Are Omar Apollo and Frank Ocean dating like the rumors from last year said? Are some of Apollo’s new music about Frank Ocean? Or, are the two just vacationing as friends?
Fans of the two R&B artists spotted the musicians vacationing in Italy and Greece this past weekend. The two even posted separate pictures of the trip (which they’re doing with friends). That alone isn’t much of a story. After all, two artists hanging out together (with friends) is a fun time and not so much headline news. But the pictures got fans wondering, “Are the two dating?”
@oliviaaspina collab?? #frankocean #omarapollo #gostreammarfil #greenscreen
https://twitter.com/trapssoul/status/1559201087231369216?s=20&t=CaOrO1hE-QuCyzpm84HybQ
https://twitter.com/mitchoo_oo/status/1559590706183806982?s=20&t=xnSM2UaoO3FfRhYPVndjUA
If you promise not to vacation in ONLY Santorini / Mykonos when you come to Greece … I’ll tell you where I saw Frank Ocean and Omar Apollo yesterday. Malakas !
— ARiSTOTELiS (@GreekGambino) August 10, 2022
… hi queen pic.twitter.com/AhjSaQ7xFx
— ARiSTOTELiS (@GreekGambino) August 10, 2022
the internet is sooo quick to find out that frank ocean and omar apollo are hanging out in italy. omggggg
— alo (@alooonaaaa) August 16, 2022
https://twitter.com/theyluvv_kali/status/1559630854149869576?s=20&t=KK1SYr6iPzQ7EbadCVc-tg
Related: No New Music, Instead Ocean Wants To Arouse Us In A Different Way
This isn’t the first time that dating rumors about the two have sprung up. Last year, critics were comparing Apollo’s evolving sound to that of the Blonded singer. The conversation then changed to, “Are the two dating?” But Omar Apollo’s been busy making music, performing, and raising his fame. Frank Ocean, meanwhile, is a VERY private person and also took a step back from entertainment to mourn a death in his family. So, neither of them commented on the rumor.
To understand this situation, we have to go back a little earlier. It was Frank Oceans words in 2019 that first peaked everyone’s interest in his dating life. The normally private man shared in an interview that he was dating someone for three years.
“I don’t use dating apps,” shared the singer. “I’ve been in a relationship for three years. I definitely wasn’t using dating apps before then. I don’t think I would use dating apps now. I fuck with Marc Jacobs’ philosophy on that, so I wouldn’t rule it out, but it is a little hectic being a famous person on dating apps.”
Related: Kissing On Instagram? Did Karamo Brown Find A New Boo?
After speculation from social media users, a name for this mystery boyfriend came forward… Memo Guzman. Very little is known about Guzman as well, so it’s amazing internet sleuths even found this much.
Ocean mentioned Guzman in the 2017 track “Provider,” as The Things reports. In the song, Ocean wrote, “Memo finna start acting out if I don’t see him soon.” Plus, the two were seen sitting ringside at the Floyd Mayweather x Conor Mcgregor fight in 2017, according to Hot New Hip-Hop. But, it seems the two have since broken up.
So, it looks like Frank Ocean might be single and ready to mingle… with Omar Apollo. The podcast Like A Virgin hosted by Fran Tirado and Rose Dommu seems to think so.
“I’ve been doing some reporting for the podcast,” says Tirado, “So when I was driving late at night back from a Coachella party, I was driving home [with] two friends of friends that are from Mexico and they work in the music industry. And, one of them were friends with Omar Apollo so we were talking about this new album. And I was saying, ‘It feels really Frank Ocean-y to me.’ And I should say, half of it is very acoustic-y kind of. Like John Mayer-ish, like, feel good vibes. And then some of it gets a little Latin music. And then the rest sounds like Frank Ocean. And I was like, ‘Well, it sounds a lot like Frank Ocean.’ And the guy looks at me and he goes, ‘You know they used to date, right?’ They dated for three years and they broke up and this album Ivory is all about Frank.”
Tirado went on to clarify that he doesn’t “have a ton of intel on the inner workings of their relationship.” But then Tirado added that there was “drama” about the album sounding like Frank Ocean’s music.
https://twitter.com/mikestandz/status/1559403852645924866?s=20&t=zFuVghp4gOY0VaSAnhtqDw
Of course, we have to take this information with a grain of salt. A story from a podcast about a conversation with a friend of a friend about another friend is not confirmed breaking news. But, it does raise eyebrows.
So, was Memo Guzman never the mystery boyfriend? Or, was he the boyfriend before Apollo? If Guzman and Ocean broke up in 2019, the alleged three years with Omar Apollo could have started then. The timing matches in that scenario. But, again, we can’t confirm. Plus, why would there be drama if they two are vacationing together just a few days ago?
What we CAN confirm is that Omar Apollo and Frank Ocean are, at least, friendly with each other. The vacation pictures show enough. Plus, Frank Ocean has been seen liking Omar Apollo’s Instagram posts in 2020. So, we CAN confirm there’s an influence between the two.
Last week, Omar Apollo released five new songs under the deluxe edition of his debut album Ivory. The deluxe version, titled Ivory (Marfil), includes the love songs “Highlight” and “Pretty Boy.”
The original version of the artist’s debut album was well-received earlier this year for its multi-genre use, multi-language use, and its topics of romantic yearning and exploring identity. Even former President Barack Obama included Omar Apollo on his 2022 Summer Playlist. The Indiana-raised, Mexican-American singer-songwriter also received praise for his Frank Ocean-esque musicality.
“It’s a little too easy to draw comparisons between experimental alt-R&B singer Omar Apollo and Frank Ocean between their eerily similar singing voices, the dyed hair on album covers, and their lyrical addresses of their fluid style and sexuality – the two even sparked dating rumours late last year.”
So are the two dating? With the musicians, and especially Frank Ocean, being so private, we may never know. But it seems like speculation will be the name of the game for years to come. In the meantime, stream Ivory and Ivory Marfil!
Source: RANGE, Like A Virgin, Hot New Hip-Hop, The Things,
