Hot 100
âFor âA Bar Songâ to still be doing what itâs doing is insane,â an awestruck Shaboozey told Billboard in November about his breakout songâs then-16-week-long run atop the Billboard Hot 100. â[Itâs] crazy how much the song carried on its own. We donât even do anything and itâs like, âHey, youâre aiming for a 17th week now!â â
Of course, monthslong No. 1 smashes donât just happen on their own â but âA Bar Song (Tipsy),â which has achieved 19 weeks at No. 1, wasnât the only country single to reach the peak this year. Between Post Maloneâs Morgan Wallen-assisted âI Had Some Help,â BeyoncĂ©âs âTexas Hold âEmâ and Wallenâs own âLove Somebody,â country has topped Billboardâs all-genre singles chart more than any other genre this year. Shaboozeyâs and Post Maloneâs smashes are the only 2024 releases to log more than three weeks atop the chart â a notable feat, considering that the former is a country newcomer and the latter is a pop/hip-hop crossover star.
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âI Had Some Help,â which arrived in April and debuted atop the Hot 100, marked the first major release of Post Maloneâs country music foray, which Grammy Award-nominated producer Louis Bell describes as a ânatural transitionâ from the singer-songwriter space of the artistâs 2023 Austin album. âWe want each project to flow into the next,â he tells Billboard.
Postyâs pop-country jam started with massive streams and sales, perfectly setting the stage for the arrival of the album F-1 Trillion, which opened in the penthouse of the Billboard 200 (dated Aug. 31) with 250,000 units, according to Luminate. All 18 songs from the albumâs standard edition reached the Hot 100, including 15 collaborations with country powerhouses like Dolly Parton, Brad Paisley and Chris Stapleton â a testament to the Nashville goodwill that the Grammy-nominated pop star had accrued during his formal entry into the country space.
Historically, country music has been vigilant about newcomers immersing themselves in the genreâs roots, and Post got his boots dirty to prove his bona fides. He and Bell, who co-produced every track on F-1Â Trillion, began working on it in November 2023 in Nashville right before the Country Music Association (CMA) Awards â foreshadowing the four nods that âIÂ Had Some Helpâ would earn at the awards show the following year.
The two collaborators worked on the first few songs of the F-1Â Trillion sessions with country superstar Luke Combs. âPost started saying that it [made] sense to collaborate on a lot of these records because he wanted to show Nashville how much he loves country and shine a light on the people who are in the city that inspired him,â Bell explains. âThat was always the vision from the top down.â By inviting Nashville heavyweights such as Tim McGraw to collaborate in person, Post made sure that âword spread pretty quickly of how legitimate [he] was and how much he knew about the genre.â
To fully transition into the new style, he and Bell also implemented a new approach to their creative process: mulling over stories and concepts at the onset of a session instead of building out beats and melodies they had already been tinkering with.
The month before âIÂ Had Some Help,â Post covered Hank Williams at Nashvilleâs iconic Ryman Auditorium, and in the months following the songâs release, he performed his first songwriterâs round at the Bluebird Cafe, played a set of classic country covers at Stagecoach 2024, made his Grand Ole Opry debut and brought out Blake Shelton as a surprise guest at his first-ever stadium show.
While Posty had to overcome his pop profile in his quest for crossover success, Shaboozey, a newcomer to the mainstream, had to establish who he was. âA Bar Song (Tipsy)â served as the fourth single â but was the first to get a radio push â from his third studio album, Where Iâve Been Isnât Where Iâm Going, which topped the Folk Albums and Independent Albums charts. With no major country collaborators, Shaboozeyâs project didnât come with the overt approval of the Nashville establishment â but it did arrive on the back of two appearances on BeyoncĂ©âs Cowboy Carter in March, helping to spur eye-popping early consumption for âA Bar Song (Tipsy),â now nominated three times over at the 2025 Grammys ceremony.
âIt was a bit of a fast and furious [situation],â says Heather Vassar, EMPIRE senior vp of operations, Nashville. Country radio programmers âwere already familiar with Shaboozeyâs name, but we had a very global, multiformat approach. When we decided to launch at country radio, we made sure they understood him and the whole project. The more authentic conversations we had, the more receptive theyâve become, and theyâve been incredible.â
Harnessing the power of his interpolation of J-Kwonâs 2004 Hot 100 No. 2 hip-hop smash, âTipsy,â Shaboozey was able to expand the reach of âA Bar Song (Tipsy)â and tap into more diverse segments of countryâs listenership. The trackâs whistling instrumentation kept it squarely in the country genre, while its rap-sung flow and Birkin name-check kept it accessible for hip-hop and top 40 audiences â and those who had been newly corralled into the post-Cowboy Carter country wave. Shaboozey also made his Nashville rounds, playing The Nashville East and Spotify House at CMA Fest.
âThe beauty of our country ecosystem â outside of select playlists â is that genre lines have been less of a concern,â Spotify country editor Claire Heinichen says. âPop-country was the dominant subgenre for most of the 2010s. We knew the audience would really resonate with [these] songs. The data spoke for itself.â
It will be difficult for country songs to replicate the Hot 100 dominance of âI Had Some Helpâ and âA Bar Song (Tipsy)â without the boost of 2024âs larger paradigm shift. Yet Postyâs emphasis on adhering to country traditionalism and Shaboozeyâs plays to more underserved country music listeners provide equally strong blueprints for future crossover hits.
This story appears in the Dec. 14, 2024, issue of Billboard.
Prior to 2024, Sabrina Carpenter had spent most of her career trying to score a crossover pop hit. Following her years as a Disney Channel star and recording artist on the Disney-owned Hollywood Records in the 2010s, she transitioned from younger-skewing tunes to pop that targeted adult listeners; her 2022 album, Emails I Canât Send, didnât produce any hits upon its release, but the albumâs âNonsenseâ belatedly turned into a viral smash, and âFeather,â from its deluxe edition, became Carpenterâs first top 40 entry on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 21.
Those singles hinted at a breakthrough moment for Carpenter â and in 2024, the floodgates opened. She earned her first No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with her sixth album, Short nâ Sweet; headlined her first arena shows; and earned her first Grammy nominations, including in album, record and song of the year and best new artist. Yet the songs that became her sought-after smashes werenât just her first Hot 100 top 10s â they remained in the upper tier for long enough to make chart history.
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From the Hot 100 charts dated Sept. 7 through Oct. 26, Carpenter boasted three songs â âEspresso,â âPlease Please Pleaseâ and âTasteâ â in the top 10, making her the first artist this decade to score a run of as many as eight weeks with at least three simultaneous top 10s on the chart. Although a few artists, including 50 Cent and Drake, have juggled three songs in the top 10 for more than eight weeks, only Carpenter, The Beatles and Justin Bieber have done so as solo-billed acts. And Carpenter now owns the longest such streak among women, surpassing Cardi B, who had three concurrent top 10s for four weeks in 2018.
