‘Gossip Girl’ to feature songs from Frank Ocean’s ‘Channel Orange’

Frank Ocean’s critically acclaimed breakthrough, “Channel Orange,” just found an unlikely source of synergy: “Gossip Girl.”

The soapy CW drama has announced that it will use a chunk of Ocean’s Def Jam debut to score an episode of the hit show.

“Gossip Girl” will feature five songs from the album, which by year’s end will have nabbed spots on plenty of best-of lists and is a safe bet for multiple nominations at the upcoming Grammy Awards.

Currently in its sixth and final season, “Gossip Girl” will exclusively feature the music of one artist for the duration of an episode for the first time. This also marks the first time Ocean’s music has been used for a television series.

Titled “Monstrous Ball,” the episode will include portions of “Lost,” “Super Rich Kids,” “Pyramids,” “Sweet Life” and Ocean’s hit single “Thinkin Bout You.”

Released earlier this year, “Channel Orange” was celebrated for its atmospheric beats, lush harmonies and complex, confessional narratives.

In a review published in July, Times pop critic Randall Roberts praised the album’s “quiet, if tempestuous, storm, filled with muffled beats, whispers, perfectly placed arrangements, enough space within songs that each note is clear and present, and an overarching theme that confirms that its creator has an artistic vision that reaches beyond the gender of his desire.”

Fans who want to see how Ocean’s music is woven into the dramatic lives of the criminally attractive and privileged Upper East Siders of “Gossip Girl” can tune into the episode when it airs Monday on the CW.

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