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Shane Michael Boose (born July 5, 2005), known professionally as Sombr (stylized in lowercase), is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer.[1] He released his debut single, “Nothing Left to Say”, in 2021 and his first extended play (EP) In Another Life in 2023, through Warner Records and his own imprint, SMB.[2][3]

In 2025, Sombr released his debut studio album, I Barely Know Her,[4] which included his two breakout hits “Back to Friends” and “Undressed“,[5] both of which reached the top 20 of the Billboard Global 200 and the Billboard Hot 100.[6][7] Internationally, both songs also had notable success, charting within the top ten in several countries. He subsequently released two followup singles, “We Never Dated” and “12 to 12“. Sombr received nominations for Best New Artist at the 68th Grammy Awards and 2025 MTV Video Music Awards. At the VMAs, he was nominated in two additional categories, winning Best Alternative Video for “Back to Friends”. In 2026, he released “Homewrecker“, the first single since his debut album.

Early life

Shane Michael Boose was born on July 5, 2005,[8] in New York City, and raised on the Lower East Side.[9] He is the son of Bennah Serfaty and Andy Boose, who have both worked for amfAR.[10] His father is German and his mother is Jewish.[11] Shane Boose attended LaGuardia High School as a vocal major but dropped out during his junior year after releasing “Caroline” in 2022.[12][13] He is now based in Los Angeles.[14]

Boose was introduced to GarageBand at the end of elementary school and began experimenting with layering tracks and harmonies. In middle school, he began using Logic Pro and learning production techniques through online tutorials. By high school, he had started pursuing music more seriously and focused on producing his own material rather than working with outside producers.[15]

Career

2021–2024: Career beginnings

Boose adopted the stage name Sombr upon the release of his debut single, explaining that the name incorporated his initials (SMB) and reflected his emotional state at the time.[3] He released his debut single, “Nothing Left to Say”, in October 2021.[16] In early 2023, after his fourth single, “Caroline”, went viral, Sombr signed a record deal with Warner Records and released “Weak”, his first single with the record label.[17][18] In September 2023, he released his debut EP, In Another Life, co-produced by Tony Berg.[2][3]. On November 17, 2023, he released the single “Would’ve Been You”, which samples Flawed Mangoes‘ “The Begging”.[19]

2025–present: Breakthrough and I Barely Know Her

Boose at the 2026 Met Gala

In March 2025, Sombr earned widespread attention when his songs “Back to Friends” and “Undressed” gained popularity after going viral on the video-sharing app TikTok.[5] The virality led to increased on-demand streams and chart appearances in several countries. The songs reached the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the Billboard Global 200.[6][7] “Undressed” topped the Irish Singles Chart and entered the top five in Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. “Back to Friends” also reached the top five in Australia, Ireland, and New Zealand.[20][21][22] The songs’ success led to Sombr’s first major award recognition, earning three nominations at the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards, including Best New Artist, winning one for Best Alternative Video (for “Back to Friends”).[23][24][25] He was also among the performers at the award ceremony on September 7, 2025.[26][27]

In April 2025, having previously performed as a supporting act on tours for Nessa Barrett and Daniel Seavey,[28][29] Sombr announced his first solo concert tour, set to cover North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.[29][30] The North American and European legs began on May 25 in Dublin and are scheduled to conclude in Los Angeles on October 28.[29] The Australia and New Zealand legs start on December 2 in Auckland and end on December 14 in Gold Coast.[30] Additional European dates were announced in July 2025, with performances from February to March 2026, beginning in Stockholm and concluding in Dublin.[31]

