Watch Omar Apollo’s Tiny Desk Concert
The Mexican-American pop singer brought an 11-piece backing band to the NPR office for a dynamic set in celebration of Latinx Heritage Month.
Omar Apollo’s April debut studio LP Ivory, the 25-year-old Mexican-American R&B idol form Hobart, Indiana cast a wide net, expanding his sonic spectrum to include multiple far-flung corners of capital-P Pop. On his new NPR Tiny Desk Concert, uploaded today to kick off the series’ celebration of Latinx History Month, he went a step further, opening with a full-band performance of mid-album cut “En El Olvido,” flipping its acoustic original into an 11-piece corrido, backed by special guest guitarrón players Silvia Estrada and Mayra Martínez.
For the rest of the show, he returned to his more natural R&B-tinged groove, but his foray into traditional music felt effortless and brought new depth to the entire set. He followed “En El Olvido” with three more IVORY tracks: the heartbroken soul ballad “Evergreen (You Don’t Deserve Me At All),” the acoustic slow-burner “Petrified,” and the bittersweet singalong “Endlessly,” which he ended with an inspiring message. “I want you to think about something,” he told the enthusiastic crowd as the band vamped on the song’s final chords behind him. “I want you to go home. I want you to meditate. And I want you to burn a bridge. It’s OK. Cut them people out your life.”
A week after IVORY‘s release, Daniel Caesar brought Omar Apollo onstage during his Coachella set to perform “Invincible,” another song from the album. Last month, Apollo announced the Prototype Tour, a joint North American run with Ravyn Lenae. View the full schedule below and check out Years To Come, a short FADER documentary on Apollo from 2019.
Omar Apollo & Ravyn Lenae Prototype fall 2022 tour
October 21 - San Diego, CA - Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air
October 22 - Tucson, AZ - 191 Toole
October 25 - Tulsa, OK - Cain’s Ballroom
October 26 - Houston, TX - 713 Music Hall
October 27 - San Antonio, TX - Aztec Theatre
October 29 - Boulder, CO - Boulder Theater
November 1 - Los Angeles, CA - The Greek Theater
November 2 - San Jose, CA - San Jose Civic
November 3 - Oakland, CA - Fox Theater
November 5 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Complex
November 8 - Saint Paul, MN - Palace Theatre
November 10 - St. Louis, MO - The Pageant
November 11 - Indianapolis, IN - Egyptian Room
November 13 - Richmond, VA - The National
November 15 - Atlanta, GA - The Eastern
November 17 - Washington, D.C. - The Anthem
November 18 - Norfolk, VA - The NorVa
November 19 - Charlotte, NC - The Fillmore
November 20 - Raleigh, NC - The Ritz
November 22 - Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium
November 26 - Brooklyn, NY - Kings Theatre
November 29 - Toronto, ON - History