Sombr has undoubtedly had a big year. After TikTok stardom, the 20-year-old singer, who was born Shane Michael Boose, finally released his debut LP, I Barely Know Her, which received rave reviews and experienced chart success.
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Those accomplishments will be on full display Sept. 7, when Sombr heads to MTV’s Video Music Awards for the first time. The singer is up for two awards at the ceremony—Best Alternative (for his song, “back to friends”) and Best New Artist.
Not only that, but Sombr is scheduled to take the stage at the show, with a performance that’s rumored to include a cameo from Addison Rae, the Gen Z star who appeared in his “12 by 12” music video.
Ahead of the show, read on for three things to know about Sombr.
He Grew Up in New York
While Sombr now calls Los Angeles home, he grew up on the opposite coast in New York City. Speaking to i-D, Sombr called himself an “emotionally complicated child.”
Music always had a place in his life, with tastes as varied as Broadway’s Dear Evan Hansen, Lil Peep, and classic rock. The latter category was thanks to his dad’s influence, he told MTV per Rolling Stone.
“The Beatles, The Stones, Radiohead, Velvet Underground, just amazing bands,” he told the outlet of bands he grew up on. “My earliest memories are my dad playing guitar. We always had instruments at my house, and I remember the first song I wrote with my sister. I was probably, like, six. So as long as I can remember it’s been a part of me. It’s hard for me to remember a reality without music, it doesn’t exist for me.”
Music came more into the forefront in middle school, when he discovered GarageBand and began crafting his own beats, Sombr told the first outlet. By his high school years, Sombr changed his focus to vocal performance, which he studied at the storied LaGuardia High School.
He Blew Up on TikTok
Back in 2022 when Sombr was 17, he posted his song “caroline” online. It blew up on TikTok and got him noticed by major labels, i-D reported. As such, Sombr dropped out of high school and moved to Los Angeles to pursue music full time, he told Interview Magazine.
His EP, in another life, came out the following year to little fanfare. That changed at the end of 2024, when Sombr released a new song, “back to friends.” The track, which he wrote and produced himself, experienced a similar rise as “caroline.”
To date, the track has topped Billboard‘s Rock Streaming Songs and Alternative Streaming Songs charts. His latest release, “Undressed,” has hit No. 1 on the outlet’s Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart. I Barely Know Her, meanwhile, is sitting at No. 2 on Top Rock & Alternative Albums and No. 14 on the all-genre Billboard 200.
As for why his songs have managed to find an audience in a crowded landscape, Sombr told i-D, “They don’t come out of a f**king factory.”
He Loves to Perform Live
Sombr is currently gearing up for his first-ever tour. The run, dubbed The Late Nights and Young Romance Tour, sold out in seconds. He’ll kick off shows Sept. 21 in St. Augustine, Florida.
“I would pay to be on tour,” he told i-D, adding that performing on stage is “the closest thing to drugs.”
Speaking to MTV, Sombr added, “It’s hard to step back and be like, ‘Wow, this is amazing’ when everything is happening so fast, but it is the best thing that has ever happened to me.”
“Being able to meet all these people, go to all these countries, and see all these new faces and beautiful people who connect with my music—it’s all I ever wanted to do in my life,” he said, “so it’s the best thing ever.”
Photo by Steve Granitz/FilmMagic
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