May 20, 2019
Omar Apollo is fresh. Beyond being a fresh face in the pop scene — and a heartthrob to boot — he’s taken a fresh approach at creating music. Perhaps it’s humility or self-deprecation when he claims he didn’t have any natural aptitude for music, but his passion to learn created an absolute phenom. He devoured YouTube tutorials to learn guitar, take singing lessons, and pick up production tips. Like many a young artist, his journey into pop stardom started by accident. The first song he released ended up on one of the biggest Spotify playlists. But the accident repeated itself and didn’t seem so accidental by the time he released his second song.
Now a multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, and producer, Omar’s fingerprints are all over every record he’s put out. He’s recently found comfort amongst peers in the burgeoning Chicano indie-pop scene. It’s full of like-minded utilitarian musicians, like Cuco and Inner Wave, who not only share the experience of navigating new found success in the industry, but the experience of growing up first generation Mexican-Americans.
Omar’s latest EP, Friends, is a wonderful glimpse into his artistic range and youthful pop presence. His voice is angelic, his writing is relatable, and his beats are danceable. Hear us talk about learning vibrato on YouTube to impress his dad, falling asleep with his guitar as a child, the fresh Chicano indie pop scene and more on “You Feel Me?” Remember to subscribe, and listen to the end for discount codes!
Highlights:
1:10: Hidden EPs
3:10: Teaching yourself music through YouTube
5:30: Pawn Shop shenanigans
7:28: How to get perfect vibrato
11:20: Guitar Center Heartthrob
13:30: Showing off a first song
14:23: Getting to Indiana
17:26: Super Taco
22:20: Growing up in Indiana
23:45: Taking Ballet
27:50: Pressure in music
33:30: Growing up unvalidated
38:34: I love Chicago
41:50: Putting together Stereo
44:45: Meeting similar artists