The Return of the Alter Ego
By now, most of us have heard of Mr. Fantasy and his 60s and 70s-inspired style. If you haven’t, he’s a new artist who has quickly risen to stardom. He’s quirky, giggles mid-sentence, has shoulder-length hair and bangs, and does silly impressions. And—oh, right—he’s KJ Apa.
He started gaining attention when fans scrolling through TikTok and Instagram Reels realized the man on their screen looked familiar. The award-winning actor has a recognizable face even under a wig and prosthetic teeth.
Many fans started speculating that the entire account for Mr. Fantasy was marketing for Apa’s next acting project.
However, Mr. Fantasy later posted a video on September 1st, saying in a British accent, “It’s not for a bloody movie, is it? What movie would this actually be for? I’m not a bloody actor, am I? Although I could be. I’m a musician.”
Mr. Fantasy has been working on his music with someone named John, who is frequently mentioned in his social media posts. In August, he shared a photo of two shadowy figures — noticeably him and, presumably, John — with the caption: “This is my new friend/employee John. He will be helping me on my adventure to stardom.”
Since Mr. Fantasy has never posted what John looks like or tagged him, his identity has remained a mystery. However, it may be safe to assume John is John Owen Lowe, son of actor Rob Lowe, as he is credited as a songwriter and keyboard player on the debut single.
When Teen Vogue reached out to John, he responded, “I don’t know who this KJ Apa guy is,” and said he only represents Mr. Fantasy.
It is clear that Mr. Fantasy has rejected all notions of him being connected to Apa. His debut self-titled pop single, “Mr. Fantasy,” was released on September 2nd. With how random and shocking people found this account to be, the song has gone viral on various social media platforms, with people eager to discuss the mysterious new persona.
The question on everyone’s mind is, are alter egos back?
Celebrities last had viral alter ego moments when Beyoncé invented Sasha Fierce, Lady Gaga had Jo Calderone, and Nicki Minaj had Roman Zolanski. Of course, there had been more along the way in the music industry, but not many that truly stayed ingrained in our brains.
Reasons for creating alter egos vary. Some artists have stated they needed to push artistic boundaries, while others just needed the confidence they couldn’t attain while being their regular selves.
So, why did KJ Apa create Mr. Fantasy?
That remains to be seen. Could it be to explore his music career without risking his acting career? It’s hard to reinvent yourself in the Hollywood spotlight with everyone already knowing who you are. Inventing a whole new person may be the shortcut to creative freedom.
It’s like starting with a blank canvas. You get to escape the rumors and the tabloids of your everyday life and become whoever you want. More confident, outspoken, sillier, masculine, feminine, and fashionable.
Maybe that’s the whole point. Mr. Fantasy isn’t just a gimmick or a joke; he’s a reminder that reinvention can be liberating, even in an industry that rarely lets people change. He’s creating hit singles and having fun doing it.
In a world obsessed with authenticity, maybe the most authentic thing an artist can do is pretend to be someone else.
Strike out,
Sol Moyano
Boca Raton
Sol Moyano is a content writer for Strike Magazine Boca. When she’s not busy writing, she’s ignoring all of her responsibilities in favor of reading fiction novels. She updates her Goodreads and Letterboxd way more often than her LinkedIn. You can reach her at solmoyano05@hotmail.com or her instagram: @solmoyanooo.