In May 2025, Sombr was featured on Billboard's annual 21 Under 21 list.[32] He made his live television performance debut on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on May 20, performing “Back to Friends”.[33][9] On June 3, he appeared on BBC Radio 1‘s Live Lounge, performing “Undressed” and a cover of “Ribs” by Lorde.[34] In July, he performed “Undressed” on Jimmy Kimmel Live!. Sombr has appeared on the Sirius XM and Audiotree live segments, which included covers of Mazzy Star‘s “Fade into You” and Radiohead‘s “Fake Plastic Trees“, respectively.[35][36] On June 17, 2025, Sombr announced the single “We Never Dated“, released on June 20,[37][38] which became his third top-40 hit in both Ireland and the United Kingdom.[20] On July 25, he released the single “12 to 12“, accompanied by a video featuring Addison Rae.[39] The song was another notable success for Sombr, reaching the top ten in Australia,[40] Ireland,[20] Norway,[41] Sweden,[42] and the United Kingdom,[20] and becoming his third song to enter the top 50 on the Hot 100 and Global 200.[43]

On August 11, 2025, Sombr announced his debut album, I Barely Know Her, released on August 22. It includes the aforementioned four singles.[4] It was favorably reviewed by Rolling Stone,[44] NME,[45] and Variety,[46] and reached the top ten of several sales charts, including the Billboard 200 and the UK Albums Chart. At the 68th Annual Grammy Awards Sombr was nominated for Best New Artist. On February 6, 2026, he released the single “Homewrecker“, his first release since his debut album.[47]

Artistry

Sombr’s musical genres have been described as alternative rock,[27] indie rock,[48] alternative pop,[49] and rock ‘n’ roll.[9] His musical influences include Jeff Buckley, the Velvet Underground, Phoebe Bridgers, Radiohead,[17] John Lennon, David Bowie, Elton John, Billie Eilish, Brian Wilson, the Rolling Stones, Prince, Lana Del Rey, and Oasis.[50] The singer has been described as having a tenor vocal range.[51]

Discography

Main article: Sombr discography

Studio albums

Tours

Headlining

Supporting

Awards and nominations

List of awards and nominations for Sombr
Award Year Nominee / Work Category Result Ref.
American Music Awards 2026 Himself New Artist of the Year Nominated [53]
Breakthrough Rock/Alternative Artist Won
“Back to Friends” Song of the Year Nominated
Best Rock/Alternative Song Won
“Homewrecker” Song of the Summer Nominated
I Barely Know Her Breakthrough Album of the Year Nominated
Best Rock/Alternative Album Won
BBC Radio 1 Sound of… 2026 Himself Sound of 2026 Third [54]
Brit Awards 2026 International Artist of the Year Nominated [55]
“Undressed” Best International Song Nominated
Grammy Awards 2026 Himself Best New Artist Nominated [56]
iHeartRadio Music Awards 2026 Best New Artist (Pop) Nominated [57]
Best New Artist (Alternative) Won
“Back to Friends” Alternative Song of the Year Nominated
On the Verge – Alternative Won
“Undressed” Best Lyrics Nominated
On the Verge – Pop Won
I Barely Know Her Favorite Debut Album Nominated
Alternative Album of the Year Won
Los 40 Music Awards 2025 Himself Best International New Artist Nominated [58]
MTV Video Music Awards 2025 Best New Artist Nominated [25]
“Back to Friends” Best Alternative Video Won
“12 to 12” Song of Summer Nominated
NRJ Music Award 2025 Himself International Breakthrough of the Year Nominated [59]
Swiss Music Awards 2026 Best International Breaking Act Nominated [60]

