Meet Luke Apodaca | Luke A. Apodaca | Musician & Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Luke Apodaca and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Luke, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
My pursuit for a creative career was ignited by Frank Ocean’s disappointment at Coachella in 2023. It was a visceral feeling of without that I left with that night. I thought, if people love his art but he can still fail his fans, then I can make art and try to do my fans justice. Even if at a small scale.

That’s when I decided I would make music. It took a few months before I had a conversation with my friend who wants to be a producer, but by October we had created a 5 song ep ‘a la carte’ under my artist name Luke Alexander.

While Frank was the impetus, the overall artistic wave had been building all my life.

Music and books are where I felt most at peace. I was a book worm always trying to escape my childhood in the vast fantasies of YA fiction, and I was lucky enough to have a school district with a robust music program and had been in band from 6th grade all the way to 10th grade, when I switched to Choir and Musicals because I wanted to learn how to sing. I kept up with acapella and choir in university and arranged pieces for my group to sing, but never made my own music.

In terms of poetry, I started writing in high school, especially after watching Sarah Kay’s viral TED Talks. The words and performance of spoken word poetry vibed with my angsty and tortured adolescence. I hated writing essays, but poetry I found made the world make more sense, especially my emotional life. My practice of writing in high school was relegated to when I was compelled to write, meaning something had to have happened in my life or I had to have ‘big feelings’. I picked up pace when I went to University as my emotional life felt like it was spiraling out of control and took creative poetry writing classes my senior year and absolutely loved working on my poetry.

You think the pandemic would have convinced me to start a creative career but I graduated into the pandemic and had undiagnosed ADD. This combination left me rudderless and a lot of aspiration or dreams the boy previous had evaporated in 2020. I was toiling and left to my own devices, writing poetry and songs but never with the intention of sharing them.

It wasn’t until 2023 when my team was laid off (I was working as a technical recruiter) and I looked at my life and realized that I didn’t really have a life outside of work except for my friends. No love life. No grand trajectory except to try and get to a certain salary point where I wasn’t struggling. I had a sense of relief, though, and realized I needed to rest. Also my grandmother was in the hospital and my family needed my help. These life changes all seemed to be happening for a reason. So I left LA after 7 years and went back home in October of 2023.

While I had started working on the EP before the layoff, My poetry book (‘There Was a Boy’) came out of left field when I got an Instagram ad for the Community Literature Initiative (CLI), a program that helps marginalized groups produce a poetry or children’s book manuscript by the end of 2 semesters. I applied and got in. I was going to produce a book and this program was my way of committing myself to writing everyday and honing my craft while I ventured forth into the next part of my life.

There is a simple answer to why I am pursuing a creative career: I feel the need to heal others through my art. I want to commiserate with people by entertaining them or making them feel. Build community. The self-involved answer is that I also want to feel understood, or in conversation, and that will venerate the boy that was, the ‘Luke who lived’. I don’t want to feel alone anymore. Furthermore, I want to be good at art. An artistic career insinuates putting your work out there, whereas before, I was just an artist in my lonesome. Now I’m looking for people to tell me my poetry and music is trite and where I should work on it (haha).

The long answer is because of Frank Ocean, my school district’s music program, my home life, Sarah Kay’s TED Talks, a boy, my University acapella group, undiagnosed ADD that has been diagnosed, a layoff, CLI, and because I want to be an artist.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Professionally, my artistic career is budding. “Doing it yourself” is difficult, but I’m learning more and more how to put myself out there. I need to get a handle on self-promotion and believe that my art and I deserve to spread. It’s an ongoing process for sure.

After releasing my EP ‘a la carte’ last November, I had plans to make more media and market it, but then my grandmother died and I went to the Philippines for six weeks. I told my producer friend that I needed time. I came back and we had the funeral. Then I had to help my immediate family with the aftermath of losing my grandmother. Once everything started to settle down, I realized I needed more time for myself, to both relax and discern how to proceed with the next part of my life.

Now it’s the end of July and I have to start looking for jobs that will allow me to support myself and my creative life. I have to send ‘There Was a Boy’ out to publishers, then decide if traditional publishing or self-publishing is for ‘There Was a Boy’ (I would much prefer having a press help me out, but timeline is important when deciding if I want this out ‘now now now’, or I can wait a year or three before it even touches audience hands). I have to contact my producer to ask if he’s available and ready to approach the next slew of songs I’ve written (which is so exciting because I learned guitar and I’m very confident in this next project–I feel like my song writing has matured after completing my collection). And I’m also currently writing my next shorter collection of poetry and have started embarking on a novel.