Alex Tear, vp of music programming at SiriusXM and Pandora, says that, between a significant longtime fan base and the momentum leading up to 2024, Carpenter was always primed for a major year. âThe audience appetite is amazing,â he says. âShe really came into focus with the masses, but she had her Disney audience. When she was on Hollywood Records 10 years ago, she was grinding, she had a loyal following, she had a great presence and she was strong onstage.â
While songs like âNonsenseâ and âFeatherâ didnât become inescapable, both turned into slow-growing hits that introduced Carpenterâs melodic instincts and tongue-in-cheek wordplay to radio listeners and swelling audiences. Before âEspressoâ made its live debut at Coachella, for instance, fans flocked to see how Carpenter was going to end âNonsenseâ during her set, since she had been flooding TikTok feeds with her customized, often R-Ârated outros in concert.
âHer musicality and personality blow me away every time that we work together,â Amy Allen, who co-wrote every song on Short nâ Sweet (and is now nominated for the songwriter of the year, non-classical Grammy), told Billboard in August. Island Records vp of A&R Jackie Winkler told Billboard earlier this year, âAt the core, the music Sabrina makes is perfectly reflective of who she is as a person, and all the quirks and character are what give her such a strong musical identity.â
That identity was on full display with âEspresso,â which zoomed into the top 10 upon its April release and peaked at No. 3, and continued with âPlease Please Please,â which became Carpenterâs first Hot 100 chart-topper in June. When Short nâ Sweet arrived in August, opener âTasteâ was positioned as an immediate standout (with a music video co-starring Jenna Ortega) and has climbed to No. 2.
Tear notes that the timing of those releases helped let each one breathe as a focus track and gave listeners time to latch onto their hooks before Carpenter presented another mainstream offering. And as the songs lingered in the top 10 for weeks, their respective sounds â with âEspressoâ as her summer-ready synth-pop confection, âPlease Please Pleaseâ her glittery alt-country riff and âTasteâ her guitar-heavy â80s pop anthem â were different enough to help her avoid oversaturation on streaming playlists and in radio blocks.
âEspressoâ and âPlease Please Pleaseâ have both topped the Pop Airplay chart, while âTasteâ is still climbing, peaking at No. 3 so far. âPop channels can kill a song by playing it over and over again,â Tear says. âI really like the fact that we have multiple choices that are very popular with our audience, that we can alternate with, therefore diminishing burn [and] giving a better variety of Sabrina.â
The trio of singles settled into the top 10 of the Hot 100 just as Carpenter kicked off her Short nâ Sweet tour in September, performing all three hits to arena audiences and reposting fan videos from the shows. And multiple hits were highlighted when the Grammy nominations were announced Nov. 8: âEspressoâ scored a record of the year nod while âPlease Please Pleaseâ will compete for song of the year.
The 2025 Grammys ceremony will showcase Carpenterâs immense 2024, but donât expect her run of hits to dry up as the calendar flips. As the Short nâ Sweet tour is set to continue in Europe in March, âBed Chem,â a sensual rhythmic pop track from the album, may also reach a new Hot 100 peak, as the song has climbed to No. 30 on the chart.
âI donât know how many albums come out where you can go, âOK, this is five or six [hits] deep,â â Tear says. âItâs not going anywhere.â
This story appears in the Dec. 14, 2024, issue of Billboard.
Mustard is celebrating a major Billboard Hot 100 accomplishment. Seven of the tracks off Kendrick Lamarâs surprise album GNX hit the top 10 of the all-genre songs chart this week, two of which were produced by Mustard â âTV Offâ and âHey Nowâ featuring Dody6, which hit No. 2 and 5, respectively. The producer took […]
Shaboozeyâs âA Bar Song (Tipsy)â notched a record-tying 19th week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, claiming the same amount of weeks at the summit as Lil Nas Xâs âOld Town Roadâ (featuring Billy Ray Cyrus), which previously held the longest reign in the chartâs 66-year history. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and […]
When it comes to pop music track records, Cirkutâs illustrious rĂ©sumĂ© in the genre speaks for itself.
As a sought after electro-pop producer and songwriter, the 38-year-old artist born Henry Walter has spent the last two decades churning out hits for artists like The Weeknd (âStarboy, âDie For Youâ), Rihanna (âWhere Have You Beenâ), Katy Perry (âRoar,â âDark Horseâ), Miley Cyrus (âWrecking Ballâ), Charli XCX (â360â) and dozens of others. But as he explains to Billboard, he goes out of his way to not get too comfortable with his success.
âI never want to rest on my past accomplishments, and that vibe of âOh, do you know all my work? Do you know all my hits?ââ he explains. âThat doesnât mean anything to me. Whether Iâm working with the biggest star in the world or the newest artist, you have to prove yourself over and over again.â
By his own definition, Cirkut has done just that: Over the last month, the producer has helped launch two artists into the upper echelons of the Billboard Hot 100. His work with veteran hitmaker Lady Gaga on her dark pop single âDiseaseâ sent the song to a No. 27 debut on the chart. Meanwhile K-pop sensation ROSĂ earned her highest-charting solo single with âAPT.,â featuring Bruno Mars, arriving at No. 8, thanks in no small part to Cirkutâs catchy production. He earned writing credits on both tracks as well.
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The producer attributes the successes of both Gaga and ROSĂ to their singular ideas of what they want in their music â a trait he looks for in all the artists he works with. âWhen an artist doesnât really know what they want to say, or is like, âI donât know, just make me a song,â that doesnât interest me,â he says. âThe best artists always have some kind of vision, whether itâs how they see the visuals coming together, how they want the guitar to sound, or how hard the kick drums hit.â
Below, Cirkut breaks down the writing processes for both âDiseaseâ and âAPT.,â why Lady Gaga stands out in a crowded field of pop stars, how an ad-libbed drinking game inspired ROSĂâs hit song, and what he envisions for the future of pop music.
Letâs go all the way back to the beginning â when and how did you first get involved with Gaga and her team for this project?
It happened sometime last year â I had been working with [âDiseaseâ co-writer/co-producer] Andrew Watt for a while. We [had] worked on a few different things together, and one day he called me and said, âWhat do you think about working with Gaga?â He said that we would be a great fit to do this project together. So, I met Gaga for the first time in the studio, and it was amazing. I was really excited to work with her, we were off to the races as soon as we met.
What immediately appealed to you about the prospect of working with Gaga?
