# Omar Apollo
**Omar Apollo** (born Omar Apolonio Velasco, 1997, in Hobart, Indiana) is a Mexican-American singer and songwriter whose music blends retro-soul, R&B, funk, and [Latin pop](https://www.edgepedia.org/latin-pop), with lyrics that move between English and Spanish.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/omar-apollo-mn0003740963) • [2](https://www.gq.com.mx/articulo/omar-apollo-quien-es-biografia-del-cantante) After self-releasing songs recorded in a rented attic in Indiana, he broke through with the 2017 single "Ugotme," signed to [Warner Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/warner-records), and earned a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist at the 65th [Grammy Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/grammy-awards) for his 2022 debut album *Ivory*.[3](https://pitchfork.com/features/rising/get-to-know-omar-apollo-and-his-first-generation-love-songs/) • [4](https://press.warnerrecords.com/sites/g/files/g2000014901/files/2022-11/OMAR%20APOLLO%20RELEASES%20DELUXE%20ALBUM%20%27IVORY%20%28MARFIL%29%27%20.pdf) • [5](https://www.wfyi.org/show/cultural-manifesto/2026-03-30/celebrating-hispanic-heritage-month-with-hobart-indianas-omar-apollo)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Birth name and date | Omar Apolonio Velasco, born 1997 in Hobart, Indiana; the stage name draws on his middle name, inherited from his grandfather Apolonio[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/omar-apollo-mn0003740963) • [6](https://latimes.pages.dev/entertainment-arts/music/story/2020-10-16/omar-apollo-mexican-american-prince) |
| Family background | Youngest of three children of working-class immigrants from Guadalajara; his father crossed the border in 1979 at age 23, and his mother joined him in 1992[3](https://pitchfork.com/features/rising/get-to-know-omar-apollo-and-his-first-generation-love-songs/) • [7](https://www.rollingstone.it/musica/interviste-musica/omar-apollo-nessuno-credeva-in-me-ora-mi-ringrazio-da-solo-per-non-aver-mollato/896229/) |
| Breakthrough | "Ugotme," uploaded to Spotify in 2017, was playlisted and drew about 50,000 listens overnight[3](https://pitchfork.com/features/rising/get-to-know-omar-apollo-and-his-first-generation-love-songs/) |
| Early releases | EP *Stereo* (2018), EP *Friends* (2019), and the home-recorded mixtape *Apolonio* (2020) featuring Bootsy Collins, DJ Dahi, and Albert Hammond, Jr.[4](https://press.warnerrecords.com/sites/g/files/g2000014901/files/2022-11/OMAR%20APOLLO%20RELEASES%20DELUXE%20ALBUM%20%27IVORY%20%28MARFIL%29%27%20.pdf) |
| Debut album | *Ivory* (April 2022) topped Billboard's Heatseekers chart and brought a Best New Artist nomination at the 2023 Grammys[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/omar-apollo-mn0003740963) • [5](https://www.wfyi.org/show/cultural-manifesto/2026-03-30/celebrating-hispanic-heritage-month-with-hobart-indianas-omar-apollo) |
| Biggest single | "Evergreen (You Didn't Deserve Me At All)" passed 150 million Spotify streams in 2022, reached No. 51 on the Billboard Hot 100, and became his first RIAA-certified platinum record[8](https://www.highsnobiety.com/p/omar-apollo-interview-apolonio/) • [9](https://press.warnerrecords.com/sites/g/files/g2000014901/files/2024-05/Omar%20Apollo%20-%20Dispose%20of%20ME%20%282%29.pdf) |
| Second album | *God Said No* (June 28, 2024), executive produced by Teo Halm and largely recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London[10](https://live.grammy.com/news/omar-apollo-teo-halm-interview-god-said-no-new-album) |
