The GAYLETTER Interview: Omar Apollo

A $30 Investment that Paid Off: How Omar Apollo Went from Hobart, Indiana to the Grammys.

INTERVIEW BY ELIAS BAEZ

PHOTOGRAPHY BY FABIAN GUERRERO

STYLING BY BRAULIO GONZÁLEZ

Omar Apollo was built for this. As a kid, the self-taught singer-songwriter born Omar Apolonio Velasco learned guitar by mimicking YouTube covers.

His parents had emigrated from Mexico separately and settled in rural Hobart, Indiana together, where he was born in 1997.

As a teenager, he became Omar Apollo, crafting “Apollo” from the “Apolonio” he’d inherited from his grandfather, and began to upload his music to SoundCloud. There, he crafted his unique sound, fusing R&B, Latin music, pop, and hip-hop. An early upload titled “Ugotme” gained traction on SoundCloud, and with $30 borrowed from a friend, that song was brought to Spotify, where it was quickly playlisted.

That foot in the door was all he needed. Now, as a young man five years wiser, Omar Apollo is being crowned a pop star by the internet that raised him.

Lighting assistant: Fernando Palafox.

Hi hi. How’re you doing today? I’m good. What’s up man, how’re you doing? Elias?

Yeah, Elias. Omar. Nice to meet you.

There’s something very normal about, “I’m about to be going on this tour, but I have to stop by the DMV first while I’m in town.” I literally have rehearsals in like, an hour. It’s just funny. But I’ve been delaying it. Now I’m like, I gotta take care of it, or I’m gonna have to go to court... but I have court tomorrow, lowkey.