Iâve been a fan over the years, she is just a legendary artist. Thereâs only one Gaga, and she has influenced so many of the artists who are out now. I think her music paved the way for so many people. Selfishly, I did want to see what I could accomplish with her. Just the thought of wondering what a Gaga record would sound like if I produced it was really exciting from the get-go.
When you look back on the inception of âDisease,â was there a stated goal with that song? What were you aiming to accomplish?
It was just one song in a collection that we worked on together, but fairly early in the process, we all loved it and knew that it would be some kind of cornerstone of this body of work. âDiseaseâ [is] a daring record to me. Itâs very aggressive. I wouldnât say itâs a safe, âniceâ song to ease you into things. I was spending some time with my mom the other day and she asked what Iâd been working on â I threw on the music video for âDisease,â and she was just stunned and saying âoh my Godâ a lot. Itâs a very in-your-face kind of record.
I do all kinds of music, but I love aggressive electronic music. When Watt and I get together, something just kind of happens â with his rock background, we end up bringing in a lot of heavy guitars, and I wanted to make it this cool, industrial synth dance record. When you listen to the final result, Iâm pretty happy with how we melded those two things.
What do you remember from the studio sessions with Gaga here â were there any particular moments where it felt like things really locked in for you?
We all huddled up at the beginning to see if we had any common ground when it came to taste in music and the places we wanted to go with the sound. She was very instrumental in leading that discussion. We all wanted to make something that still felt like it was decidedly Gaga, but always asking the question of âWhat does that sound like today?â Thatâs always a challenge, especially with artists who have established themselves so firmly in pop culture, to figure out that balance. Do you do something so different that you move away from the things that you are known for? But if you just do the same thing that youâve been known for, does that end up feeling like a âmore-of-the-sameâ type situation? I wanted to make sure that we brought the essence of Gaga into this song and all of the things that are so great about her â the drama, the theatrics, that in-your-face sound â but still putting a fresh spin on it. That said, you also cannot overthink things too much on something like this. Ultimately, you just have to get in there and have fun.
We definitely had a synergy in the studio. In the beginning, it is kind of a trial run [with a new collaborator]. It felt a little bit like she was feeling me out, trying to figure out where I was coming from when it came to production. But then there was kind of a breakthrough moment â I had been working through something over my headphones, and when I played it out loud, she was just like, âOh my God, Cirkut, thatâs crazy.â And as soon as that happened it was like, âGreat, I got through to her.â Itâs not like she was difficult to impress, but I wanted us to be on the same page. I treat every project I work on like that â you have to approach it from the mind of being a student always, rather than a know-it-all. Iâm always learning from new people.
Youâve worked on massive hits from artists like The Weeknd, Rihanna, Miley Cyrus, Kesha and Charli XCX. As someone who has been in the room with so many of these major pop stars, how does Gaga stand out amongst that pack?
I think something all the great artists that Iâve worked with have in common is that they all have a vision. Whether itâs fully realized or not doesnât matter â there is always intention and direction behind the art that theyâre making. Even if thatâs not fully fleshed out, I find that to be really important. There is always an opinion.
Gaga is very much like that â she is very interested in the sonics of everything. She would say, âMaybe try a different drum here,â or she would hop on the synths and start playing things. Sheâs a musician and a visionary, and she knew all about the attack, decay, sustain and release settings on a synth. She is all about the details, which definitely sets her apart from a lot of artists. Also, the passion that she puts into her work is amazing. She really lives and breathes and eats and sweats and bleeds this music.
âDiseaseâ is not the only track of yours currently on the Hot 100 â ROSĂâs âAPT.,â featuring Bruno Mars debuted at No. 8 debut earlier this month. Tell me a little bit about how you got involved on that song, and what ROSĂ and Bruno were like to work with?
I donât try to say, âOh, I knew this would be a hit,â because I simply do not have that kind of foresight. But I thought this one was a really great, fun, catchy song, and I really loved working with Rosie. I was so excited when she had played the song for Bruno and I heard that he was getting involved, because I genuinely feel like he took it to another level.
We worked together probably three days in a row in the studio, and I think [âAPT.â] was one of the last ideas we started. It was the end of the night, we had just done a song or two, and we were like, âMight be time to go home.â And Rosie was sitting there and just sort of chanting to herself, âapateu, apateu.â I think it was [co-writer] Theron [Thomas] who stopped her and asked what it was. She said, âItâs just a Korean thing, itâs basically a drinking game.â All of us were immediately like, âWhy is that not a song?â We took that and put together a very quick hook. It was kind of random â I love it when stuff like that happens! Itâs not always planned. Itâs not always, âWeâre going to get in the studio and make a mega hit featuring Bruno Mars.â Sometimes itâs a spontaneous session based on a drinking game. Sometimes somebody is whispering something in the corner, and it becomes this incredible hook.
As someone who has been as vital as you are in creating these massive pop moments throughout your career, how do you view the direction pop music is headed today? What are you seeing in the pop space right now that feels like something that will continue on into the future?
More than ever, almost anything goes. Nowadays, because thereâs so much music out there, listeners are so discerning. They like what they like, and it is up to us â creators, producers, songwriters, artists â to show people fresh, new things that they havenât heard 1,000 times already. Sure, there are trends that go in and out of style, but sometimes, it can be about just changing one thing, and all of a sudden youâve got a fresh new sound.
Honestly, I try not to think about all of this too much because it can be a little overwhelming. The ânext soundâ could literally be anything. I really try to just create and not think about the future because that can ultimately remove the spontaneity of it. Messing around and stumbling upon something you love is kind of the random magic that happens. In the age of [artificial intelligence], I think thatâs a tool that is here to stay, whether people like it or not, and I do think it could help when it comes to creativity in the studio. But, at the end of the day, itâs the human element of production and songwriting that succeeds. People care about authenticity, they want something thatâs real, and listeners are not stupid.
A version of this story appears in the Nov. 16, 2024, issue of Billboard.
Someone pour Shaboozey up a double shot of whiskey, because heâs continuing to dominate the charts with âA Bar Song (Tipsy),â seven months after its release. The smash hit is at No. 1 for a 17th total week atop the Billboard Hot 100. Over the chartâs 66-year history, the song is now the longest-leading No. 1 […]
By the time surging newcomer Zach Top released his debut country album, Cold Beer & Country Music, in April, the 27-year-old singer-songwriter was already seeing a groundswell of support from fans and his fellow artists. With his unabashed devotion to traditional country sounds on songs like âBad Luckâ and âThereâs The Sun,â matched with his unmistakably country drawl, the singer-songwriter from Sunnyside, Wash., has drawn comparisons to such â90s country luminaries as Alan Jackson, Doug Stone and one of his musical heroes, Keith Whitley.