## Early life and family
Apollo was born in Hobart, Indiana, a small industrial city he has described as "flat, with a lot of parking lots, farmland and cornfields."[11](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/apr/12/rb-singer-omar-apollo-growing-up-i-was-called-slurs-but-on-the-internet-people-are-very-open) His parents, immigrants from [Guadalajara](https://www.edgepedia.org/guadalajara), Jalisco, settled in Indiana, where they opened a local restaurant called The Super Taco and worked long hours raising their three children.[3](https://pitchfork.com/features/rising/get-to-know-omar-apollo-and-his-first-generation-love-songs/) His father worked in construction and then as a chef after emigrating; his mother later worked in his school's cafeteria while his father delivered food by truck.[11](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/apr/12/rb-singer-omar-apollo-growing-up-i-was-called-slurs-but-on-the-internet-people-are-very-open) • [6](https://latimes.pages.dev/entertainment-arts/music/story/2020-10-16/omar-apollo-mexican-american-prince) In 2009 his parents became American citizens, and Apollo remembers helping them memorize the 50 states.[3](https://pitchfork.com/features/rising/get-to-know-omar-apollo-and-his-first-generation-love-songs/)
**Learning music.** He received his first guitar at age 12 as a gift from his parents, and an uncle visiting from Mexico gave him early guidance alongside instructional YouTube videos.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/omar-apollo-mn0003740963) In a 2022 interview he said he started playing guitar aged 11, so published accounts place the beginning within a year of each other.[11](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/apr/12/rb-singer-omar-apollo-growing-up-i-was-called-slurs-but-on-the-internet-people-are-very-open) At a sixth-grade talent show he performed Metallica's "Nothing Else Matters," a performance he later called "flawless" for a 12-year-old.[12](https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2022/12/omar-apollo-was-born-for-this) His mother enrolled him in ballet folklórico as a child, and in third grade he danced with the Ballet Folklórico de México de Amalia Hernández, a folkloric dance company based in Mexico City.[3](https://pitchfork.com/features/rising/get-to-know-omar-apollo-and-his-first-generation-love-songs/) • [11](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/apr/12/rb-singer-omar-apollo-growing-up-i-was-called-slurs-but-on-the-internet-people-are-very-open)
After high school he enrolled at Indiana University Northwest and dropped out after two weeks, deciding to pursue music full time.[3](https://pitchfork.com/features/rising/get-to-know-omar-apollo-and-his-first-generation-love-songs/) He worked at [McDonald's](https://www.edgepedia.org/mcdonalds), Jimmy John's, and [Guitar Center](https://www.edgepedia.org/guitar-center), and renovated a friend's attic, where up to seven people lived at one point, into the home studio where he recorded the songs that began his career.[12](https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2022/12/omar-apollo-was-born-for-this) • [3](https://pitchfork.com/features/rising/get-to-know-omar-apollo-and-his-first-generation-love-songs/)
## Career beginnings
Apollo first emerged online in 2016, posting songs such as "{}[]" and "Brakelights," some of which went viral.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/omar-apollo-mn0003740963) In 2017 he uploaded "Ugotme" to Spotify after borrowing $30 from a friend to cover the registration fee; the track was playlisted the next day and drew roughly 50,000 listens overnight.[11](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/apr/12/rb-singer-omar-apollo-growing-up-i-was-called-slurs-but-on-the-internet-people-are-very-open) • [3](https://pitchfork.com/features/rising/get-to-know-omar-apollo-and-his-first-generation-love-songs/)
