Omar Apollo Knows When to Keep Moving Forward

Just two years after "Evergreen (You Didn't Deserve Me at All)" went viral on TikTok, Omar Apollo is quickly becoming the freshest name in the entertainment industry.

Those chronically online may be familiar with the track, which has since catapulted the 27-year-old singer-songwriter to incredible opportunities, from touring with artists like SZA and Billie Eilish to landing a role in Luca Guadagnino's upcoming film Queer alongside former 007 star Daniel Craig, with whom Apollo just revealed to Interview he shares a steamy scene. He's even morphed into a heartthrob in his own right, winning everyone over with his kind eyes, caramel-toned skin, and, of course, angelic R&B vocals.

While Apollo's ascent may seem sudden, many pieces came together over the years for him to arrive at this point.

A first-generation Mexican-American born and raised in Indiana with three older siblings, he was surrounded by a working-class environment from the very beginning. He credits a friend lending him $30 to upload his single "Ugotme" to Spotify while he held jobs at Jimmy John's and Guitar Center and lived out of an attic.

That song got picked as one of Spotify's "Fresh Finds" at the time, earning up to 20,000 streams in a single day.

After experimenting with music for some time, Apollo dove into a music career with the release of his debut EP Stereo in 2018, as well as collaborating on "Te Olvidaste" with Spanish artist C. Tangana, earning him two Latin Grammy nominations and a Grammy nomination for "Best New Artist."

"I think I really knew it was for me when I put out Apolonio in 2020. That was really when it cemented for me because prior to that, I was on autopilot making music, dropping it, touring, doing that for years," Apollo tells New Times. "I didn't know anybody, I didn't understand, I was just kind of in this survival mode and didn't have the luxury of integrity yet. So then, after that track, I would say I started to take it a lot more seriously."

Then came his debut album, Ivory, in 2022, which manifested collaborations with Daniel Caesar on "Invincible" and Kali Uchis on "Bad Life." But one interesting collaboration on Ivory was conceived right here in the 305, specifically the bilingual track "Tamagotchi."
"I'll write in Spanish sometimes when I feel like it's right, and that's exactly what happened when I was at Pharrell [Williams's] house in Miami," Apollo explains. "My A&R at the time was cool with him. They said, 'Yo, Pharrell is down to work,' and I remember pulling up to his place and being so nervous. But he played some of the chords for what would be 'Tamagotchi,' then he went downstairs to work on another beat, and when he came back up, I had finished writing the rap in Spanish. It was just one of those things that was like, 'What the fuck? This is fire.'"

No stranger to Miami, Apollo is set to return on Monday, September 16, for a show at the FPL Solar Amphitheater at Bayfront Park in support of his sophomore album, God Said No. The album is a testament to Apollo facing closed doors often in both his professional and personal lives and, as someone who has openly discussed his spirituality in interviews, his trust in something greater than the future holds.

This is especially true in his romantic relationships, with his sophomore album steering away from the intense ballads of Ivory and leaning into more pop-centered, nonchalant verses that visualize Apollo at peace with losing people that weren't meant for him. This rings true on tracks like "Done With You" and "Life's Unfair," but the album isn't devoid of its heavier moments. Actor Pedro Pascal, a friend of Apollo, recorded a voice note about the complexity of grief for the track "Pedro."

With his God Said No Tour fully realized, Apollo says it's perhaps the show he's most proud of thus far in his career. For those gearing up to share a night with the soulful musician, he promises a storytelling experience almost as inspiring and enlightening as a trip to church.

"I'm so proud of this show, and I don't think I could have done it without the whole team," Apollo says. "I was lucky enough to explain to them exactly the vision I had in my head, and it made everyone so excited and energized that we ended up putting it together in about seven days. There's already a beautiful narrative woven between the songs, and after this concert, I think people will have experienced the meaning behind them the way they're meant to be experienced."

Omar Apollo. With Malcolm Todd. 7:30 p.m. Monday, September 16, at FPL Solar Amphitheater, 301 Biscayne Blvd., Miami; 305-358-7550. Tickets cost $41.80 to $122 via livenation.com.