OMAR APOLLO FREES HIS MIND

THE MEXICAN AMERICAN GEN Z HEARTTHROB PROUDLY REPRESENTS HIS CULTURE. BUT FIRST HE HAD TO LEARN TO BE TRUE TO HIMSELF

- TOMÁS MIER

HERE HE COMES NOW, sauntering down the sidewalk in L.A.’s Westchester neighborhood, a few blocks from LAX — iced coffee in hand, friend by his side, and a Whitney Houston song on his mind. “I’m saving all my love for youuuu,” he hum-sings with effortless soul and a soft smile, a friendly giant at 6 feet 5 inches. He introduces himself as he approaches: “Hi, I’m Omar.”

Omar Apollo leads us into an unassuming house that looks like it should be hosting a college party, with strange doodles on the wall, misplaced Xbox controllers, and a car door leaning against the kitchen bar. For now, he’s dressed casually, in gray sweatpants, a dark flannel over a white tank top, and Birkenstock clogs. It’s about 11 a.m. on a Tuesday in March; in a couple of hours, he’ll be shooting the video for “Tamagotchi,” the latest single from his magnum opus, Ivory, which came out in April.

With its bouncy Neptunes beat, flirty, bilingual lyrics, and effortlessly catchy chorus (“You with somebody, or are you cool?/ I want your body, you want me too”), “Tamagotchi” is a perfect example of the qualities that have made Apollo, 25, one of the most exciting artists of his generation. A self-taught Mexican American musician with a remarkable vocal range, he saw nearly overnight success after uploading a smoldering, D’Angelo-style R&B song called “Ugotme” in 2017. Since then, he’s collaborated with everyone from Bootsy Collins to the Strokes’ Albert Hammond Jr. to Spanish rap star C. Tangana (the latter earning him a Latin Grammy Record of the Year nomination); won comparisons to Prince and Frank Ocean that, amazingly, don’t feel hyperbolic; and built a devoted, diverse base of Gen Z fans, largely Latino, often queer, who feel represented by his work.