Over the weekend, fans who’ve been shipping artists Frank Ocean and Omar Apollo seemed to be validated at last thanks to a viral photo. Now the internet’s best detectives are hard at work uncovering a relationship between the two.
While dating rumors have swirled around Ocean and Apollo for years, these reached a breaking point after an alleged photo of the two on vacation together made the rounds online.
.@omarapollo & Frank Ocean eating together in Greece 👀 pic.twitter.com/kFUmqDKs4X
— Omar Apollo Updates (@apolloupdate) August 17, 2022
Their faces are not completely visible in the photo, but both artists had been posting separately about their vacations in Europe. TikTok user @oliviaspina put these posts together to uncover a timeline that seemed to prove the timing was no coincidence—they likely had taken a boat ride together in Italy.
@oliviaaspina collab?? #frankocean #omarapollo #gostreammarfil #greenscreen ♬ original sound – spina
Rumors had also been building after the release of Apollo’s album Ivory in April of this year. Listeners noted that it seemed to be influenced by Frank Ocean’s sound, but some claimed that this was more than homage. On the Like a Virgin podcast, host Fran Tirado shared some insider knowledge of Ocean and Apollo’s alleged relationship.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
“So, when I was driving late at night back from a Coachella party, I was driving home [with] two friends of friends that are from Mexico and they work in the music industry,” they said. “One of them was friends with Omar Apollo, so we were talking about this new album.
“And I was saying, ‘It feels really Frank Ocean-y to me.’ Half of it is very acoustic-y, kind of. Like John Mayer-ish, like, ‘feel good’ vibes. And then some of it gets a little Latin music. And then the rest sounds like Frank Ocean. And I was like, ‘Well, it sounds a lot like Frank Ocean.’ And the guy looks at me and he goes, ‘You know they used to date, right?’ They dated for three years and they broke up and this album, Ivory, is all about Frank.”
When fans are not scouring the internet for proof that Apollo and Ocean are dating, they are torn between celebrating the apparent couple and mourning their own love lives.
I love minding my own business but I am 100% invested in the omar apollo and frank ocean are dating conspiracy
— sir nate (@fvckn8) August 16, 2022
Omar Apollo and Frank Ocean in Italy is givinggggggg Call Me By Your Name the reboot 😭😂
— PALO (@PAULOOROZCO6) August 16, 2022
if frank ocean and omar apollo are together then it’s over for couples everywhere, i‘m sorry. you’re not getting more attractive than that, the power of them both together would be UNMATCHED
— xan (taylor’s version) (@xandoesread) August 18, 2022
nawt omar apollo and frank ocean fucking….when is it my turn to be happy pic.twitter.com/DOdRY38EXG
— ً (@coolhotsexyboy) August 17, 2022
Frank Ocean and Omar Apollo together in Italy😭 can’t believe they’re cheating on me like this
— yahir castro (@yahir__castro) August 16, 2022
Unsurprisingly, Apollo and Ocean have been tight-lipped on the rumor, leaving much to the internet’s imagination. In the meantime, fans can do some sleuthing on their own by listening to Omar Apollo’s Ivory.