Omar Apollo

Omar Apollo blends vintage soul and contemporary R&B with an unhurried sensibility. He first surfaced on the internet in 2016 by sharing tracks such as "{}[]" and "Brakelights." His introductory EP, Stereo, surfaced in 2018, while the Apolonio mixtape followed in 2020. The next year brought a Latin Grammy-nominated collaboration with C. Tangana on "Te Olvidaste," after which his 2022 debut album Ivory ascended to the top of Billboard's Heatseekers chart. Live for Me, another EP, came out in 2023, and his second studio album, God Said No, appeared the subsequent year.

Born Omar Velasco in Hobart, Indiana, he passed his early years skateboarding and obtained his initial guitar at age 12 from his parents. An uncle who traveled from Mexico supplied foundational lessons on the instrument, supplemented by ongoing exposure to tutorial videos on YouTube. During high school he began capturing his own compositions at home on a laptop.

Having left college in 2015, Apollo committed himself entirely to music, absorbing a wide range of inspirations that encompassed David Bowie, D'Angelo, Cuco Sánchez, and additional artists. He uploaded material online, and certain uploads, including "{}[]" and "Brakelights," achieved viral reach. The resulting visibility enabled him to schedule performances in Bloomington, Indianapolis, and Chicago. Stereo, his first EP, arrived in 2018 and contained both English- and Spanish-language material, among them the singles "Ugotme" and "Erase." A follow-up EP titled Friends emerged the next year, alongside the joint single "Hit Me Up" with Dominic Fike and Kenny Beats. Apollo opened 2020 with the buoyant "Imagine U," then issued "Stayback" and "Kamikaze," both later featured on Apolonio. Two Latin Grammy nominations arrived in 2021, recognizing Record of the Year and Best Alternative Song for his work with Spanish singer C. Tangana on "Te Olvidaste."

His first full-length release, Ivory, entered the market in April 2022 and featured contributions from Daniel Caesar and Kali Uchis. The project placed at number 128 on the Billboard 200 and claimed the summit of the Top Heatseekers Albums chart, propelled by the hit single "Evergreen (You Didn't Deserve Me at All)." Early 2023 saw the independent single "3 Boys," followed later that year by the EP Live for Me. In June 2024 Apollo delivered his sophomore album God Said No, which he produced with assistance from Blake Slatkin, Teo Halm, Carter Lang, and Oscar Santander. The set highlighted the singles "Dispose of Me" and "Less of You" together with appearances by Sudanese-Canadian artist Mustafa and actor Pedro Pascal.