Omar Apollo

Born to Mexican parents, Apollo grew up in Hobart, Indiana with his three older siblings.[5] Apollo's parents both worked multiple jobs to support the family.[6] His family is from the Mexican city of Guadalajara, Jalisco.[7] Growing up, he listened to his parents' favorite musicians such as Pedro Infante, Los Panchos and The Beatles.[5] His own influences include diverse musicians such as Neil Young, Paul Simon, John Mayer, Prince, Bootsy Collins, Rick James, and The Internet.[1] He danced ballet folklorico when he was a child. He was also a part of his Catholic church choir.[5] At his request, Apollo's parents gifted him a guitar when he was 12.[2] Unfortunately, it was an electric guitar without an amp. Apollo traded the guitar at a pawn shop for an acoustic guitar and started learning how to play by watching and mimicking YouTube cover videos.[2] Apollo was also taught by his uncle and practiced playing at church.[2] He would go on to form a short-lived band with a friend at church.[1]

Apollo started his career by creating and uploading his songs to the DIY streaming platform SoundCloud.[5] During this time, he worked at Jimmy John's and Guitar Center and lived in an attic.[8] In 2017, using $30 borrowed from a friend, he uploaded his song "Ugotme" to Spotify, where it was soon playlisted on the platform's Fresh Finds and racked up 20,000 streams in a day.[5] A year later, the song would cross more than 15 million streams.[6] He released his first EP, Stereo in 2018, which was similarly well received.[3] In 2018 and 2019 he went on two tours, the "Want Tour" and the "Voyager Tour". During the 32-date "Voyager Tour" he released his second EP, Friends in April 2019.[1][9] The EP featured production by rock producer John Shanks, who had previously worked with artists such as Michelle Branch and Melissa Etheridge.[1] Apollo is managed by Shanks' son, Dylan, who he met over Twitter in July 2017 when the latter booked Apollo for a university show at NYU.[1][2] Apollo signed with Artists Without A Label earlier that year and performed at SXSW as part of a showcase with the group.[3] He went on his first European tour in 2019 as well, and played at Lollapalooza in August.[1] In late 2019, Apollo released the singles, "Frío" and "Hit Me Up", both collaborations with producer Kenny Beats.[10][11]

In April 2020, Apollo released the single "Imagine U", another collaboration with Kenny Beats.[12] On August 7, Apollo released the lead single "Stayback" from his upcoming debut studio album.[13] On September 10, he released the second single "Kamikaze".[14] On September 25, Apollo appeared on alternative R&B Japanese singer Joji’s second album Nectar on the track “High Hopes".[15] Apollo released "Dos Uno Nueve (219)” and “Want U Around (feat. Ruel)” before releasing his debut studio album Apolonio on October 16.[16]