“I Always Wanted to Be a Storyteller”: Shaboozey on Embodying the Outlaw, Outrunning ‘A Bar Song (Tipsy)’ and More

There's a scene in the classic Western, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, where Howard and Curtin are completing the arduous journey back to Durango, before a devastating dust storm suddenly hits. Amidst the unstoppable sandy squall, they return to find that the precious gold they were returning to claim has been swept away.

In that particular tale, the moral pivots around the idea of human greed, but it also serves as a striking depiction of the sheer strength and power of a dust storm when trekking through the Wild West. Even if the outlaw succeeds in defending themselves against bandits, sheriffs and venomous snakes, there's no prevailing against a sand-storm. Today, there are means of attempting to forecast these almost apocalyptic phenomena based on past conditions and data, but they are famously difficult to predict. After all, where they've been, isn't where they're going.

Every decade or so, a similarly landscape-altering force arrives, charging through the country music world and changing the trajectory of the genre for the foreseeable future.

When Shaboozey rode charismatically into town last year, armed with one of the biggest hits of the streaming era, ‘A Bar Song (Tipsy)’, some assumed he'd just be passing through - an outlaw who quickly struck gold, but who would soon be riding off into the sunset with empty pockets, after all the excitement fizzled out.

Anyone who suggested as much clearly hadn't listened to Shaboozey's 2024 album, Where I've Been, Isn't Where I'm Going. Although ‘A Bar Song (Tipsy)’ has been a colossal smash, tying Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus’ Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 record of 19 weeks and easily surpassing one billion Spotify streams, this J-Kwon-interpolating anthem isn't necessarily an accurate snapshot into Shaboozey's artistry.

The magic of Shaboozey, arguably, lies in his ability to construct a visceral, evocative narrative and stay unwaveringly loyal to the core persona that drives it. Whether you're listening to the broken-hearted outlaw of Where I've Been, Isn't Where I'm Going or the defiant desperado of Cowboys Live Forever, Outlaws Never Die, you see the sepia-tinged, tumbleweed-speckled images flitting past your eyes.

It's an enchanting quality that translates into Shaboozey's live show. Over the course of his electric set at London's KOKO, the Virginia native transports you to the Wild West, from the haunting, Sergio Leone-inspired whistling to the dramatic backing visuals.

Such is the emotional weight and gravitas that Shaboozey laces into both his live delivery and his studio recordings, it's difficult to know where the persona ends and the artist begins. At times, the ‘Anabelle’ singer-songwriter steps away from the microphone, hanging his head and holding his eyes, such is the depth of his feeling.

“When I was a kid, I always wanted to be a storyteller”, Shaboozey explains to Holler while in London, “That was what drove me as a human, and as an artist and a creator. As a kid, I was like, ‘I want to tell stories’, if that's writing books, if that's making a movie”.

He expands, “I just like the idea of creating a world and a character, and seeing them go on this journey, whether it's fiction or whether it's something that's based in fact. I just love stories. I couldn't get enough of them. So I think that obviously still rings true in the music I write, even without me knowing. It's subconscious at this point - like with ‘Highway’, I didn't think about it at the time, but it is like a movie”.

Often, as is the case with ‘Highway’, we're given a few fleeting frames, with the character enigmatically hinting at what brought them to this point, before anxiously looking ahead at the path that lies before them. Shaboozey underlines that, with his character arcs, sometimes what is implied is just as crucial as what is explicitly stated, “There's a journey, and there's a beginning and an end, and there's a change with the character - or there is no change. They're just like, ‘Man, this is how it will be’. I don't think about the visuals when I come up with the songs. I think there's automatically a visual component embedded in it”.

It's a fascinating time to be speaking with Shaboozey, as he stands at a crossroads, much like the protagonist in ‘Highway’ - although, thankfully, the stakes are not life-and-death.

After the immense success of Where I've Been, Isn't Where I'm Going, Shaboozey approaches the cusp of a new musical era, “I think this next one is just about digging deeper into the tradition and the history of country music, you know what I mean?”

With the eclectic palette of genres Shaboozey has at his disposal, ranging from Hip Hop to country to Americana to trap and virtually everything in-between, he could venture in whichever direction he pleases.

After our conversation, it's evident that his heart remains firmly set on country, with Shaboozey setting out to write “records that I feel like are a little bit more more lean, more of the modern, contemporary country stuff that you would find in Nashville right now. I'm definitely excited to show that. I think it's less conceptual and more just songs I've written that I love a lot, that tell more about who I am and where I am at this moment”.

