Interview with Shaboozey, the new prince of country: “Beyoncé sent flowers to my mum”

Shaboozey’s meteoric rise, from Beyoncé to a historic record and the Grammy Awards…

2024 was definitely his year. For American rapper and singer Collins Obinna Chibueze, aka Shaboozey, the year started with the release of Beyoncé’s album Cowboy Carter, on which he collaborated. A brilliant political tribute to the black icons of country music, who are (too) often neglected by the industry. Beyoncé’s first single, Texas Hold’ Em, was at the top of the charts on the other side of the Atlantic, before being overthrown by A Bar Song (Tipsy), the fourth single extracted from Shaboozey’s record Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going.

His song went down in the history books of the prestigious Billboard Hot 100, becoming the longest-running track at the top of the chart – 19 weeks in total – just like Lil Nas X’s hit Old Town Road. It even was the most listened-to song in the United States in 2024, an extremely rare feat for a country song. Shaboozey’s career then reached new heights since the 29-year-old artist made a clean sweep at the Grammy Awards and Country Music Awards, and performed on prestigious stages that used to be out of his reach…

His European tour took him to Paris, where he performed at the Trianon on March 7th, 2025. Numéro took that opportunity to meet the charismatic Shaboozey, contemporary country music’s best hope, who opens up a whole new world of possibilities for a genre that struggles to renew itself.

Interview with Shaboozey

Numéro : You performed at the Trianon in Paris. Is it your first time in the French capital?
Shaboozey : No it isn’t, but it doesn’t mean that I’m any less excited to be here! I want to do some shopping… Unfortunately, I missed the Acne Studios show, even though I wanted to have a look…

2024 was quite a hectic year for you. Did you get some time to rest a little?
I was able to take two weeks off! It allowed me to slow things down a bit. I stayed home in Virginia, without moving for a few days… I definitely wouldn’t call myself a workaholic, I miss doing nothing.

You have recently made history with your song A Bar Song (Tipsy), which has become the longest-running track at the top of the prestigious Billboard Hot 100…
I don’t think any artist can really expect that kind of success. An attitude like that would definitely change his relationship with music. It felt a bit crazy to walk down the street and say to myself: “Wow, I’ve managed to do that!” It’s the climax of ten years of hard work, three previous albums and a couple of changes in labels. I’ve managed to create something thanks to people I trust and enjoy spending time with, and it has paid off. I can’t even remember where I was when the song went to number 1! [Laughs.] I think I was at the White Party hosted by Michael Rubin – again, a pretty wild experience – or at the BET Awards perhaps…

“Beyoncé sent flowers to my mum.” Shaboozey

For you, 2024 started with two collaborations with Beyoncé on her album Cowboy Carter. How did it go?
It was great! Growing up, I was a huge fan of hers. Plus, she’s a true pop culture icon. She shaped all our childhoods, including mine, but also those of all the women around me, like my cousins. So to be able to collaborate with Beyoncé was a way to make my family proud, to show them that I could be a source of inspiration. I really love Beyoncé. The funny thing is that we don’t have each other’s phone numbers, but we exchange gifts. It’s our way of communicating, through gifts and kind words. When I was at the Grammy Awards this year, she sent flowers to my mum and we gave her something in return.

On Spaghettii, one of the featurings, you also collaborate with Linda Martell, a country music pioneer who was shunned by the industry and met with many racist behaviours at the time. In what ways does she inspire you?
The feeling is the same, I’m so grateful I was able to work with her. And believe it or not, I started writing a film about Linda Martell a few years ago. Look, on the 17th of July 2022, I wrote down a few things about it [Shaboozey searches through his Notes app for a moment]: “It would be a biopic about Linda Martell, opening with a woman on her way to work through the city in the Deep South of the United States. One can get a sense of the social divide and hardship faced by African Americans in the segregated South. People are walking towards a train station.” When I think that I wrote that three years ago!

“I recognized myself in Timothée Chalamet’s speech about wanting to be one of the greats at the SAG Awards.” Shaboozey

Who do you see in the cast of that biopic? Do you have any favourite actors?
Timothée Chalamet! He really gave a great speech at the SAG Awards where he explained he wanted “to be one of the greats.” I think so many artists can recognise themselves in these words. I did recognize myself in them. He didn’t win anything at the Academy Awards, just as I didn’t win anything at the Grammy Awards. Yet, it didn’t prevent me from continuing to believe in a bright future for myself.

Regarding actresses, who would you consider for the role of Linda Martell?
Beyoncé, of course! [Laughs.] It’s funny because I came across Linda Martell’s story by chance. One of my DJ friends from Nashville introduced me to her work a few years ago and I just fell in love with it. A few years later, Beyoncé invited me to collaborate on a musical project celebrating the black icons of country music and I got to work with Linda. It’s insane! There aren’t that many black artists who have made it with country music. There are Charley Pride, Linda Martell and Darius Rucker, whose careers are a bit more recent. But the numbers are small compared to those of non-African American country artists.

