Collins Obinna Chibueze (born May 9, 1995), known professionally as Shaboozey, is an American country music singer, songwriter, and record producer.[1][2] His music combines hip-hop, country, rock, and Americana. His stage name originated from the mispronunciation of his last name, Chibueze - an Igbo word meaning "God is king" - by his high school football coach.[3][4][5]
Following the releases of his first two albums, Lady Wrangler (2018) and Cowboys Live Forever, Outlaws Never Die (2022), Shaboozey gained recognition after featuring on two songs from Beyoncé's album Cowboy Carter (2024). He achieved commercial success with his third album, Where I've Been, Isn't Where I'm Going (2024), and its singles "A Bar Song (Tipsy)" and "Good News"; the former spent nineteen weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100, tying with Lil Nas X's "Old Town Road" as the longest running Hot 100 number-one song of all time.
He made his musical guest debut on Saturday Night Live on December 7, 2024, the eighth episode of Saturday Night Live's 50th season, hosted by Irish actor Paul Mescal. He performs "Good News" and "A Bar Song (Tipsy)".
Early life[]
Chibueze was born in northern Virginia to Nigerian parents and raised in Woodbridge. His stage name is derived from mispronunciations of his surname, meaning "God is king" in Igbo. In his childhood, he was inspired by watching music videos on 106 & Park, as well as his time at a boarding school in Nigeria for junior high.
Career[]
In 2014, Shaboozey released his first single, "Jeff Gordon".[2] That same year, he founded the production company V Picture Films.[8][7] He was signed to Republic Records in 2017 after catching their attention with singles "Starfoxx" and "Robert Plant", and released his debut studio album, Lady Wrangler, the following year.[2] His second studio album, Cowboys Live Forever, Outlaws Never Die, was released in October 2022 through Empire Distribution.[2][9] His third studio album, Where I've Been, Isn't Where I'm Going, was released on May 31, 2024, which he will promote with headlining shows in the US, as well as a slot as an opening act for Jessie Murph on tour.[3] Though his earlier music had more of a trap influence, his later songs have more of a folk-pop sound with acoustic guitar.[5]
Musical style and influences[]
His music combines hip hop, country, rock, and Americana. In an interview with ColorsxStudios, Shaboozey cites the Rolling Stones, Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan, and Led Zeppelin as influences, as well as Martin Scorsese films such as Taxi Driver. Other influences include Fela Kuti, Clipse, Roger Waters, Backstreet Boys, Pharrell Williams, Missy Elliott, Lead Belly, and Johnny Cash.
Discography[]
Studio albums[]
Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US
[11] |
US
Country [12] |
AUS
[13] |
CAN
[14] |
FIN
[15] |
NOR
[16] | |||
Lady Wrangler |
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | |
Cowboys Live Forever, Outlaws Never Die |
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | |
Where I've Been, Isn't Where I'm Going |
|
5 | 2 | 76 | 4 | 34 | 10 |
|
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. |
Singles[]
[edit]
Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US
[22] |
US Country
[23] |
AUS
[24] |
CAN
[25] |
IRE
[26] |
NZ
[27] |
SWE
[28] |
UK
[29] |
WW
[30] | ||||
"Jeff Gordon"[2] | 2014 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles | |
"Starfoxx"[2] | 2017 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
"Winning Streak"[31] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Lady Wrangler | ||
"Robert Plant"[32] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles | ||
"Break the Band (How Could She?)"[33] | 2018 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
"Golden Child"[34] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Lady Wrangler | ||
"Cabelas"[35] | 2019 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles | |
"More"[2] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
"Joan Jett"[2] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
"Prosperity"[2] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
"I Can't Remember My Own Dreams"[2] | 2020 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
"Another Me"[2] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
"Beverley Hills"[2] | 2021 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Cowboys Live Forever, Outlaws Never Die | |
"Tall Boy"[36] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
"Gas!"[37] | 2022 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
"Let It Burn"[38] | 2023 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Where I've Been, Isn't Where I'm Going | |
"Anabelle"[39] | 2024 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
"Vegas"[40] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
"A Bar Song (Tipsy)" | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| ||
"Highway" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
"Good News"[45] | — | — | — | — | — | —[A] | —[B] | —[C] | — | Non-album single | ||
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. |
Other charted songs[]
[edit]
Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US
[22] |
US Country
[23] |
US
R&B /HH [48] |
BRA
[49] |
CAN
[25] |
NZ
Hot [50] |
WW
[30] | |||
"Spaghettii"
(with Beyoncé and Linda Martell) |
2024 | 31 | — | 12 | 65 | 58 | — | 37 | Cowboy Carter |
"Sweet / Honey / Buckiin'"
(with Beyoncé) |
61 | — | 22 | — | 94 | — | 109 | ||
"My Fault"
(featuring Noah Cyrus) |
—[D] | 40 | — | — | — | 23 | — | Where I've Been, Isn't Where I'm Going | |
"Drink Don't Need No Mix"
(featuring BigXthaPlug) |
— | 47 | 45 | — | — | 37 | — | ||
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. |
Awards and nominations[]
Grammy Awards[]
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2025 | Himself | Best New Artist | Pending |
"Spaghettii" (with Beyoncé and Linda Martell) | Best Melodic Rap Performance | Pending | |
"A Bar Song (Tipsy)" | Song of the Year | Pending | |
Best Country Song | Pending | ||
Best Country Solo Performance | Pending |
People's Choice Country Awards[]
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2024 | Himself | New Artist of 2024 | Won |
Where I've Been, Isn't Where I'm Going | Album of 2024 | Nominated | |
"A Bar Song (Tipsy)" | Song of 2024 | Nominated | |
Male Song of 2024 | Nominated | ||
New Artist Song of 2024 | Won | ||
"My Fault" (featuring Noah Cyrus) | Crossover Song of 2024 | Nominated | |
"Let It Burn" | Music Video of 2024 | Nominated |
Country Music Association Awards[]
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2024 | Himself | New Artist of the Year | Nominated |
"A Bar Song (Tipsy)" | Single of the Year | Nominated |
MTV Video Music Awards[]
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2024 | Himself | Best New Artist | Nominated |
"A Bar Song (Tipsy)" | Song of Summer | Nominated |