Lew Apollo didn’t always know music was his calling. Growing up in a town of 500 in Northern Minnesota, he was surrounded by melodies—his parents strumming folk songs, the sounds of Prince and The Beatles filling the air—but his early years were spent chasing a different dream: basketball. “My brother was the sports hero,” he recalls. “I knew I’d never live up to that, so I picked up a guitar instead.” What he didn’t expect was his blue-collar father’s reaction. “I thought he’d be disappointed, but I’ve never seen him more proud. He was my biggest fan.”
That relationship looms large over Apollo’s upcoming debut album, Fool’s Gold. “Losing my dad was the biggest catalyst for this record,” he admits. His songwriting has always leaned into themes of mental health, resilience, and the quiet struggles of everyday people, but grief made those stories hit even closer to home. “Writing these songs was necessary. It was healing.” And beyond the deeply personal subject matter, Fool’s Gold marks another milestone — it’s the first album Apollo has produced entirely on his own. “That just makes it feel even more personal.”
The Sound of Survival
Apollo describes his music as existing in the space between storytelling and movement—his voice and lyrics channeling the depth of Leon Bridges and Hozier, while his production leans into the groove-heavy, dance-forward energy of Jungle, Sault, and Orion Sun. But at his core, he’s a student of the classics. “Prince, Bob Dylan, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones—those artists built the foundation,” he says. “But really, everything I hear influences me. The world is constantly shaping us.”
With Fool’s Gold, he explores the tension between external happiness and internal turmoil. “The album is shrouded in a kind of false joy, like wearing rose-tinted glasses,” he explains. “It’s about how we conceal what haunts us.” But despite the weighty themes, he never lets the darkness fully take over. His wife and closest collaborator, Mello Jaxn, has been his creative anchor for over a decade. “She’s my muse. She keeps me grounded.”
Live for Live Music
If there’s one thing that defines Apollo, it’s his devotion to live performance. Since moving to Austin, Texas in 2018, he’s played over 1,000 shows, cutting his teeth in the city’s vibrant scene. “I consider myself a live musician first,” he says. “I was just gonna play for tips on 6th Street, but I fell in love with building a whole world around my music—storytelling, production, branding. Now, I embrace it all.”
And that connection to his audience isn’t limited to the stage. Between gigs, he keeps fans close through social media and personal email updates, sometimes even throwing private events. “I want people to feel like they’re part of the journey,” he says.
The Hustle Never Stops
In an industry where artists are expected to be their own managers, publicists, and producers, Apollo has learned to embrace the grind. “It’s a balancing act,” he admits. “At first, I thought I could separate my artist persona from my personal life, but that didn’t last long. Now, I just live as Lew Apollo — whether I’m on stage or at the grocery store.”
This past SXSW was a milestone moment for him and his band, marking their debut as official festival artists. “Austin turns into the headquarters of music and film for a week — it’s unreal,” he says. His personal highlight? Discovering fresh sounds. “The ‘Australia Sounds Like’ and ‘British Music Embassy’ showcases were insane. You hear artists that are really pushing the industry forward.”
What’s Next?
Apollo’s biggest year yet is just getting started. His debut album, Fool’s Gold, drops August 1, 2025, with the lead single, No Room In Hell, arriving May 2. Expect more music, more shows, and more moments of raw, unfiltered storytelling. “This summer’s gonna be huge,” he promises. Fans can keep up with his journey on Instagram (@lew.apollo) or at www.lewapollo.com.
