Catching up with Omar Apollo @ Concord Music Hall

When These Days first met Omar Apollo in 2017, the Indiana native was visiting Chicago on the heels of his first minor viral hit, “Ugotme.” The songwriter, singer and producer was just finding his footing back then, but already had his sights set on defying genre.

Omar's career has since skyrocketed and his music has only turned increasingly lucid. With two EPs and a handful of tours under his belt (including a few trips overseas), he seems more determined than ever to tap into all types of sounds.

His nascent catalog already revels in folk, funk, rock and shades of R&B and pop, while his newer releases show that he still has more to draw from. "Frio," specifically, is a reggaeton banger, co-produced by Kenny Beats, that could easily fit in a playlist next to Sech's and Ozuna's hits.

Omar’s malleable voice and innate curiosity have led him to an insatiable exploration of sound. But his early success also stems from his fans’ eagerness para perrear as much as they rock out. They're a devoted bunch that have been nurtured by Omar's friendly Midwestern spirit. If he's not answering questions on Instagram Live, he's having conversations in DMs and at meet-and-greets, or making sure he’s doing everything he can to get people on his shows' guest list.

We recently caught up with Omar for a Q&A backstage at Concord Music Hall. It had been a breezy December evening, but hundreds of fans (mostly young teenagers) had lined up for hours outside the sold-out venue to see him perform. When I asked Omar about the sense of community his fan base radiates, his eyes sparked up as he shared his mutual love for them.

On stage, wearing a suit jacket with white patches and black vinyl pants, Omar handles himself like the multicultural rockstar he is. But backstage he’s just as comfortable in a laid back outfit fielding our questions and greeting people with hugs and warm smiles. Read his answers below.

How's the experience of touring overseas like?

It's crazy, man. It's so different. People talk to me in accents, barely know English or only know Spanish. It's cool.

When you headlined the Metro a couple of years back, that felt like a watershed moment for your career...

Oh yeah, it was huge.

You've tackled so many accomplishments since then, now that you're back in the city have you reflected on that at all?

Hell yeah, I love it here. I grew-up coming to Chicago.

The Burn Twins were the guys that put us onto you a couple of years ago. How did that relationship start?

I love them so much! Through mutual friends. My friend Kopano introduced me to Tony, who was the keyboardist in the band that they played called K-Mu. We just started hanging out and started making music [with Kopano and Tony]. From there, it snowballed and went to Eddie's house one day.

I want to read you a quote you said during your first These Days interview: "I want someone to hear any beat and be like 'I can hear Omar over this'." You've really flexed that versatility lately. In the past year, what's a sound that you've tried to master?

House. I've also been on a kind of 80's thing.

You live in LA now, is your creative process different over there than it is here?

Yeah, I guess it is. When you're back [home], you're more alone, and no one is going to bother me. Over there is a little more hectic, but still the same.

Everything has moved so fast for you. Do you grapple at all with the sense of an increase in celebrity?

Like, am I stressed about it? I used to be at first. I was kind of terrified by it at first. I was like, "I don't know if I want to do this." But then I was like, "this is the only thing I can really do." [laughs] It's a blessing.

Why was it so important for you to make a song like "Frio?"

I grew up on reggeaton. I know that shit [laughs] and I know Spanish. It just felt right.

Kenny Beats produced that, right?

Yeah. I started the beat with my bassist back in Indiana and he made it into a real big sound.

I love your fan base and their sense of community. There are tons of videos of you talking to fans after shows and it feels like family catching-up. How did you create that?

I just talk to them, man. Learn their names. I don't know, I'm from Indiana, so I've just been the same to everyone I meet. In my head, there's no 'I'm going to treat this person different.' I'm going to treat every person the same exact way. I think that's something that's not common and they just saw it. They were like, "Omar is literally just like us." I was a fan too, I'm still a fan of so many people. So it's cool.

Some of them are friends that I talk to all the time. They're fans, but I don't see them that way. Literally, before the show, I had a bunch of people that know me from my music, and they asked, "yo, can you put this person on the list?" and I was like, "yeah!" I put like four people on the list.

This is the one thing that really sparked you up in our conversation, that relationship with fans. That's so cool.

They're awesome. They have my back, it's crazy. They know everything, all my old shit, and my old little dance videos. They find them all.

Featured