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I like to think what makes people gravitate to my poetry is its visceral quality and aesthetic quality. I try to hold truth as the highest order when I’m making my poems, especially if they reflect my life, and especially if I’m trying to relay an emotion that’s haunting me. Hold nothing back (unless it hurts someone, then maybe change a name or some details). I want truth to be felt from the specific poem or song, so it’s always an intentional image, or phrase, and the choice of providing a high definition experience (which I usually try to do, especially for grief, trauma, and sensuality) versus an opaque effusive experience (which also has its place for emotions or situations that are indefinite).

There’s also the aesthetic choices I make for my poetry. I take a wholistic approach to my poems as a musician and a person who sees and a person who speaks, I try to account for rhythm and sonic qualities as well as the visual paper or digital spacing qualities. I haven’t gone as far as to make a literal picture out of a poem, but I think about the adventure a reader takes with their eyes and ears and mouth when making my decisions, and usually go with at least what I find to be pleasurable or lends itself most to truth.

In terms of my music, I’m currently embarking on a more ‘singer songwriter with their guitar or piano vibe’ for song creation, which I’m super excited about. For my ep ‘a la carte’, last year we were making music because we wanted to make music and I was barely just learning about what I wanted to say then. Now I feel like I have a strong message for my next project and a better musical vision as well. Not to say it’s going to be ‘acoustic’, but I think it will have a stronger foundation for sure. This collection will be more cohesive and work together, not so much a la carte, but a menu or a course.

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I’m most proud of my book right now.

‘There Was a Boy’ was a highly cathartic adventure for me to embark on. It was the rollercoaster transformation from “I’ll make a book one day” to “I am working on a book” to “I have completed a book” to now “I need to pitch my book to publishers”. The collection is 26 years of poetry, almost perfectly chronological. It is my coming of age story, a memoir, but also includes fictional poetry to match my emotion of the moment about dreams, magic, and epic battles. I fumble with my adhd and a boy, and try to find myself in the process.

I’m excited for when people read it. I hope it finds it’s audience, which I would say is young adult. The umbrellas go further, BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and the kids who are readers wishing on their stars for love and get really stressed out about their firsts. I hope my story helps commiserate or provides a place of learning or conversation on love, grief, and belonging.

I hope that there are certain poems in the collection some person who loves words will cherish and repeat to themselves in their daily life. I hope there’s something in my book that gives courage.

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In terms of more challenges, CLI (Community Literature Initiative) really helped me push my book out into a tangible product. I had no idea the process of creating a manuscript or the possibilities or know-hows within poetry publishing or publishing in general. They were instrumental in providing knowledge, workshop, and community. Without them I would still be dreaming about having a book one day rather than really putting the pedal to the metal and doing the dang thing.

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Three lessons I’ve learned from the book and my music:

1. The time is now.
2. Closed mouths don’t get fed.
3. Hold nothing back.

The time is now, not later. Someone now can be affected by your art and that should motivate you to move yourself further when you don’t feel at the top of your game. Also, for life. The time is usually always now. Say yes. Do a thing that makes you feel alive. Live now, not later. Plans always change and that’s always fine, but don’t sit around waiting for the world to happen. “You make the world happen”.

Closed mouths don’t get fed. This one I’m still learning to exemplify. It’s scary to ask, always, I feel. Especially from strangers. Especially when you are asking someone to believe in you. But the ask is important, or else nothing happens.

Hold nothing back. Bring your full self to all that you create and everyone you interact with. Don’t be afraid of your art or yourself. The most authentic ‘you’ is the one that people want, even if that person is multi-faceted and contains multitudes, bring your whole self and nothing but it.

