Shaboozey – October 5, 2025 – All American Roadshow Tour – 713 Music Hall – Houston, Texas
All photographs by Jennifer Lake
In 2025, it seems relatively easy to captialize on cultural uniqueness – in fact, record labels frequently push their artists to lean in to their identity as a way of connecting with a wider audience. If you weren’t familiar with Shaboozey’s artistry, you might think this was the case – the Black, Virginian cowboy whose radio-friendly tunes (“A Bar Song”) and genre crossovers were carefully crafted for corporate sponsorship. In fact, I had this suspicion at first – was Shaboozey an “industry plant” or on artist finally getting the spotlight he deserves?
Shaboozey, born Collins Obinna Chibueze, got his name playing high school football when his coach would mispronounce his last name – the Igbo word for “God is King.” Shaboozey began his journey across the musical spectrum as a child – “inspired by hip-hop music videos on 106 & Park, as well as his father’s cowboy style of dress and love of country music.” In 2014, he started his own production company V Picture Films with the intent of becoming a writer and director. Yet more than any label or career, Shaboozey is a storyteller.
“Storytelling was my first love. I originally thought I would be a novelist. I began by writing scripts and a treatment for a musical, and of course throughout that time I was making videos and short films. I believe we can create whole universes in our minds, ones that an audience can see themselves inhabiting. That’s what I aim for with my visuals. My goal is to have fans who love film, who appreciate my visual output, and who can see the value and thought that goes into storytelling on a cinematic level.” – A COLORS CLOSE-UP, May 5, 2025
His breakthrough into music fame came from “A Bar Song” – but not when it was released. A member of Beyonce’s team actually heard the now mega-hit before it was made public, and asked the artist to sing on two songs with Houston’s own Queen Bey for Cowboy Carter. This created nationwide anticipation for Shaboozey’s Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going – and the rest is history. “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” sampling a J-Kwon classic while maintaining a folk rhythm, spent nineteen weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 and has roughly 1.5 BILLION streams on Spotify. Yet it was the performance of his less popular songs that impressed me on Sunday.
Opening with “Last of My Kind,” Shaboozey proudly leans into his identity while reminding folks that fame has not softened his approach to life. His ecstatic performance immediately centered attention on him. Much of his discography to follow would revolve around girls, isolation, and drinking – “Anabelle,” “Blink Twice,” “Tall Boy,” and “Drink Don’t Need No Mix” seemed to resonate with the crowd, where I saw about 1.5 drinks per person. At this point, I pointed out to my friend how much I loved the damn fiddle – it added so much to these records. The musician who played fiddle for “A Bar Song” has gained personal notoriety online.
Shaboozey acknowledged the diversity of the crowd, ranging from 60-year-old country folks to Houston rapper Maxo Kream to his own personal family to an abnormal amount of kids. He acknowledged his appreciation for fostering a “family-friendly” environment, and he mentioned that all of his fans should be considered family. He accomplished this by paying homage to the Hank Williams, Jr. classic “Family Tradition” – and you should’ve seen the boot-scootin’ boogie on these folks.
Continuing with the audience engagement, he spoke of his relationship with Christ, how it impacts his musical career, and offered a moment of prayer for anyone needing it. This transitioned to a very simple but solid track “Amen” with Jelly Roll, of which he was exhibited the most passion. My personal favorite of the night was “Good News,” a pertinent song in an era of bad news, atrocity, and depression always in our face. Across all of his songs – yes, even “A Bar Song” – Shaboozey embraces the attraction of vice but also the importance of hope, a message that has enough lyrical depth to make it substantive but also enough groove to make it broad-reaching. Although this tour stop was only a peak of Shaboozey’s musical compass, I’m confident that he can be a staple in a future of modern country music that moves beyond stereotypes, and I wish him the best.
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