References

  1. ^ Schagen, Audrey van (March 25, 2025). “sombr voices his fear of loss and the vulnerability of becoming ‘undressed’ for someone new”. Melodic Mag. Archived from the original on March 26, 2025. Retrieved April 5, 2025.
  2. ^ a b McMillan, Blake (February 5, 2024). “sombr Brings His Indie Rock Sound Home to Brooklyn’s Baby’s All Right”. Atwood Magazine. Retrieved April 5, 2025.
  3. ^ a b c “Sombr”. 1883 Magazine. November 17, 2023. Retrieved April 6, 2025.
  4. ^ a b Horowitz, Steven J. (August 11, 2025). “Sombr Announces Debut Album ‘I Barely Know Her’“. Variety. Archived from the original on August 11, 2025. Retrieved August 11, 2025.
  5. ^ a b Zellner, Xander (April 8, 2025). “Hot 100 First-Timers: Sombr Scores First Entry With ‘Back to Friends’“. Billboard. Archived from the original on April 10, 2025. Retrieved April 10, 2025.
  6. ^ a b “Sombr Chart History: Billboard Hot 100″. Billboard. Archived from the original on October 29, 2025. Retrieved November 4, 2025.
  7. ^ a b “Sombr Chart History: Billboard Global 200″. Billboard. Archived from the original on October 30, 2025. Retrieved October 28, 2025.
  8. ^ “sombr – Artist”. Movin’ 92.5. Retrieved August 19, 2025. Born in Manhattan, New York, but July 5, 2005, musician and performer Sombr has built a strong reputation as a songwriter.
  9. ^ a b c Greenwood, Douglas (August 17, 2025). “Sombr Interview on His Debut Album, Addison Rae, and Rock Stardom”. I-D. Archived from the original on August 18, 2025. Retrieved August 19, 2025.
  10. ^ Friedman, Roger (April 29, 2025). “Pop Star Alert: 19 Year Old Drop Out Sombr (aka Shane Boose) Has Viral Hits with “Back to Friends” and “Undressed”“. Showbiz411. Archived from the original on March 6, 2026. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
  11. ^ Frick, Evelyn (May 6, 2026). “Is Singer Sombr Jewish?”. Hey Alma. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
  12. ^ “Sombr: The Indie Pop Prodigy Redefining Heartbreak”. Lush Collective. Retrieved April 23, 2025.
  13. ^ Spout Podcast (April 1, 2025). Sombr: From LaGuardia to the Charts—And Elton John’s Playlist?!. Archived from the original on April 1, 2025. Retrieved April 16, 2025 – via YouTube.
  14. ^ “Sombr Talks Dropping Out of High School to Chase His Dreams and Reveals 2 Rom-Coms That’ve Inspired His Music (Exclusive)”. People.com. Archived from the original on November 8, 2025. Retrieved October 25, 2025.
  15. ^ Lipshutz, Jason (August 14, 2025). “For Artists Like Gigi Perez and Sombr, Self-Producing Is ‘An Experiment and an Adventure’“. Billboard. Retrieved September 1, 2025.
  16. ^ “sombr”. 97.9 WRMF. Hubbard Broadcasting. October 20, 2025. Archived from the original on December 19, 2025. Retrieved October 20, 2025.
  17. ^ a b Lipshutz, Jason (April 24, 2025). “Sombr ‘Didn’t Want to Just Do Ballads Forever’ — So He Pushed the Tempo and Scored Two Hot 100 Hits”. Billboard. Archived from the original on September 11, 2025. Retrieved September 1, 2025.
  18. ^ Kruger, Jonah (January 27, 2023). “Singer-songwriter sombr signs to Warner Records, drops new single ‘weak’: Exclusive”. Consequence. Archived from the original on April 6, 2025. Retrieved April 6, 2025.
  19. ^ sombr – would’ve been you, retrieved May 1, 2026
  20. ^ a b c d “Sombr Songs and Albums”. Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 20, 2025.
  21. ^ “ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart”. Australian Recording Industry Association. June 9, 2025. Retrieved June 6, 2025.
  22. ^ Peaks in New Zealand:
  23. ^ Willman, Chris (August 5, 2025). “Lady Gaga Leads MTV VMAs Nominations With 12, Followed by Bruno Mars and Kendrick Lamar”. Variety. Archived from the original on August 5, 2025. Retrieved August 7, 2025.
  24. ^ Grein, Paul (August 29, 2025). “Tate McRae, Sabrina Carpenter & More Nominated in Social Categories at 2025 VMAs: Full List”. Billboard. Archived from the original on August 29, 2025. Retrieved August 30, 2025.
