Omar Apollo has been having such a great musical year! From being part of former President Barack Obama’s summer 2022 playlist to preparing to go on tour and on the heels of releasing his album’s “IVORY (Marfil)” deluxe version on August 12 – the R&B crooner is clearly having a moment.
His latest highly-anticipated album, “IVORY,” was released earlier this year. The debut album showed the multi-faceted musical abilities of the Indiana-born Mexican-American artist. What’s interesting about him is that he’s keen to show his vocals in different genres — especially on this album. For example, on both the R&B track “Invincible” featuring Daniel Caesar and the ranchera-style track “En El Olvido,” he showcases his sentimental vocals differently. That’s the beauty of being bilingual — and proud of it.
It’s clear that he doesn’t stay in one music genre, either. Complex describes him as “one of the most exciting young musicians on the planet,” delivering “addictive, pop-leaning records that seamlessly blend the sounds of R&B, funk, soul, and hip-hop.” While The Guardian describes his music between “1980s Quincy Jones productions, Prince, Parliament and the charged psych-soul of Frank Ocean.” How’s that for comparisons?
However, it’s intriguing that in 2018 Omar Apollo was having a hard time with money. His parents are hardworking immigrants from Guadalajara, Mexico, providing what they could for him and his three siblings. Some of Omar’s first musical influences are from his parents, who he credits for his love for Los Panchos, Pedro Infante, and The Beatles.
However, things quickly changed when he uploaded his first track online. This was when the magic happened. When he uploaded “Ugotme” on Spotify, the song was placed on their “Fresh Finds” playlist, putting the artist in the spotlight.
The rest is history.
Now, he’s preparing to embark on his North American tour to support the album. The 23-date “Prototype Tour” will start on October 21 in San Diego, CA. Before concluding in Toronto, it will reach major cities like Houston, TX, Los Angeles, CA, Atlanta, GA, and Brooklyn, NY, before concluding in Toronto.
What’s more is that according to the artist’s press release, Omar partnered with PLUS1 so that one dollar of each ticket goes to support MusiCares’ efforts to provide “a safety net of critical health and welfare services to the music community.”
Additionally, with this tour news, Omar also released his newest single, “Highlight,” a bilingual mellow track that’s part of his forthcoming deluxe version.
Listen to “Highlight” below.