His debut EP *Stereo* followed in 2018, a bilingual collection of homemade psych-pop, and a second EP, *Friends*, arrived in 2019, earning press attention and comparisons to Prince for his soul-infused bedroom pop and funk-tinged R&B.[4](https://press.warnerrecords.com/sites/g/files/g2000014901/files/2022-11/OMAR%20APOLLO%20RELEASES%20DELUXE%20ALBUM%20%27IVORY%20%28MARFIL%29%27%20.pdf) • [13](https://www.ellywatson.com/home-1/omar-apollo) He signed to Warner Records shortly before the coronavirus pandemic began.[13](https://www.ellywatson.com/home-1/omar-apollo) In 2020 he released the self-made mixtape *Apolonio*, named for his middle name, which featured collaborations with [Bootsy Collins](https://www.edgepedia.org/bootsy-collins), DJ Dahi, and [Albert Hammond](https://www.edgepedia.org/albert-hammond), Jr.; to celebrate its release he performed a livestream concert from [Paisley Park](https://www.edgepedia.org/paisley-park), the estate of one of his heroes, Prince.[4](https://press.warnerrecords.com/sites/g/files/g2000014901/files/2022-11/OMAR%20APOLLO%20RELEASES%20DELUXE%20ALBUM%20%27IVORY%20%28MARFIL%29%27%20.pdf) The mixtape also included "Dos Uno Nueve (219)," a corrido melded with his soulful singing style.[14](https://www.latinousa.org/2023/10/10/omarapollo2/) • [15](https://accuratesearch.com/userfiles/file/9347742720.pdf)
In 2021 his collaboration "Te Olvidaste" with the Spanish artist C. Tangana brought his first Latin Grammy nominations, for Record of the Year and Best Alternative Song.[4](https://press.warnerrecords.com/sites/g/files/g2000014901/files/2022-11/OMAR%20APOLLO%20RELEASES%20DELUXE%20ALBUM%20%27IVORY%20%28MARFIL%29%27%20.pdf) That year he also performed "Dos Uno Nueve" with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the first time the century-old orchestra performed a corrido.[14](https://www.latinousa.org/2023/10/10/omarapollo2/)
## Ivory and breakthrough
*Ivory*, his debut album, arrived in April 2022 on Warner Records and topped Billboard's Heatseekers chart.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/omar-apollo-mn0003740963) Apollo had scrapped an earlier version of the record days before filming its first video, judging that it had been made too quickly with too many contributors, and rebuilt it.[11](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/apr/12/rb-singer-omar-apollo-growing-up-i-was-called-slurs-but-on-the-internet-people-are-very-open) The finished album crosses genre lines and language barriers, with singles including "Invincible" featuring [Daniel Caesar](https://www.edgepedia.org/daniel-caesar), "Killing Me," "Go Away," "Bad Life" with [Kali Uchis](https://www.edgepedia.org/kali-uchis), and "Tamagotchi," produced by [Pharrell Williams](https://www.edgepedia.org/pharrell-williams) and Chad Hugo.[4](https://press.warnerrecords.com/sites/g/files/g2000014901/files/2022-11/OMAR%20APOLLO%20RELEASES%20DELUXE%20ALBUM%20%27IVORY%20%28MARFIL%29%27%20.pdf)
The album drew wide critical notice: the New York Times praised his "knack for jagged, irreverent pop songs" and Rolling Stone called him "one of the most exciting artists of his generation."[4](https://press.warnerrecords.com/sites/g/files/g2000014901/files/2022-11/OMAR%20APOLLO%20RELEASES%20DELUXE%20ALBUM%20%27IVORY%20%28MARFIL%29%27%20.pdf) He played a breakout Coachella set in April 2022 and followed it with his sold-out Desvelado tour, then the 22-date Prototype Tour in fall 2022.[4](https://press.warnerrecords.com/sites/g/files/g2000014901/files/2022-11/OMAR%20APOLLO%20RELEASES%20DELUXE%20ALBUM%20%27IVORY%20%28MARFIL%29%27%20.pdf) A deluxe edition, *Ivory (Marfil)*, added five songs in August 2022.[4](https://press.warnerrecords.com/sites/g/files/g2000014901/files/2022-11/OMAR%20APOLLO%20RELEASES%20DELUXE%20ALBUM%20%27IVORY%20%28MARFIL%29%27%20.pdf)
**"Evergreen."** The album track "Evergreen (You Didn't Deserve Me At All)" went viral on social media, bringing swaths of new listeners to his music.[16](https://apnews.com/article/fdb5842683a4b7d0a7ace5fa54ee5605) It garnered more than 150 million streams on Spotify in 2022, reached No. 51 on the Billboard Hot 100, and became his first RIAA-certified platinum record, spending seven weeks on the Hot 100.[8](https://www.highsnobiety.com/p/omar-apollo-interview-apolonio/) • [9](https://press.warnerrecords.com/sites/g/files/g2000014901/files/2024-05/Omar%20Apollo%20-%20Dispose%20of%20ME%20%282%29.pdf) In late 2022 he received a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist at the 65th Grammy Awards.