Top, who is signed with label Leo33 and managed and published by Major Bob Music, has been on tour with reigning CMA entertainer of the year Lainey Wilson since May. He was a guest at Dierks Bentleyâs early September headlining show at Nashvilleâs Bridgestone Arena and most recently teamed with bluegrass luminary Billy Strings to release a trio of collaborations for Apple Music.
As Topâs âSounds Like the Radioâ continues to grow on Billboardâs Country Airplay chart, reaching a new No. 16 high on the Nov. 9-dated list, another track from Cold Beer & Country Music has also grown into a chart hit: âI Never Lie.â After the slow grooving, sarcastic song became his first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 in September (it has since reached a No. 68 high), his team pushed âI Never Lieâ to country radio. It debuted on Country Airplay in late October, giving Top two songs simultaneously on the ranking â a feat more typically reserved for arena- and stadium-headlining stars in the genre.
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Heâs up for new artist of the year at the CMA Awards later this month, and his rising career has led to additional dates to his 2025 Cold Beer & Country Music Tour, which launches Jan. 16 in Nebraska, with openers Jake Worthington and Cole Goodwin.
Billboard caught up with Top to discuss âI Never Lieâ reaching new chart heights, as well as his thoughts on his upcoming CMA Award nomination for new artist of the year and who he thinks will take home the entertainer of the year honor.
âI Never Lieâ was included on your debut studio album, Cold Beer & Country Music. How did the song come together?
I wrote it with Carson Chamberlain and Tim Nichols. I have one of my more clever rhymes on there, with the âAngelâ and âAprilâ rhyme in the first verse [âYou still look like an angel/I heard youâre doinâ fine, got promoted back in Aprilâ]. We cut it pretty old-school with the band, and I sang and tracked the vocals as they were playing. They never hear the song until the day we record it. Iâll have an acoustic recording of it on my phone, and they hear it once or twice, and thatâs it. Itâs two or three takes and we play it like we feel it. We might overdub a thing or two or add some fills, but itâs all played live, nothing computerized about it. Carson produced it and [engineer] Matt [Rovey] mixed it up.
What has been your reaction to it connecting with fans on this level?
It may be the countriest song on the record. It sticks out and thereâs nothing but steel guitar on there â you havenât heard a song like that, sonically, in a long time. I think people have had an appetite for my kind of country for a little while, and weâre getting a dose of it. Songs like âSounds Like the Radioâ and âCold Beer & Country Music,â you would expect those to be hits because they are up-tempo. This song goes in the face of whatâs out there right now.
When did you first realize the song was a hit?
We had been playing it in live shows, so people already knew it. Around April 5, we had our album release show, and over the last four months, it has really taken off. Our fans know every word of every song on the album â they are not just waiting to hear one song. It gives me chills every night when we play that first riff [of âI Never Lieâ]. They donât need to hear no words, they know it from that first note.
âI Never Lieâ debuted on Country Airplay in late October, giving you two current hits on the Billboard chart, including the top 20 hit âSounds Like The Radio.â How does that feel?
Iâm excited, because you donât see that a lot with an artist as new as me. Iâm proud to have the success so far and not be just a one-hit wonder.
Youâve also gained traction on TikTok with âI Never Lie.â What is your approach to social media?
I donât get on social media much. There is a girl named Cheyenne in my band who has TikTok and sheâll tell me about videos that have âI Never Lieâ or other songs in them. I was never very into social media â it was just a tool to get music out there. Early this year, I turned it all over [to my team]. I donât have the apps on my phone, and I donât think I have the logins. It can suck you in, scrolling through, and I think itâs probably healthy for me to stay off it.
You are nominated for new artist of the year at the CMA Awards on Nov. 20. What do you remember about finding out about your nomination?
Itâs funny because I got a couple of texts that said, âCongratulations,â and I was like, âItâs not my birthday. Whatâs going on?â They sent me screenshots and filled me in. There are a bunch of big artists on that list, and Iâm proud to be in this group.
Who do you think will win entertainer of the year at the CMA Awards?
I think Lainey [Wilson] would be a good pick. She puts on a hell of a show and is a great entertainer. And [Chris] Stapleton, I saw his show at [Nashvilleâs] Nissan Stadium, and I had not seen his show before and itâs pretty old-school with the band up there. He sings and captivates people with his voice and music, so he gets my vote, too.
A version of this story appears in the Oct. 26, 2024, issue of Billboard.
By the mid-2000s, Swedish songwriter and producer ILYA â who was then in his late teens â was âgrinding, grinding, grindingâ without gaining much momentum. It wasnât until years later, thanks to a fortuitous meeting, that his career finally took off.
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ILYA, now 38, recalls how meeting producer Shellback changed his life, as the latter introduced him to the acclaimed and mysterious Max Martin. Soon after, ILYA scored his first smash hit co-producing and co-writing on Ariana Grande and Iggy Azaleaâs 2014 collaboration âProblem,â which hit No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. His working relationship with Martin â and Grande â has continued, most recently on the pop starâs sixth No. 1 album on the Billboard 200, Eternal Sunshine.
The album produced two Hot 100 No. 1s: lead single âYes, And?â and âWe Canât Be Friends (Wait for Your Love),â both of which credit ILYA. But those are from far the only hits heâs had a hand in this year; ILYAâs 2024 credits also include Conan Gray, Coldplay and Tate McRae, the latter of whom ILYA helped score her highest Hot 100 debut to date with âItâs ok Iâm ok.â
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âIt wasnât that long after [McRaeâs 2023 second album] Think Later that we were in the studio again,â says ILYA, who reveals that they ideated her current smash before Think Later even arrived. âIt was just an idea that just popped back into our life and we were like, âActually, letâs finish this thing.â Itâs just been continuous since that.â
Youâve worked with Tate before. What is your metric of, âI want to keep this relationship going?â
Nowadays, itâs just good vibes. I donât want to be stressed at work because Iâve been doing it for such a long time now. So my main thing is just like, can we just have fun in the studio?Â
When did sessions start after her 2023 album, Think Later?
It was a little continuous because she loves writing and being in the studio. âItâs ok Iâm okâ is one of those records where it was like, âLetâs just have fun; letâs make something weird.â I think it shows a brand-new side to her. The more Iâve worked with her, the more I feel like she knows herself as an artist. This one was [started] before Think Later â she knew that it wasnât right for that moment, but she picked it back up and we really worked to make it into her vision of what she was seeing the song as. That, to me, is really amazing to see.
Tell me more about how the song came together.
