Apollo XXI
Apollo XXI (21) is the debut studio album by American musician Steve Lacy. It was released on May 24, 2019, by Three Quarter (3Qtr) and AWAL. It was preceded by the singles "N Side", "Playground", and "Hate CD". Apollo XXI garnered widespread critical acclaim. Named as one of the best releases of 2019, critics praised its originality, cohesiveness and introspective lyricism. Thematically, the album explores Lacy’s sexuality and coming out. Apollo XXI was nominated for Best Urban Contemporary Album at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards, Lacy's first Grammy nomination as a solo artist. Background Lacy started working on the album in 2017, recording in his younger sister's bedroom (which he named Paramore Palace) after she left for college, in between sessions he had with other artists, as well as touring with his band, the Internet. He also stated that he recorded much of the album using other methods than an iPod or iPhone. The song, "Like Me", was written and recorded in July 2017, after a period in which Lacy said he hadn't written any music because of the emotions and fears he had expressing his sexuality. The song features Daisy Hamel-Buffa who says they connected talking about their sexuality