[12](https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2022/12/omar-apollo-was-born-for-this) • [5](https://www.wfyi.org/show/cultural-manifesto/2026-03-30/celebrating-hispanic-heritage-month-with-hobart-indianas-omar-apollo)
## Live for Me and God Said No
In October 2023 Apollo released the four-song EP *Live for Me*, which he described as processing death, grief, and acceptance through intimate, lush sounds; its lead single "Ice Slippin" addresses his feelings after coming out to his family.[16](https://apnews.com/article/fdb5842683a4b7d0a7ace5fa54ee5605) To mark the release he celebrated his first sold-out headline performance at [Madison Square Garden](https://www.edgepedia.org/madison-square-garden), co-headlining with Daniel Caesar, after a run as direct support on SZA's sold-out arena tour.[17](https://press.warnerrecords.com/sites/g/files/g2000014901/files/2024-04/Omar%20Apollo%20-%20Spite.pdf)
His second album, *God Said No*, arrived on June 28, 2024. Written in the wake of the end of a two-year relationship, it was made during a three-month stay in London with his co-writer and executive producer Teo Halm, much of it at [Abbey Road Studios](https://www.edgepedia.org/abbey-road-studios), where Apollo often worked 12- to 13-hour days.[10](https://live.grammy.com/news/omar-apollo-teo-halm-interview-god-said-no-new-album) Poetry shaped the writing: he filled the studio with collections by [Ocean Vuong](https://www.edgepedia.org/ocean-vuong), Victoria Chang, Philip Larkin, Allen Ginsberg, and Mary Oliver, and a poem written with his parents under a plane tree at the Palace of Versailles became the album highlight "Plane Trees," with his mother's voice recorded under the same tree on the closing track "Glow."[10](https://live.grammy.com/news/omar-apollo-teo-halm-interview-god-said-no-new-album) The 14-track album includes the singles "Spite" and "Dispose of Me," and features a collaboration with the poet and musician Mustafa.[10](https://live.grammy.com/news/omar-apollo-teo-halm-interview-god-said-no-new-album)
## Artistry and identity
Apollo sings in both English and Spanish, and his music draws on retro-soul, funk, and contemporary R&B.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/omar-apollo-mn0003740963) • [2](https://www.gq.com.mx/articulo/omar-apollo-quien-es-biografia-del-cantante) He has cited influences ranging from David Bowie, D'Angelo, and Prince to the Mexican musicians his parents played at home, including Pedro Infante and Los Panchos; he has said of Mexican ballad singers that "they sound like they're crying," and locates the emotional core of his own writing there.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/omar-apollo-mn0003740963) • [2](https://www.gq.com.mx/articulo/omar-apollo-quien-es-biografia-del-cantante) • [11](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/apr/12/rb-singer-omar-apollo-growing-up-i-was-called-slurs-but-on-the-internet-people-are-very-open)
Many of his songs, particularly on *Ivory*, speak to relationships with men. He does not label his sexuality, though he has said that if he "had to put a name to it," queer "feels right."[11](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/apr/12/rb-singer-omar-apollo-growing-up-i-was-called-slurs-but-on-the-internet-people-are-very-open) He has spoken about the pressures of growing up gay and Latino in the Midwest, recalling racist encounters and slurs in his hometown, and has framed his visibility as part of a broader generation of Latino artists raised in the United States.[5](https://www.wfyi.org/show/cultural-manifesto/2026-03-30/celebrating-hispanic-heritage-month-with-hobart-indianas-omar-apollo) • [11](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/apr/12/rb-singer-omar-apollo-growing-up-i-was-called-slurs-but-on-the-internet-people-are-very-open)
