r\n","
\r\n\r\n","
\r\n\r\n"],"adCount":0},"isCollectionEmbed":false,"enhancements":{}}">

Introducing the cover star of our February Music Issue (and a whole new era of GQ): Frank Ocean https://t.co/tgY2IFLfaP pic.twitter.com/4ZzttWRL3c

GQ Magazine (@GQMagazine) January 10, 2019

Replacing longtime Editor-in-Chief Jim Nelson, who left at the end of 2018 after 15 years at the helm, Welch wrote that his vision for the magazine will involve making sure everything we publish is infused with an undeniable and elevated stylishness.

This new iteration of GQ might not be for everyone. But especially in this niche-driven era, if you try to be everything to everyone, you end up not being much of anything to anyone, Welch wrote. So were making GQ less a big tent and more the only place to go when you want a rich, intelligent, and transportive plunge into all the stylishness the world has to offer.

Elaborating on his plans for the publication in an interview with The Business of Fashion , Welch explained that he wants to move away from a general focus on mens lifestyle: less dictating whats good and whats bad from some sort of imaginary mountaintop and instead helping to elevate and tell the stories of the people who we think are doing stuff that is really exciting and that is something to believe in, to me that is a higher calling than, Dont wear those pants, wear these pants, he said.

This idea that GQ has a super clear understanding of the world, understanding of itself and vision of the future and is delivering a very specific, very smart, very fresh thing to an identifiable group of people is much more bankable than like, Were for men! he added.

Support Free Journalism

Consider supporting HuffPost starting at $2 to help us provide free, quality journalism that puts people first.

Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.

The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?

Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.

The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. We hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.

Support HuffPost

Welchs tenure begins amid major shifts within GQs parent company, Cond Nast, which also owns Vogue, The New Yorker and Vanity Fair, among many other long-running magazines.

Late last year, Cond Nast announced that it would cut down Glamour magazine to an online-only publication , among a number of dramatic measures the company has pursued in order to cut costs, due to declines in print magazine sales and advertising revenue.

The companys CEO was also forced out , and employees have faced several rounds of layoffs .

Support Free Journalism

Consider supporting HuffPost starting at $2 to help us provide free, quality journalism that puts people first.

Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.

The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?

Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.

The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. We hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.

Support HuffPost