While some artists might crumble under the pressure of delivering another monster hit in the mould of ‘A Bar Song (Tipsy)’, don't expect to see Shaboozey looking to recreate that recipe. As he outlines on the cornerstone of Where I've Been, Isn't Where I'm Going, ‘Finally Over’, authenticity will always be No. 1 with his music, even if it means the song's chart-position isn't (“I can't sell my soul / For another viral moment”).

“I remember one time in the studio”, Shaboozey recalls, “We were working on a song, and I was like, ‘Man, you know, this could be be bigger than [‘A Bar Song (Tipsy)’]’. My producer was sarcastic, he was like, ‘Oh, okay...!’ I didn't realize that song is not a normal song. Hopefully we can and God willing, but it is a hard thing to beat”.

One of the many happy side-effects of ‘A Bar Song (Tipsy)’ blowing up is that it has led to swathes of new listeners discovering Shaboozey's back catalogue, with fans delving into Cowboys Live Forever, Outlaws Never Die and Lady Wrangler for the first time.

For those making their debut forays into those two immersive worlds, Shaboozey reveals that nestled in the former is a clue as to where his sound is heading next, citing his ‘All Men Die’ freestyle as a touchstone for his forthcoming music, “It was kind of like ‘A Bar Song (Tipsy)’ - it was the last song I made on a project that was supposed to be turned in and submitted. I think ‘All Men Die’ is a great song that just shows where I would like to sit. You know, I always talk about the similarities between the themes of modern Hip-Hop and old outlaw country music, and I think ‘All Men Die’ does a great job of bridging and tying those worlds together in a way that feels like, is it Hip-Hop, or is it a murder ballad, or a ballad about an outlaw who betrayed their brotherhood, gang or posse?...I think ‘All Men Die’ is going to hint at my future music, honestly”.

‘All Men Die’ is permeated by the stormy, brooding feel and the ominous ambience of ‘Horses & Hellcats’ and ‘East Of The Massanutten’, with Shaboozey nimbly walking the line between tempestuous outlaw country and simmering emo-trap.

Although Shaboozey - who takes his stage-name from the common mispronunciation of his given name, Collins Obinna Chibueze - speaks about “future music”, there is no album on the horizon as of now. Even so, excitingly, it seems he might be readying a deluxe version of Where I've Been, Isn't Where I'm Going, with Shaboozey tantalisingly teasing, “There's no album currently in the works, but there's definitely something that we're going to give the fans soon. With how successful and how iconic the last project was, I think it's only right that we give that a little bit of something else, and add a little something to that”.

The first taste we were given of this next chapter was the mournful, yet quietly hopeful, ‘Good News’, which finds Shaboozey exploring a folkier, Myles Smith-esque style, before surprising listeners with a euphoric, house-infused breakdown that feels reminiscent of Avicii's groundbreaking Aloe Blacc collaboration, ‘Wake Me Up’.

As for how ‘Good News’ was chosen as the first single from the post-Where I've Been, Isn't Where I'm Going era, Shaboozey outlines, “It was pretty easy, honestly. I thought there was no way you could go wrong with a song that is created to be vulnerable - where you can be vulnerable, speak truth and speak to people that need good news. The world can be a difficult place to navigate. I think there's no way you can go wrong with wanting to connect with people on a more emotional level”.

It seems he's preparing a keenly awaited follow-up single to ‘Good News’, with Shaboozey continuing to tease the rousing, carpe-diem battle-cry, ‘Blink Twice’, across his socials.

As well as clamouring for ‘Blink Twice’, fans are always hounding Shaboozey with questions about who is on his collaborative radar. He worked with BigXthaPlug, Noah Cyrus and Paul Cauthen for Where I've Been, Isn't Where I'm Going, while murmurs of duets with Morgan Wallen and Sierra Ferrell remain prevalent.

With Shaboozey establishing himself as one of the lustrous, most versatile new voices in music, there's undoubtedly a long line of hopeful collaborators lining up outside his studio.

Regardless of who he asks to join him on his next sonic quest through an Old West Town, as Shaboozey prepares to step back into his Frye boots, strap on his pistol and make his return as the outlaw, one thing's for sure - it'll be a rip-roaring, spellbinding ride.

Much like that dust-storm in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, you never know when it's about to hit, but you can rest assured it'll be powerful, it'll be disruptive - and it'll hopefully sweep away a dazzling array of CMA and Grammy-shaped gold.

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