ON THE RISE
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When buzzing hip hop group Minus Gravity released its debut single in 2018, Capitol Records said the group “might just be the rockstars hip-hop has been waiting for all along.”
But four years later the trio decided to embark on the solo path. Now founding member Apollo Liberace continues to blur the lines between R&B, hip hop and rock music, and with two singles under his belt, he’s making another big statement.
“I was in a group with people I grew up around for ten or fifteen years,” he says. “People get older and grow apart. It was their choice to want to go solo so I was like cool, I’m not going to stop what I’m doing and the path I’ve been on. I recorded my first song when I was ten years old. I wasn’t going to stop regardless. I’m still here doing what I love to do every day.”
He debuted the single “Luke Cage” last fall and it’s already closing in on a million streams. Apollo Liberace’s newest release is “If I Had The Answers, Would You LIsten?” which debuted at the end of February.
“It’s a love story,” he says. “It’s things you go through in a relationship. If you stay in a relationship for a while, is it easier? It gets more difficult. That’s the part of the journey. That’s what makes it great.”
After a confident debut single that served to declare Apollo Liberace has arrived, “If I Had The Answers…” is vulnerable and contemplative. He wonders:
If I told you I miss you would you listen?
If I told you I love you would you listen?
And then adds:
I got big dreams if you want to see
Just so you know, you’re never alone
And it’s just you and me
So cry alone or you could cry with me if you want to
Apollo Liberace was drawn to the music business by his older sister, who was performing and producing her own albums by the time he turned 10. At the same time, he was singing in the choir everyday until finally telling his parents: “I don’t want to sing anymore. I want to rap.”
But he’s come back around, and his singing voice is the star of the show on “If I Had The Answers…” which features an understated, mellow beat.
“I can still hold a note,” he says.
A young Apollo found himself living in both Japan and Korea as a result of his parents’ military service, and that experience was a big influence on his future career. He did shows in Seoul, South Korea for both American and Korean audiences and performed as the opener for the G-Unit Far East tour. Growing up in different places and taking in different cultures has made him dynamic as an artist, and he frequently explores different genres.
“I went to elementary school in Japan and ended up going to high school in Korea when I was 15 for about two years,” he says. “And I lived in a lot of places around the United States. I’ve been cultured so young and able to see things most people in this country don’t get to at such a young age. It evolves your brain to a certain area. It’s hard to stay in one place, even musically, because I didn’t stay in one place growing up as a kid.”
As a solo artist, Apollo Liberace likes working more than anything else. For his birthday, he went to Joshua Tree in the desert, a peaceful surrounding to record for a few days, and said that’s the most fun he has in life.
“Just creating something out of nothing,” he says. “Melodies come from the air, sometimes they hit you, sometimes they don’t. They come from a different place. That’s me as an artist. I’m really hands on with production and mixes and different sequencing and all of that. From the ground up, I like to be hands on with everything.”
Apollo plans to release several more songs and visuals in 2024, at least one or two a month leading up to an EP project. And he will appear frequently on good friend Chanel West Coast’s new reality show on Paramount+, in addition to episodes of The Laugh podcast.
Stay connected to Apollo Liberace on all platforms for new music, videos and social posts:
Upcoming 100: How do you balance experimenting with new sounds and styles while still maintaining your unique artistic identity?
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