The comedian and singer is breaking the Internet thanks to his humor and activism.
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The Internet is a universe itself. There are dark corners but also bright places, online paradises where you can enjoy and forget about the worries of daily life. The rise of social applications like TikTok has made us know artists like Apolo (@apoloplanet), a young Valencian who, thanks to his crazy humor, accumulates more than 900K followers. Apolo is the perfect example of how necessary it is to laugh today and with his applauded parodies, he has become quite a phenomenon. Apolo’s musical side is also receiving a great deal of attention thanks to his sensual video clips and his themes with which it is always easy to identify. Because Apolo wants to have fun, but also to make visible problems and conflicts suffered by communities such as LGTBIQ+.
Hello, Apolo, how are you? I am impressed by the number of people who follow you on Tik Tok, more than eight hundred thousand users, do you remember the first time you came into contact with that app?
I am very happy to have all those people supporting me every day and helping me grow as a person. The first time I entered TikTok I thought it was not for me because I did not understand it. I started uploading content, I tried different stuff, I saw what people liked and one step at a time I found my own place on the platform.
There are thousands of tiktokers, even millions, but… what would you say about your profile that attracts so many users?
I think that what people like about me is that I am very chameleonic. I upload humorous videos, parodies, scenes from stories that I make up… I’ve never liked to typecast myself into one thing, that’s why every day I feel like doing something different from what I did the day before.
Your humor seems to be based on parody and laughing at the stereotypes that are still very present in our society, but how do you define yourself as a comedian?
In this life, you have to laugh at everything. It is hard enough living with things that we do not like to share if we also cannot laugh at them. I like to do healthy humor, always based on respect, never on contempt.
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There’s no way I didn’t ask you about your viral Hermione Granger parody, where you mixed her with Rihanna’s iconic song S&M. How did the idea of making this video come about?
I am a huge Harry Potter fan and my community has always loved the humor I do about these films. Since I could see that people were liking these parodies, I decided to make one of Hermione’s character. It was so much fun to do and people liked it so much that I started doing more and more about other Harry Potter characters.
We are living such storage times, especially after the pandemic, so tell me… what role would you say humor has to play in today’s society?
I believe that it has a fundamental role, as it is a good way to distract yourself for a while and disconnect. In my videos, there are always comments from people who are grateful for having made them smile after a bad day and that fills me with enthusiasm.
So far, we’ve seen you explore the acting genre of comedy, would you like to explore drama or horror through other visual projects as well?
Of course. Since I was little I have always loved acting and wish I could do bigger projects, whether based on comedy or drama.
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One of your great missions as a Tik Toker and influencer is to provide visibility to the LGTBIQ + community, in what way do you think these apps can be used to help in this type of cause?
The best thing about these platforms is that they can give incredible visibility to the community. Through apps like TikTok you can connect with people anywhere in the world and that can help a lot to find yourself and realize that there are many more people just like you.
Social media can be very brutal and there are many haters capable of doing a lot of damage, how do you handle negative comments? What is the best way to keep as healthy the management of your networks?
When you dedicate yourself to social media you must assume that this bad side exists and you have to learn to live with it. Haters will always be inside and outside social media, but in these apps is more common to find them because they can hide behind a false identity or an empty profile. It is normal that there are people who do not like your content, it is impossible to please everyone. The important thing is not to deviate from your goal and focus on the people who really love and support you.
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Having so many followers entails a responsibility when it comes to sharing your content on social media, how do you manage that dynamic?
I like to review my ideas to make sure the content is respectful.
What would you say to all those who criticize social networks like TikTok and don’t take seriously those who have built a career out of it?
There are people who do not see the work behind those videos. You have to upload content almost daily, constantly think of new ideas, pay attention to what your followers like and dislike, cope with destructive criticism, and continue with your content style while continuing to renew yourself. Being a creator in networks is a job like any other and it is not for everyone.
You have been developing a parallel career as a singer for some time with tracks balancing between reggaeton and pop, like your last song “Mi príncipe”, how do you define yourself musically?
I’ve really been in music longer than on social media. I started making music in 2018 when I realized that it was what I really liked. I have been finding myself one step at a time and maturing as an artist. Now I am in a very cool moment and I am more excited than ever. I am working on many pop genre projects that will see the light of day this year.
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Follow him: @apoloplanet
