The King of Love Songs: Omar Apollo

The King of Love Songs is finally coming to Houston for his highly anticipated Speed of Sound tour. Over the past two years, Omar Velasco, commonly known as Omar Apollo, has developed an impressive discography that has gained him global recognition. 

Born to Mexican immigrants in Hobart, Indiana, Omar’s music is heavily influenced by his native culture and his family values. In fact, he just released a new single “Frio” which is his first track sung entirely in Spanish. He doesn’t stop there, though. The average listener can hear many other influences in his music such as hip-hop, blues, and Prince-inspired funk beats. 

Omar has released two EP’s in the past two years, Stereo (2018) and Friends (2019). The EP’s are riddled with soulful love songs that convey heavy emotion, romance, and heartbreak. The song that initially gained the artist recognition in 2017, “Ugotme,” set the tone for the types of ballads fans were able to expect from him in the future. His last track on Friends, “Trouble,” is one of my favorites as his beautiful vocals, instrumentals, and lyrics bring forth a warm, nostalgic feeling.  

At the same time, Omar possesses the ability to make his listeners feel much more than just love. For example, his song “Today” has a lazy, disconnected beat that aligns perfectly with his lyrics of boredom and stagnation. The first song on the Friends EP. “Ashamed,” has an 80’s, Prince-synth-funk sound that makes you want to dance and rewind the clock a few years. 

Just in case you were wondering, the 22 year-old artist can be found on many of Spotify’s most popular Indie playlists. Omar Apollo will be performing in Houston at White Oak Music Hall on November 16th, 2019. If you’re a tenured Apollo fan, or even if you’re just beginning to explore his discography, you can purchase tickets to his live show here.