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About me as an artist for the world:
-has a lot to bring and excited about it
-hopes one day to be a prolific writer and touring musical artist
-consistently trying to level up
-had a lot of struggles but it gets better the more you choose moving forward
-a little scared but excited about what comes next.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
This is not an exhaustive list, but it is one of my favorite lists:

Bottomless brunch at Bacari (any of them but I really like Silver Lake and 3rd street)

Lunch or Dinner at Yama Sushi (it’s the cheapest best sushi you’ll ever get)

AYCE KBBQ at Hae Jang Chon with Bingsoo afterwards at Oakobing

UOVO for a great pasta tasting menu that feels worth the price

A nice juicy burger at Wally’s with a cheaper wine pairing that still tastes good

Master Ha’s for raw marinated crab

San Pedro Fish Market for a fish platter

Boba at Sunright

Sawtelle for some really good asian food on the west side (love me Tsujita Annex)

Dan Sung Sa (bar with amazing ambiance and food, definitely an ifykyk)

Pick Your Plate filipino food

BSweet Dessert Bar

Watch a movie at Westfield Century City AMC, walk around Eataly, get a drink at Terra and eat at Din Tai Fung, Haidilao, or Meizhou Dongpo. (They have an Escape Room that’s really fun too). Also the Brique Toast shop. SO GOOD.

Go to get Brunch at Lady Byrd, check out local bakeries, then go do Swan Boats in Echo Park

Karaoke in Ktown

LACMA, MOCA, and the Getty, and the Getty Villa

WeHo nightlife

Speakeasies (Lock and Key), or small local bars like Mom’s in Santa Monica

(Taco trucks at night)

Round One Arcade in Burbank

A hike at Griffiith’s then a trip to the Observatory
A hike at Will Rodger’s
A hike further over in Malibu

Bike ride through Venice, Santa Monica, to Malibu, and back

A show at the Forum, at the Wiltern, at Crypto, and my favorite at the Greek Theatre

A convention center event like Comic Con or Anime Convention

EDM events in the warehouse district

Music Festivals (ex. Head in the Clouds, Primavera, and Hard Summer)

Swimming at any beach (Santa Monica pier once but then further down where it’s more private and parking is free)

Venice Beach for an evening

Night Beach vibes in Malibu

Bonfires at Dockweiler

Walk around UCLA and watch the sunset at Janss Steps (Botanical Gardens too *heart eyes*)

Thrifting all over LA

Walk through Hollywood

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I place a large amount of my success and happiness on the great friendships I’ve formed. They deserve recognition in propelling me further in my journey.

My Best Friend Myca. I feature a poem in my manuscript that she wrote in response for me that impacted me greatly. She’s the one who gets all the gory details of my life ever since we met in Middle School.

My best guy friend Connor, to which I would offer him best man if I was forced to have a best ‘man’ in my wedding.

My college best friends:
-Noni for literally being such a great partner in crime (ex. napping, reading tons of manga, and doing photoshoots)
-Citlalith, for being there as we both try to navigate our twenties.
-Ginny, for being the best co-president and pandemic buddy and life buddy.
-Serena, for being the best week one university trauma bond forever friendship there could possibly be.
-Shana, for being my forever neighbor.
-Gillian, for reminding me what feeling loved felt like.
-Morgan, from going from elementary school to all of University together, meaning we will never stop rooting for each other.
-Sheila, for being my main club swim friend and proof that if you vibe and put work into a friendship it can work even if the orbits don’t intersect often.

My LA roommate family–my Wrekcluses–Amy and Marianne (their boyfriends too). We’ve done so much living together, I can’t not be there for you both forever.

Gabi, Kiana, Angel (the rest of the OG squad).

Taylor, Katie, Suanna and Katrina for being my slightly younger ‘in the know’ great friends that keep me feeling young and lively.

Jesse Brandt, my producer and friend from acapella.

My family for not giving up on being a family. My Nana for being my great supporter. My pets. My mom & dad & brother.

Margaret Garcia, my professor from CLI who instilled in me a confidence in my ability to be great at poetry. My CLI TA, Crystal Reyes for being so supportive and a great ally to my art and subjects. And CLI for being a resource to propel me further into the book production industry. I credit you for holding my hand to finishing my first book.

Honorable mentions:

My ex-coworkers, esp Andrew, the best boss I could ask for, Liz, who taught me how to live better, and my work wife, Jackie.

Henry, my newest bird of a feather.

My creative writing professors and music professors: Harryette Mullen, Fred D’aguiar, Brian Kim, James Bass, Sorber, Tackett.

English teachers: Patton and Moore for assigning poetry projects. Jarocki for letting me know I was extraordinary when I thought my story was ordinary; and for creating the ‘Apodaca’ term, which refers to artful, dense, and, at times, convoluted writing that I think was at least insightful for a high schooler at that age and was useful to pass the AP exam.

The boy.

Instagram: lkalxndr

Youtube: LukeAlxndr

Other: https://lnk.bio/lukealexander (has my spotify and apple music links for the ep)