The chorus started as a joke. We were in Sweden writing, and when sheâs in the studio and so focused, she doesnât want to eat or drink anything. Sheâs just like, âI need to finish this song now.â Me being the way I am, Iâm always like, âDo you want something to drink? Do you want something to eat?â And she would be like, âItâs OK, Iâm OK,â [always] in the same note. And I was just like, âWait, thatâs actually kind of catchy.â And now itâs a song. I like it because it came from her â thatâs how she says it.
Do you have a favorite part of this song?
Itâs harder for me to listen in that sense, because Iâm a part of the song. But I do love when people pinpoint little details that youâve put there on purpose. I love that.
You have to let go of analyzing. Once the song is out, depending on how people [react] to it, Iâm also affected on how Iâm listening. If a song comes out and it doesnât work or itâs not a big thing, then Iâm trying to analyze why it wasnât instead of just enjoying the song. But nowadays Iâm a little bit better at that.
Your credits in 2024 include other notable projects such as Ariana Grandeâs Eternal Sunshine. With the Grammys approaching, what are your hopes?
I think next yearâs Grammys [ceremony on Feb. 2] is going to be insane. Iâm hoping weâre going to get nominated, but itâs going to be such a competitive year. It might be the best Grammys in a long time in the sense of whoâs going to be nominated and what potential performances there might be. There was so much good music this year.
This article originally appeared in the Oct. 5 issue of Billboard.
Sitting in her childhood bedroom and noodling on her guitar in February 2024, 24-year-old Gigi Perez was thinking about the scope of her songwriting. Sheâd been ruminating for a while on the idea of a frantic kind of love, and how to connect it to her lyricism. âWhen that person is so constant in your life, itâs kind of like you fall into it, and you have nothing else to grasp on to,â she tells Billboard. âIt came from that desperate place.â
All of a sudden, a line popped into her head: âKiss me on the mouth and love me like a sailor.â As she kept strumming and writing out new lines to add to the chorus of her growing song, the singer-songwriter realized she wasnât the only one listening. âMy door happened to be open, and my little sister walks by and says, âOh, Gigi, thatâs really awesome,â â she recalls.
And as the idea has moved from work in progress to completed product, itâs clear that the world feels the same way. After Perez began teasing the track in earnest on her TikTok in the spring, users quickly latched onto the hook, clamoring to hear a full version. They finally got to hear it on July 26, when Perez unveiled âSailor Song,â a stirring, emotionally raw ballad that sees Perez turning her feelings of longing into a sweeping, queer-coded love song. The song debuted on the Aug. 31-dated Billboard Hot 100 at No. 98, and it has since spent six weeks on the chart, reaching a No. 46 high on the list dated Sept. 28.
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For Perez, the sudden, rapid success of âSailor Songâ feels like a culmination of all the work sheâs put into her independent career â and one that enabled her to accept a record deal with Island Records in September. âI feel truly ready for this,â she says. âAnd I know exactly what Iâm looking for.â
Perez walks Billboard through the writing process of âSailor Song,â explains why she learned how to produce her own work and breaks down what it means to have a queer love song making waves in modern pop culture.
When did you first start working on âSailor Songâ? What was the original idea that led you to making this?
A lot of the process for me is typically just having my guitar and freestyling, and thatâs mostly how the songs come â I was in that progression of writing, and I just said, âKiss me on the mouth and love me like a sailor.â So, I kept going; I had the chorus done that night.
It really just stayed as a chorus for a while, and the lyrics had changed. There were certain little words that changed the meaning of what [the song] was. Once I had written the verses, I pulled a melody from another song I had written and put that into this song. It really is one of those things where it was a puzzle putting it together, but there wasnât much resistance. Other times, in order to get something like that, you have to really dig for it.
I love a song that is good at creating imagery without having to explicitly spell out the imagery â the use of the sailor as an image almost makes the song feel mythical in scale, which is really effective.
Thereâs something about this thought â and I donât know if itâs because I grew up by the water and spent so much time in my childhood at the beach â that little by little, these beach and sea and water themes just kept appearing in my songs. Itâs really sweet because I was thinking, âHow do you compile the things that are on your heart and that you want to say in a way that makes sense?â It wasnât until âSailor Songâ that I looked back and was like, âThereâs been a whole path being laid subconsciously,â which is very cool.
I was struck by the fact that your voice sounds like itâs in the distance on this track â what did your setup look like when recording and producing âSailor Songâ?
I went into this chapter of my life [feeling] in my soul like I hit a point where I wasnât collaborating with people because I wanted to, but because I relied on it. There was a lack of expression on the production side, [but] I think things ended up falling together perfectly. I moved back home, and in the same way I taught myself the guitar, I watched a bunch of YouTube videos and messaged the collaborators who I really admired to ask them questions about producing. It was a lot of throwing things at the wall and learning little things here and there. Like, how does EQ [equalization] really work? What is a compressor? I was allowed time to really experiment with production and recording. It makes me feel the same way that I felt when I was 17 â thatâs something I keep coming back to: That first rush of recording, when I was just doing it with my high school band, and we were just uploading files on Spotify and SoundCloud.
As far as the recording and what happened, I use an SM7 [microphone], and I started doing this thing [while recording my voice] where I do three vocals and I pan [one] a little bit to the left, [one] a little bit to the right and one right in the middle. And then I threw in certain kinds of reverbs that give it a roomy kind of sound. I also have an amazing mixer, Matt Emonson, and he just takes it away from there. I just wanted something that felt really intimate and yet really big.
Once you started teasing this song on TikTok, it blew up and fans were itching to hear the full thing. What was that like for you to witness in real time?
I was really happy. I feel like Iâd gotten to a certain point where I just started enjoying music again in a way that I truly felt like was honoring my happiness. That was the main principle that I felt through being independent and being able to work on music in a different way. And then when I saw that people were really enjoying it, I was like, âThatâs so genuinely awesome.â It was a slow burn in terms of getting to where itâs gotten to now but to know that it was something that really pulled on people means everything to me.
One of the things in life that Iâve struggled with â and part of why I decided that I wanted to be an artist â is the feeling of loneliness that comes with the lie that no one understands you. I think about the artists that changed my life in that way, and one of the first gay projects that I had that with was Troye Sivanâs [2015 debut album] Blue Neighbourhood. That changed my life. I couldnât even imagine that somebody could be there for me during a time when I couldnât express or understand what I was feeling. I didnât grow up in a space where that was something that existed, and if it did, it was very taboo. Itâs so beautiful now that thereâs so much media that really highlights the gay and queer experience. Kids need that. Actually, people in general, not just children. There are still people all around this world [who] live in an online world and escape through music. Itâs very special to me that, in any capacity, I could be a part of that.
