Omarion became a verb in 2019.
The R&B singer, who’s about to start rehearsals for his revamped Millennium Tour, is now synonymous with extreme levels of being unbothered. Omarion now means peace; the name is the embodiment of being a mix of nonchalant, unworried, and unnerved with a dash of petty and a heap of strategy. For many, their 2020 resolutions were to “Keep Calm and Omarion.”
And when the 35-year-old father of two breezed into ESSENCE headquarters last week, you could feel it in his energy. It was the same peace we all noticed during last year’s headlines when the mother of his children, Apryl Jones, began dating his group-mate, Lil Fizz. The two are now rumored to have broken up. And although we all expected the former Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood star to give creator Mona Scott Young a great scene in her never ending melodrama, instead Omarion kept cool and kept fans guessing how he really felt.
We only got a hint when the Inglewood native announced in late November 32 more dates for the Millennium Tour, which grossed more than $5 million on its first leg, without his group B2K. Instead, they were replaced with another frequent collaborator, Bow Wow. The duo are set to celebrate their 2007 collaborative album, Face Off, when fans see them onstage later this year. Ashanti, Soulja Boy and Sammie are also joining the guys this time when the tour kicks off February 29 along with previous acts, Pretty Ricky, Lloyd, and Ying Yang Twins.
The shake up was all revealed on Fizz’s birthday no less with another group-mate, J Boog, hopping on Instagram to confirm Fizz “ruined everything.”
Omarion avoided explaining why B2K isn’t on this leg of the tour when asked directly, but did say this about it.
“I really wanted to give the fans what they’ve always wanted—that was to see us back together,” he said, adding that it was amazing for his two young children, 3-year-old daughter, A’mei, and 5-year-old son, Megaa, to be “able to see their dad…in his glory.”
“That was the real purpose,” he said.
Omarion said it’s “so cool” to be applauded for side-stepping the drama, which also played out on the latest season of Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood. The “Post To Be” singer admitted there were times he wanted to turn up, but held back.
“I could be acting a damn fool right now, but is that the best thing to do?” he asked, rhetorically. “When you self-reflect and you get the opportunity to [say], ‘OK. I could go that far, but where’s the best place for me to be?”
I could be acting a damn fool right now, but is that the best thing to do?
Omarion
“I saw how far I could take it,” he added, hinting at a possible clap back, “[but] when you’re a serious person like me you have to consider all things.”
Omarion said thinking of his two young children didn’t make any retaliation worth it.
“Of course having children and just keeping that in perspective and knowing that it’s not all about you that really helped me just maintain my position,” he explained. “You just have to know yourself well enough to know what’s important. And when you do that, things just don’t get in your way. You don’t allow them to.”
“My kids have really brought me into maturity on another level and I really appreciate them for that,” O added.
With the lineup set, everyone hired, the stage mock ups completed and rehearsals kicking off, Omarion said his tour, which is much like a “memories museum,” is about “continuing to show people that you’ve got to keep going.” Momentum is important for the singer, who teamed up with songwriter-producer James Fauntleroy for his forthcoming album titled Passport.
“We are looking forward,” he added.