An Interview with Apollo Jones
Dami: What inspired you to start making music?
Apollo Jones: Love that question. I grew up around a musical family. My mom has always been an amazing singer. I have uncles, cousins, and my grandpa was a Jazz/Gospel musician. When I was living with him growing up, my grandpa would let me play with Logic in his studio and make my own beats. I just decided to lock in on making my own path when I was in my early 20’s because I always felt it was in my DNA.
Dami: Apart from your relatives who had a background in music, who else would you say inspired you?
Apollo Jones: I’ve always wanted to make music that made me feel the way Frank Ocean, Pharrell, The Internet, and Tyler made me feel. They illicit so much emotion from their music with that experimental combination of vocals, raw lyricism, and instrumentation. I’m just trying my best to give that same feeling to others in my own way.
Dami: How would you describe your sound?
Apollo Jones: I like to make music that falls under the “Altenative R&B” genre but I feel like that box is just pretty general. I blend elements of funk, rock, and r&b. My lyrics are based on my personal life experiences or the experiences I see others go through like a journal entry.
Dami: Since your debut, how much would you say you’ve grown creatively?
Apollo Jones: To be honest, shortly after I dropped my first 2 singles in late 2023, I lost my job and was evicted from my apartment in LA. I took the struggle that I was going through with life and those little relationship issues that we’ve all been through, and channeled it into my music. I use music and writing as therapy. I grew more as a person while in that fire than ever before. That growth is documented with my creative endeavors.
Dami: How was it battling all that hardship and still making music?
Apollo Jones: It was tough but not necessarily the music aspect of it. I used music as my escape from reality. I dreamt of worlds that I could build with it, and that’s honestly what helped me push through more than anything. Music saved me when I didn’t feel like I could save myself. The more I accomplished in my creative growth, the more I felt confident in myself to handle what life was throwing at me.
Dami: What’s your creative process like?
Apollo Jones: I’ve been blessed to have found/made connections with some really dope producers. I generally will listen to a beat and hum out melodies, then write lyrics to fit those melodies. You never know when inspiration will strike, so I built up the habit of just writing down bars or ideas that I think of during random life situations. A lot of times that’s what I use to start the lyrical process. I’d be lying if I said I had a foolproof method for writing the things I’ve written, I just use the feeling of the moment and the words almost write themselves. I’m currently learning the bass, guitar, and piano so that I can eventually be involved with the production side of things.
Dami: You just dropped a new single. Can you tell us more about it?
Apollo Jones: Yea so, SHY is a feel good song that you might hear at a cookout. I used a ton of vocal layers and a groovy instrumental to create a vibe that people can dance and have a good time to! Lyrically it’s intended to be like a love letter to my financial situation. I used the metaphor of a girl who plays hard to get, because money tends to act that way whenever I push too hard to make it happen. At times it felt like I created a blockage from certain opportunities because I was too “thirsty” for them. But it’s like Andre 3000 said, “Y’all don’t wanna hear me, you just want to dance!”
Dami: Any visuals coming out for it?
Apollo Jones: Absolutely! I have a visualizer that I’m excited to drop on YouTube along with the song. I also have 20ish short form videos that are locked and ready to release on all the social platforms following the release. I’m working on building that number up, as well as working on a more movie-esque music video to drop soon hopefully. I’ve been buying into the “content” side of things as of late to try and get my music heard by more ears. It took a lot of confidence building to get here.
Dami: What’s next after Shy?
Apollo Jones: SHY is the first single off of my album. I learned about this thing called a “Waterfall release”, which was used by one of my favorite artists right now, Lola Young. The method is basically dropping 1 song at a time from a project. The plan is to drop 1 song a month, and I have about 9 total on the project at the moment. My next single is called “Acrophobia” which is the medical term for a fear of heights. Most people are scared to shoot their shot, or jump off that plane, but that’s being scared to live in my opinion.
Dami: How do you balance being a substitute and making music?
Apollo Jones: Honestly, working with kids has inspired me to push more. The way that their dreams are still achievable reminded me so much of myself growing up. Life has been hard but I’m still young and have the ability to be anything that I put my heart and soul into. The days can be long, but it’s fulfilling to be able to help kids through life stuff or just to throw a football around because those are the most human interactions that we can have. I also get summers off so I’m hoping to take that opportunity and perform at as many shows as I can.
Dami: What’s been your biggest challenge so far as an artist?
Apollo Jones: Balancing my life responsibilities with my passions has been tough. I have to be present in my relationships with my family, friends, and my partner. But there’s a scale for how anyone’s energy levels can be. Sometimes I get down or really high on that scale and I just feel like I don’t have the energy to maintain both. As a man though, I thinks it’s important to keep your loved ones close, as well as pursuing your passions. So really just balance.
Dami: What message do you hope people take away from your music?
Apollo Jones: Ultimately, i want people to take away that it’s ok to be vulnerable and express themselves. I wasn’t always given that opportunity, but I’m taking it with my music.
Give “Shy” a listen here