To that point, it feels like queer messaging in music is having a genuine moment this year where songs that are about queerness are hitting the charts in a major way. What is your reaction to that level of visibility in the mainstream?
I think weâre only scratching the surface right now. Representation is so, so important. Itâs the thing that gives people the courage and the ability to dream that you can do whatever. You, as a person, can take up space. I think thereâs an identity part of it, and then thereâs just the actual human part of it, and those two things are very important to me. Every queer artist is going to share their story and their identity differently. Iâm only one person, and my message is only going to connect [with] and reach the people that itâs meant to. Thatâs why I think it opens up the bridge [for other artists], and Iâm really excited to see everything thatâs happening in queer music.
You recently signed to Island Records â what has the transition from independent artist to being signed at a major looked like for you so far?
I feel so blessed. Itâs been such a weirdly spiritual experience, in terms of things happening behind the scenes. It feels like this thing is really guided. I didnât know a year ago that any of this would happen, and I think I had a very clear vision where I said, âIâm going to stay independent, and this is the way Iâm going to do it.â The fact that that has changed [means] Iâm so grateful for all of the experiences that Iâve had over the last few months to lead me to this moment. Theyâre going to be an amazing home.
A version of this story appears in the Sept. 28, 2024, issue of Billboard.
How do you think my life has been these past few months?â Shaboozey asks with a wry smile.
The 29-year-old multihyphenate artist â one of 2024âs biggest breakout acts â has twisted my question and flipped it back on me, his measured poker face masking the tornado of emotions heâs feeling. Thereâs no hiding that heâs tired; weâre speaking the day after Septemberâs MTV Video Music Awards, where he snagged two nods (including best new artist), and its star-studded afterparty, where he mingled with the likes of Taylor Swift and Sabrina Carpenter. Some hours later, he went to Brooklyn for his Billboard cover shoot, soundtracked by Zach Bryan and Chris Stapleton. Now weâre grabbing lunch in a hotel restaurant, where Shaboozey has finally settled down with a half-dozen Prince Edward Island oysters and some fries.
The VMAs were just the latest marquee moment in a year full of the kind of highlights most artists dream of achieving over their entire careers. A year in which his appearances on BeyoncĂ©âs culture-shifting Cowboy Carter (on âSpaghettiiâ and âSweet * Honey * Buckiinâ â) were just the beginning of his string of feats. A year when Shaboozey went from a supporting stint on a Jessie Murph tour to his own headlining North American tour. A year when his own âA Bar Song (Tipsy)â notched a historic 12 weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100. And a year that could still get even bigger if âA Bar Songâ gets likely-looking Grammy nominations for record and song of the year; or if the album itâs on, the Billboard chart-topping Where Iâve Been, Isnât Where Iâm Going, gets album of the year and best country album nods; or if Shaboozey himself contends for best new artist.
At his core, Shaboozey (or Boozey, to his friends) exudes the calm cool of a rebel who always knew his outside-the-lines plan would lead him to glory. Still, Americaâs favorite new cowboy admits that he doesnât always âfeel prepared for this stuff. You just kind of get thrown in it.â
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With âA Bar Songâ â which has racked up over 771Â million official on-demand U.S. streams, according to Luminate â Shaboozey became the first bona fide Black outlaw country star, a status he has been working toward achieving for a decade. The son of Nigerian immigrants, the artist born Collins Obinna Chibueze grew up just outside Woodbridge, Va., the second of four children. Though he spent two years at boarding school in Nigeria, Shaboozey spent most of his childhood in Virginia, including his high school years, when his football coachâs misspelling of his surname evolved into his nickname and now-stage name.
âIt could be a little confusing at times,â he says of growing up Nigerian American in Woodbridge, a Washington, D.C., exurb that was markedly more rural in his youth than it is today. âHearing your name [mispronounced] during attendance was always a thing; you felt like you had to make it easier for everyone else to understand.â Most Black children of immigrants know such experiences (microaggressions, really) well, and some are also familiar with another phenomenon that marked Shaboozeyâs childhood: the endless words of support from parents who understood the importance of reminding their children of their power in a society actively trying to strip them of it. âIf Iâm going to do anything,â Shaboozey â whose surname means âGod is kingâ in Igbo â pledges today, âIâm going to make sure Iâm damn good at it.â
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Eric Ryan Anderson
Growing up in Virginia â the home of all-time greats like Patsy Cline and Missy Elliott â also meant that Shaboozey was always aware of the intersections between diverse music genres and styles. But first and foremost, he rooted himself in his fatherâs playlists, where he encountered country legends Don Williams and Kenny Rogers. As a kid, âoutside of MTV and BET, I wasnât getting the specific names of the artists my parents played around the house and spoke about,â Shaboozey says. âIt was all just music to me.â
He didnât just latch on to the music his father played â he was also enamored with the aesthetic of his popâs old photos. âEvery time I saw a picture of him, he was always in Wranglers. He always gave âyoung country guy,â â Shaboozey recalls. From Wrestlemania to Westerns, American culture and its archetypes are exported to, and emulated in, nearly every corner of the globe. Still, most media about cowboys disproportionately features white men, which can feel incongruous to those who feel connected to cowboy cultureâs actually multicultural history â and itâs for those people whom Shaboozey wanted to create a unique soundtrack.
At 19, Shaboozey moved to Los Angeles â his first time truly living beyond Virginia â with the goal of writing scripts, making movies and recording music. Shortly after, in 2014, he scored his first quasi-viral moment with his piano-trap banger âJeff Gordon.â (Shaboozey is a big NASCAR fan.) Around that time, he was also delving into the catalogs of rock icons like AC/DC and The Rolling Stones, indoctrinating himself into the school of Prince and studying the folk roots of Bob Dylan and John Prine.
âIn that [period of] discovery, I found country music to be the thing that resonated with me in a really strong way,â he says. âMe being from Virginia, me loving the style and the way of life and the things they talked about. It all seemed very peaceful. It seemed like I could be real.â Even more importantly, Shaboozey began to realize that Lil Wayne and Rogers could be complementary, not opposing, influences. Finally, he understood: âThis is who I am.â
When Shaboozey first tried to launch a country album, the project bricked. Two years before the release of his 2018 debut album, Lady Wrangler, he had joined forces with writer-producer Nevin Sastry for Wrangler â which remains shelved to this day.
