Omar Apolonio Velasco, or Omar Apollo by most people, was born on May 20th, 1997. Starting from ground zero, Omar Apollo is truly an advocate for hard work and dedication to living life at the moment.
In a world where regular 9 to 5 jobs are almost archaic, Omar finds himself in a place where he can pursue his passion without societal norms weighing on him. Of course, this doesn’t keep him away from the human rights movements that are ever so recurrent in the world today.
He identifies himself as a humanist before anything else. Therefore, Apollo’s emphasis on the importance of celebrating pride and happiness comes as no surprise to his fans and followers.
Omar Apollo is no stranger to the American Dream.
He was born in Guadalajara, Mexico, to immigrant parents, which tells us a lot about the Spanish influence on his songs. Fighting teeth and bone to make it in the music industry, he found success when he started uploading music to his SoundCloud and Spotify accounts.
These were the initial days when Omar Apollo stated he even had to borrow $30 from his friend to pay the subscription fee.
He has come a long way since, making it apparent by signing with Warner Records and even releasing his first full-length debut album titled Ivory in 2022. However, his version of the American Dream differed significantly from what the likes of his immigrant parents would have had.
Being in a relatively better position as a first-generation American in his family opened more opportunities for him to sculpt the American Dream to his liking.
Taking one careful step at a time, Omar’s music career took off, with each release carrying more of his message and style. Every song in his catalog finds its roots in the transient nature of his experiences, connecting to more people and naturally winning the hearts of millions.
His understanding of the cadences that come with both American and Spanish music makes his music and him as a singer/songwriter so different, unique, and timeless. He is not afraid to play with different genres and even dares to fuse them to create something unique.
Although Omar Apollo is defined as an artist with a nonconforming music genre, you can see little bits of pop and RnB influence in his music. This is very apparent in the first few songs he released. What many people refer to these days as “bedroom pop” is a genre that seems to stick with Apollo, given his rise to stardom and his origins as an artist.
Omar says that for him, the root of all his inspiration stems from living life at the moment.
“I don’t see the future. I don’t think about the future. When I have a thought, I’ll think about it once and then leave it alone. I live in the present moment, and that’s how I make music too. I just exist. It’s almost like an art: living with no effort and letting things happen.”
There’s no denying the fact that Omar is a firm believer in the power of self-acceptance. He allows himself to be as bask in the present and doesn’t allow the unnecessary stress of tomorrow to burden him. And we’re not just talking about omar apollo height.
A typical example of his belief is beautifully captured in his latest release, “Stayback.” It shows his entry into a new era where his identity and music are pronounced in all caps. The music video itself is a work of art that encapsulates everything that Omar stands for, starting from race, sexuality, and, most of all, his artistry in the industry.
He finds no meaning in creating music that is heavily based on the opinions of others and far from what he originally envisioned. This is why he states that artists need to be able to believe in themselves and create the kind of music they want.
If the fans and listeners like it, it doesn’t matter what the other 10-20 producer inputs were.
While this process allows him to live in his happy place, it also allows him to bring happiness to his listeners, family, and immediate circle.
And we’re here for it.
Check out his social media here.