“There aren’t that many black artists who have made it in country music.” Shaboozey

Country is a music genre that has long been hostile to highlighting black artists. Do you feel that the tide is finally turning in the industry?
I wouldn’t say anything is changing per se. I just think that with the arrival of the Internet and the freedom it gives to artists to share any kind of music, more and more people have access to a certain amount of visibility. As a result, the number of people who have access to country music is growing. More and more artists are daring to take on country music’s key themes and celebrate its heritage. For a number of them, it’s simply a return to their roots, as they hail from the states that cradled country music. For instance, Quavo sometimes claims to be a country boy, because he comes from Georgia, like Luke Bryan and Teddy Swims.

What future do you see for country music?
That’s a good question! Country music is deeply rooted in so many different traditions. To me, the next logical step is making the aesthetic of the genre evolve, while staying true to its roots. Then, people living outside the US will make country music as well. I think that’s going to be the biggest shift that drives the genre and it’s a pretty exciting prospect. There was a time when a lot of artists would make country music. The Rolling Stones took over the genre for a while! So yes, I’d like to see what British and French country and folk songs would sound like.

“I was inspired by the spirit of comradeship that binded outlaws together!” Shaboozey

Your first album, Lady Wrangler (2018), contained more trap sounds. In contrast, your latest album, Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going (2024), is tinged with more country melodies. How and why did you decide to operate this shift?
There came a time when I began to see synergies between these two musical genres. I realised that a lot of the stories told in trap music were very similar to the stories of outlaws by Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson and Marty Robbins. Even more recently, artists like Colter Wall talk about outlaws, about people who live underground and have found other ways of life to survive. Looking at these role models, like those portrayed in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) and Once Upon a Time in the West (1968), I was inspired by the spirit of comradeship that binded these outlaws together, which I also found in trap music. Rather than seeing them as complete opposites, I preferred to see the similarities between these two spheres and multiply the references to marginalised people like Jesse James, Billy the Kid or the characters in the film The Wild Bunch (1969).

Are you afraid of being limited to country music?
Yes and no. I would sometimes feel like I had to get bogged down in one single genre. But as I evolve, I realise that people don’t see me as a country artist only. I can make any kind of song and tell any kind of story. My audience is starting to get to know me, to see the breadth of my work, to see me for who I really am. And I think they’d be open to me exploring other horizons now that they’re following me!

Speaking of where you grew up, Virginia is often described as a musical crossroads with artists from the trap and hip-hop scene, like Pharrell Williams and Missy Elliott, but also from genres like country and Americana. Is this mix of genres important to your music?
Absolutely. My music is the sum of all my experiences, all the things that I’ve discovered and been through, things I’ve learned here and there in my neighbourhood in Virginia, in my past relationships… So, it’s natural for me to colour my music with influences from my home state.

You were born in Virginia to Nigerian parents. What kind of musical upbringing did you have?
I listened to everything, to be honest! My parents weren’t into music that much, they didn’t put much emphasis on musical education. Of course, there were the songs playing on the radio and on television… But it was an area that remained in the background. The question of financial stability was very important to them when I was younger. My parents wanted me to go into more prestigious careers, like being a doctor, a lawyer, or an engineer… They never forced these careers onto me, but the expectation was there. Once I realised that I could make a living doing music, I dedicated myself to it a bit more seriously…

“My first job was selling clothes I’d found in thrift shops.” Shaboozey

Country is trending in music, but also on the runway. What is your relationship with fashion?
I’ve always been interested in fashion. I started thrifting second-hand clothes with my sister, who’s always been a fashionista, when I was in high school. My mother likes to dress up too! Every time she comes to a concert, she wears turquoise, cowboy boots and a hat. You would think that she has a regular stylist, but she does it all by herself. Then, when I went to the thrift shops in my region, I saw a lot of western clothes on the shelves, like Wrangler jeans, cowboy boots and Nascar jackets. These clothes would pile up in my wardrobe, so I would sell them. It was my first job as a matter of fact! [Laughs.] I think it was an experience that fostered my interest in fashion. I could randomly pick up a T-shirt and see the story and meaning behind it.

How would you describe your style?
These days, I wear a lot of Balenciaga because I can afford it now! [Laughs.] But I love what Acne Studios does as well. I don’t know a lot of designers but I think they’re a bit like me. They also draw their inspiration from so many different places, spheres and cultures.

“Owning your own tracks means being able to stand up for yourself as an artist.” Shaboozey

In 2014, you created your own production company. You also produce your own music videos. Is this important to you?
Owning my own artistic productions has always been important to me. Artists are a bit like entrepreneurs, they’re part of a real industry, all with their respective talents and creativity. So, owning your own tracks means being able to stand up for yourself as an artist. It also means having the freedom to give opportunities to people who don’t have the network required to be able to tell their own stories.

You dreamt of becoming a novelist before you got into music. Could you tell us a bit more about your writing process?
Through my music, I like to talk about where I come from, about what I’m able to achieve today that wasn’t within my grasp before. My writing process is simply about paying attention to what’s happening around me. I think I can find inspiration in just about anything and everything. For example, I wrote a novel based on something I read about a French painter. A banker, a student, a painter, a hotel concierge… The stories I like to tell can come out of the most random things in life. You just have to pay attention to these types of stories to be able to tell them…

Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going (2024) by Shaboozey, available now. Live concert at the Lollapalooza Festival, Paris, July 15th, 2025.

Traduction Emma Naroumbo Armaing.