Shaboozey and Sastry met in 2016, and their connection was so strong and immediate that within a month, Shaboozey moved into Sastryâs apartment. Before completing the âmore rap-adjacentâ Lady Wrangler, Shaboozey decided to put Wrangler to the side because âsomething in my head told me, âThe world ainât ready for this,â â he says. In a sense, he was right. Lady Wrangler (released on Republic Records) arrived in the aftermath of âDaddy Lessons,â BeyoncĂ©âs first country music foray that was rejected by the Recording Academyâs country music committee for the 2017 Grammys and that she performed with The Chicks at the 50th annual Country Music Association (CMA) Awards, one of the most controversial moments in the eventâs history; and a few months before Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus rewrote the rules of country, pop and hip-hop with 2019âs âOld Town Road.â
âThe rap we looked at on TV was always glamorized,â Shaboozey recalls. âThat wasnât the reality for everybody. No matter how much I tried, I couldnât write music in that world. I found country music could teach people that the little things in life are where the value is. Just having a working truck that you can take your girl in to ride to a cliff and watch the sunset is enough.â
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Eric Ryan Anderson
Sastry and Shaboozey have now collaborated on all three of the starâs full-length projects, but it was 2017âs âWinning Streak,â a woozy trap fantasia gilded in Western aesthetics, that helped Shaboozey land a deal with Republic and release Lady Wrangler. The label dropped Shaboozey following that albumâs release (Shaboozey is tight-lipped as to why; Republic did not respond to a request for comment by press time), and soon after, the coronavirus pandemic changed the path of his life. In 2020, Shaboozey met Abas Pauti while playing basketball with mutual friends; after the two got to know each other, Pauti immediately offered to move across the country once Shaboozey told him that Virginia was the place he âneeds to be in order to be the artist he wants to beâ â a display of commitment that inspired the then-budding star to make Pauti his manager.
They remained in L.A., and by the following year, Shaboozey signed to indie label EMPIRE â which had previously worked with Black country artists like Billboard chart-topper Kane Brown â after a successful pitch from Eric Hurt, vp of A&R publishing, Nashville, at the company. âWe understood what he was trying to do and we loved it, but obviously, it wasnât anything that was out at the moment,â EMPIRE president Tina Davis says of her first impression of Shaboozey and his music. âItâs a feeling you get when artists on a [certain] level come into your presence. Itâs kind of like the air goes out of the room. His presence was so full and prominent, I knew he was going to go somewhere.â
Standing at around 6 feet 4 with broad shoulders and lengthy wicks, Shaboozey is a dark-skinned Black man who wears his racial identity with pride. Heâs a magnetic presence in any room he enters, though not in a domineering way. But his often stoic face can conceal the âmanic, creative energy,â as Sastry puts it, that lies behind it â which he harnessed to finesse his sound and style going into his second and third albums.
On Cowboys Live Forever, Shaboozey joined forces with rising producer Sean Cook (one of the talents behind Paul Russellâs âLil Boo Thangâ), with whom he wrote three songs in three days. âIn the studio, he likes to ride on music,â explains Cook, who later co-produced âA Bar Song.â âSometimes heâll get on the mic and Iâll loop the guitar, and heâll freestyle melodies and conceptualize lyrics. Other times, heâll sit in the booth and write the song as he goes; on the newest album, he actually brought in some guitar ideas himself.â With Cowboys Live Forever, Shaboozey intensified his country bent and enhanced his narrative-driven, cinematic soundscapes that straddle hip-hop and Americana-steeped country.
That genre-agnostic approach culminated with âA Bar Song (Tipsy),â 2024âs longest-running Hot 100 No. 1. Written and recorded in November 2023, near the end of the Where Iâve Been sessions, âA Bar Songâ â which interpolates J-Kwonâs 2004 smash, âTipsy,â and was borne out of Shaboozeyâs desire to flip an aughts song â didnât even need a final mix for those who heard it to recognize it as a hit. Pauti, who was in the studio the night Shaboozey recorded the song, immediately texted Jared Cotter, a Range Music partner who joined Team Shaboozey as co-manager in 2022: âWe got one.â
For her part, EMPIREâs Davis was so instantly enthralled by the track that she shifted her attention from getting the album to the finish line to clearing the âTipsyâ interpolation. J-Kwon, whose âTipsyâ reached No. 2 on the Hot 100, was so thrilled with Shaboozeyâs country flip of his track that âhe was listening to the record for three weeks straight, not clearing it because he thought the song was already out,â as Shaboozey tells it with a glimmer of childlike glee in his eye. Once J-Kwon eventually cleared the track, it primed the path for âA Bar Songâ to become the first song by a Black man to simultaneously top Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay â and the longest-running No. 1 debut country single since Carrie Underwoodâs âJesus, Take the Wheelâ in 2006.
Although âA Bar Songâ dropped after Shaboozeyâs dual appearances on BeyoncĂ©âs historic Cowboy Carter, the whistling track was instrumental in helping him secure those coveted features. When Shaboozey performed the then-unreleased song at Range Showcase Night at Winston House in Venice, Calif., in early 2024, the crowd loved it so much that he played it again. According to Cotter and Pauti, in that crowd was one of BeyoncĂ©âs A&R executives, Ricky Lawson, who instantly knew Shaboozey would be perfect for the record BeyoncĂ© was then working on. Shaboozey says he was initially invited only to write on Cowboy Carter; then, BeyoncĂ© asked him to record some verses, one of which included his freestyled outro on âSpaghettiiâ (with Linda Martell, which peaked at No. 31 on the Hot 100), and he appeared as well on âSweet * Honey * Buckiinâ â (No. 61).
The âBeyoncĂ© bump,â as Cotter calls it, spurred Shaboozeyâs team to advance the release date of âA Bar Songâ a couple of weeks to April 12. âIn this world of virality and quick hits, we wanted to be closer [to Cowboy Carterâs release] and be able to capitalize [on the exposure] with what we thought was a hit,â Cotter says. Early in its gargantuan run, âA Bar Songâ usurped BeyoncĂ©âs âTexas Hold âEmâ atop Hot Country Songs, making the collaborators the first Black artists to earn back-to-back No. 1s in the chartâs nearly 70-year history.
âIt just feels great to see a true talent like Shaboozey win,â a representative from BeyoncĂ©âs Parkwood Entertainment tells Billboard. âHe has a clear sense of the artist he always was, and now the world knows it. To see him dominate the country space is a win for all those Black artists who have been authentically honing their craft for a long time now.â
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Eric Ryan Anderson
As âA Bar Songâ came to dominate the summer, it continued to help Shaboozey notch major milestones. When he played the BET Awards for the first time in June, J-Kwon joined him for a whimsical, saloon-set mashup of âA Bar Songâ and âTipsy.â
âTraditionally, I feel like country music wasnât really accepted in that space as much,â says Shaboozey, who became just the second Black male solo country artist to play the BET Awards (after Brown in 2020). âI even felt â whether thatâs my own insecurity or [self-judgment] â âIs this thing really connecting with people?â as Iâm performing the song. Thatâs my biggest fear⊠when Iâm feeling out of place in this space. But thatâs what I want to do with my music: be disruptive and show people that music is progressing.â
Shaboozey and J-Kwonâs performance was well-received â including by rappers such as Skilla Baby, French Montana and Quavo, all of whom gave him words of support at the show or hit him up in the days following. âI love hip-hop; Iâm a part of their community, too,â Shaboozey reiterates â and heâs right.