Beyond music, he appeared on the red carpet at the 81st Venice International Film Festival in September 2024 for the film *Queer*, and in 2024 was turned into a Bratz doll whose reveal video went viral.[18](https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffconway/2024/10/01/omar-apollo-talks-music-new-queer-film-and-his-familys-hot-sauce/) • [10](https://live.grammy.com/news/omar-apollo-teo-halm-interview-god-said-no-new-album)
## References
1. [Omar Apollo Biography, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/omar-apollo-mn0003740963)
2. [Omar Apollo: biografía, música, pareja, mejores canciones, GQ México](https://www.gq.com.mx/articulo/omar-apollo-quien-es-biografia-del-cantante)
3. [Get to Know Omar Apollo and His First-Generation Love Songs, Pitchfork (February 6, 2019)](https://pitchfork.com/features/rising/get-to-know-omar-apollo-and-his-first-generation-love-songs/)
4. [Omar Apollo Releases Deluxe Album 'Ivory (Marfil)', Warner Records press release (August 12, 2022)](https://press.warnerrecords.com/sites/g/files/g2000014901/files/2022-11/OMAR%20APOLLO%20RELEASES%20DELUXE%20ALBUM%20%27IVORY%20%28MARFIL%29%27%20.pdf)
5. [Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with Hobart, Indiana's Omar Apollo, WFYI Cultural Manifesto](https://www.wfyi.org/show/cultural-manifesto/2026-03-30/celebrating-hispanic-heritage-month-with-hobart-indianas-omar-apollo)
6. [Meet Omar Apollo, the Mexican American Prince, Los Angeles Times (October 16, 2020)](https://latimes.pages.dev/entertainment-arts/music/story/2020-10-16/omar-apollo-mexican-american-prince)
7. [Omar Apollo: «Nessuno credeva in me», Rolling Stone Italia](https://www.rollingstone.it/musica/interviste-musica/omar-apollo-nessuno-credeva-in-me-ora-mi-ringrazio-da-solo-per-non-aver-mollato/896229/)
8. [The Horny and Heartbroken Crescendo of Omar Apollo, Highsnobiety](https://www.highsnobiety.com/p/omar-apollo-interview-apolonio/)
9. [Omar Apollo, 'Dispose of Me' press materials, Warner Records (2024)](https://press.warnerrecords.com/sites/g/files/g2000014901/files/2024-05/Omar%20Apollo%20-%20Dispose%20of%20ME%20%282%29.pdf)
10. [Omar Apollo Embraces Heartbreak And Enters His "Zaddy" Era On 'God Said No', GRAMMY.com (June 27, 2024)](https://live.grammy.com/news/omar-apollo-teo-halm-interview-god-said-no-new-album)
11. [R&B singer Omar Apollo: 'Growing up, I was called slurs. But on the internet people are very open', The Guardian (April 12, 2022)](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/apr/12/rb-singer-omar-apollo-growing-up-i-was-called-slurs-but-on-the-internet-people-are-very-open)
12. [Omar Apollo Was Born for This, Vanity Fair (December 8, 2022)](https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2022/12/omar-apollo-was-born-for-this)
13. [Omar Apollo interview, Elly Watson](https://www.ellywatson.com/home-1/omar-apollo)
14. [How I Made It: Omar Apollo, Latino USA (October 10, 2023)](https://www.latinousa.org/2023/10/10/omarapollo2/)
15. [Omar ampolo instagram](https://accuratesearch.com/userfiles/file/9347742720.pdf)
16. [Omar Apollo on his emotional new EP, 'Live For Me,' and ignoring the confines of genre, Associated Press (October 6, 2023)](https://apnews.com/article/fdb5842683a4b7d0a7ace5fa54ee5605)
17. [In conjunction with the release of *Live For Me* last October, **Omar** celebrated his inaugural sold-out headline performance at Madison Square Garden, where he shared the stage as a co-headliner with Daniel Caesar. The milestone performance followed an earlier run as direct support for SZA on her sold-out arena tour.](https://press.warnerrecords.com/sites/g/files/g2000014901/files/2024-04/Omar%20Apollo%20-%20Spite.pdf)
18. [Omar Apollo Talks Music, New 'Queer' Film And His Family's Hot Sauce, Forbes (October 1, 2024)](https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffconway/2024/10/01/omar-apollo-talks-music-new-queer-film-and-his-familys-hot-sauce/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Individual musical biographies › Pop and R&B singer-songwriters › R&B singers, 2010s to present › Surnames symbols to G*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license