In another episode of Things You Probably Didn’t Know About, let’s get to know more about singer-songwriter Omar Apollo, shall we?
Omar was born on May 20, 1997, and his full name is Omar Apolonio Velasco. His parents are Mexican, and he is the youngest out of three siblings. The 25-year-old singer grew up in Hobart, Indiana, where he spent his younger days skateboarding.
Prior to being an American citizen in 2009, Omar’s father was only 23 years old when he crossed the border in 1979 to escape gang violence in Guadalajara. For years after that, his father would visit and send letters to his mother, who was still living in Mexico.
She then eventually moved with him to America in 1992, and they settled in South Haven, Indiana. Omar learned how to play the guitar at the age of 11 after a visiting uncle from Mexico offered him an early guidance in playing the instrument, as well as watching instructional videos on YouTube.
By the time he was in high school, the “Evergreen” singer was already working at home on his laptop and recording his own songs. In 2015, he dropped out of college, and decided to dedicate himself on music full-time.
Aside from singing and playing the guitar, Omar was also a keen dancer. In fact, when he was in third grade, he danced with the Ballet Folklórico de México de Amalia Hernández, which is a prestigious folkloric dance company in Mexico City.
“I grew up dancing with women and the men all thought it was too expressive. They were being too masculine. I’ve always loved it. I was never afraid of that,” Omar recalled.
The singer-songwriter doesn’t like to label his sexuality, and he’s also not ashamed to express his queerness through his music, as many of the songs in his debut album Ivory speak about relationships with men.
Moving on to some of his hot pics… 😉
Sources: allmusic.com, theguardian.com, pitchfork.com