Shaboozey is as country as he is hip-hop, as evidenced by the featured artists he tapped for Where Iâve Been. While Texas country-rocker Paul Cauthen helps bring the house down on âLast of My Kindâ â ESPNâs new Atlantic Coast Conference college football anthem â Dallas rapper BigXthaPlug appears on the fiery hip-hop party track âDrink Donât Need No Mix.â But while Shaboozey could promote songs from this album that donât cater to country audiences, he doesnât currently plan to. âShaboozey is a country artist â thatâs what heâs passionate about,â Cotter stresses. âWhat weâre seeing across all genres is artists donât need to be in one box. Shaboozey is the first one thatâs genuinely both in hip-hop and country music; he can rap as well as he can sing. Weâre definitely going to promote that because itâs who he is. Itâs not a new thing that weâre trying.â
â[Shaboozey] is a little bit of everything,â Davis adds. âThatâs what separates him from everyone else. I think Taylor Swift shows that you donât have to stick with one genre â you can try them all and push them all.â
Vintage t-shirt, Huey Lewis denim jacket, Wales Bonner pants and shoes.
Eric Ryan Anderson
But Nashville and its leading industry players have not been so uniformly open-minded regarding Shaboozeyâs generally genreless approach, or his appearance. âThey kept wondering if other songs were country on his album or if it was just going to be one song and then all of a sudden, heâs a street thug,â Davis recalls. âI think itâs both [his sound and appearance]. Obviously, if you looked at him walking by and he didnât have a belt buckle and cowboy boots, youâd swear he was doing something different. I think itâs just the stereotype of what people see, but having those conversations and sharing the whole album made things a little bit easier.â While Shaboozey is acutely aware that heâs âdefinitely a new artist in [the country] space,â he says he now feels embraced by Nashville â and vows that his ânext project is going to be even more country, even more dialed in.â
And Shaboozey has made inroads with the country establishment, including at a pair of country music awards shows. He scored 12 nods at the Peopleâs Choice Country Awards and two nominations â new artist and single of the year â at the CMA Awards. At the latter ceremony, Shaboozey is just one of three Black performers to be nominated, alongside Michael Trotter Jr. and Tanya Trotter of The War and Treaty. âThereâs a weight that comes with it,â Shaboozey acknowledges, adding that Michael personally called to congratulate him â and also to recognize that âMan, itâs just us.â (Significantly, BeyoncĂ© and Cowboy Carter didnât receive any CMA nominations. âAll I know is that she made a great body of work and I know sheâs proud of that,â Shaboozey says of the snubs.)
The crossover success of âA Bar Songâ has conjured comparisons to âOld Town Road,â another country-rap joint that ruffled more than a few feathers back in 2019 â and Shaboozey has found kinship with Lil Nas X. âThatâs the homie,â says Shaboozey, who connected with Lil Nas at the previous nightâs VMAs. âWe havenât had deep conversations, but I can tell whatâs happening to me now is probably very similar to what he experienced.â
For Shaboozey, the VMAs were a âfishbowlâ experience, where he was aware of outsiders looking at Lil Nas and him, waiting for the two to interact and acknowledge how their stories intersect. âItâs like everyone is like, âDo they know?â â he quips. And while the VMAs are technically genre-agnostic, Shaboozey did feel a bit of a disconnect with the audience. âLove the VMAs, but sometimes it felt like they werenât there for me, to be honest,â he says with a droll chuckle, noting how some audience members seemed almost embarrassed to cheer for him after screaming for more top 40-facing pop stars. âBut there were more Black folks and people working the event that were showing me love, and thatâs what itâs about.â
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Eric Ryan Anderson
He knows, however, that these awards shows are all a prelude to Februaryâs Grammys. In addition to best new artist and record and song of the year for âA Bar Song,â Shaboozey will likely contend for best country song and best country solo performance. Should he take home a trophy in the country field, he would become just the fifth Black act to do so, joining Charley Pride, The Pointer Sisters, Aaron Neville and Darius Rucker, who tells Billboard, âWeâre fortunate to have Shaboozey in country music.â Shaboozeyâs team confirms that it will submit Where Iâm From and its songs in the country field, and the campaign includes stops at âthe right looks,â according to Pauti, including The Late Show With Stephen Colbert (where he recently performed his new single, âHighwayâ), a sit-down interview with Gayle King, an intimate L.A. showcase and meeting Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr.
âI think itâs something for me to bring home to everybody,â Shaboozey muses about his potential first Grammy wins. âThis is the peak of the mountain as far as recognition comes. This is a long-standing ceremony, itâs history and tradition, and hopefully weâre able to take it home. That childhood fear of never winning anything is still there. It would mean the world to win one of these things, but if not, the year we had was crazy. If not now, itâll come. We in the club now.â
âThe Grammys are always going to matter to me,â says EMPIRE founder Ghazi, whose commitment to a genreless future brought him out to Nashville years before he crossed paths with Shaboozey. âFrom being a 14-year-old making my first records to now being a seasoned executive, I never lost sight of that journey, and the Grammys never [lose their] luster.â
As Shaboozey picks at his final few French fries, I take in the man sitting across the table from me, who, though heâs currently relaxed in the booth of a Brooklyn eatery, has more than a little of a classic gunslingerâs gleam in his eyes. When he picks up his final oyster, it feels nothing short of poetic. A few years ago, it would have been borderline unimaginable to see someone like him at the zenith of country music, yet here he is â reshaping signifiers of so-called authenticity and injecting them with the street-smart swagger of the contemporary hip-hop gangster. A distinctly 21st-century manifestation of the spirit of Marty Robbins, channeled through a voice and persona equally steeped in Stanley Kubrick, Garth Brooks and Juvenile, Shaboozey is a lone star â a true outlaw who has effectively rewritten the rules of a land thatâs actually his to reclaim.
And like any genuine outlaw, he never breaks eye contact while making plain his message: âIâm just making music I love,â Shaboozey says. âItâs cool being recognized, but Iâm making music for a group of people that are usually underrepresented. Iâm going to keep doing that. Itâs good to be that guy â those are the people who are remembered.â
This story appears in the Oct. 5, 2024, issue of Billboard.