  25. ^ a b Irvin, Jack (September 7, 2025). “MTV VMAs 2025: See the Complete Winners List”. People. Archived from the original on September 8, 2025. Retrieved September 7, 2025.
  26. ^ Grein, Paul (August 18, 2025). “Sabrina Carpenter, sombr, Alex Warren & More to Perform on 2025 MTV VMAs”. Billboard. Archived from the original on August 18, 2025. Retrieved August 19, 2025.
  27. ^ a b Unterberger, Andrew (September 8, 2025). “Sombr Makes VMAs Debut With Blazing Two-Song Medley at 2025 Awards”. Billboard. Retrieved September 9, 2025.
  28. ^ a b Denning, Reagan (November 19, 2024). “Nessa Barrett follows album, “Aftercare”, with a world tour”. Melodic Mag. Archived from the original on February 21, 2025. Retrieved May 5, 2025.
  29. ^ a b c d e Denning, Reagan (April 23, 2025). “Sombr takes The Late Nights & Young Romance Tour on the road”. Melodic Mag. Retrieved May 5, 2025.
  30. ^ a b Lynch, Jessica (May 19, 2025). “Sombr Announces 2025 Australia and New Zealand Headline Tour”. Billboard. Archived from the original on May 20, 2025. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
  31. ^ Taylor, Sam (July 14, 2026). “Sombr has booked a 2026 UK and European tour”. Dork. Archived from the original on August 15, 2025. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
  32. ^ “Billboard’s 21 Under 21: See Who Made the 2025 List”. Billboard. May 16, 2025. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
  33. ^ “Sombr Makes Late Night TV Debut On The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon”. antiMusic. May 21, 2025. Archived from the original on May 31, 2025. Retrieved May 23, 2025.
  34. ^ “BBC Radio 1 – Radio 1’s Live Lounge, Sombr”. BBC. June 3, 2025. Archived from the original on June 8, 2025. Retrieved June 8, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  35. ^ Bernstein, Scott (June 30, 2025). “Watch sombr Perform Mesmerizing Acoustic ‘Fade Into You’ Cover For SiriusXM”. JamBase. Archived from the original on July 8, 2025. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
  36. ^ “sombr on Audiotree Live”. June 27, 2025. Archived from the original on July 15, 2025. Retrieved July 8, 2025 – via YouTube.
  37. ^ “i love being fed. we never dated out 6/20 in 5 days #sombr”. Retrieved June 18, 2025 – via TikTok.
  38. ^ “Sombr Steps Into the Spotlight: Queer-Affirming Debut Album ‘I Barely Know Her’ Arrives This Month”. EDGE Media Network. August 12, 2025. Retrieved October 29, 2025.
  39. ^ Mier, Tomás (July 24, 2025). “Addison Rae Is Sombr’s Sultry Obsession in ’12 to 12′ Video”. Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on July 25, 2025. Retrieved July 25, 2025.
  40. ^ “ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart”. Australian Recording Industry Association. September 22, 2025. Archived from the original on September 19, 2025. Retrieved September 19, 2025.
  41. ^ Peaks in Norway:
  42. ^ “Veckolista Album, vecka 39, 2025” (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Archived from the original on September 26, 2025. Retrieved September 26, 2025.
  43. ^ Peaks on the Billboard Global 200 chart:
  44. ^ Paul, Larisha (August 22, 2025). “Sombr’s Debut Album Has Everything Pop Has Been Missing”. Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 23, 2025. Retrieved August 23, 2025.
  45. ^ Shutler, Ali (August 28, 2025). “Sombr – ‘I Barely Know Her’ review: smirking sad boy pop”. NME. Archived from the original on August 31, 2025. Retrieved August 31, 2025.
  46. ^ Horowitz, Steven J. (August 22, 2025). “Sombr Steps From Bedroom Pop to the Big Stage on His Swaggering Debut ‘I Barely Know Her’: Album Review”. Variety. Archived from the original on August 22, 2025. Retrieved August 23, 2025.
  47. ^ Atkinson, Katie (February 6, 2026). “Sombr returns with new song ‘Homewrecker’, navigates love triangle with Quenlin Blackwell & Milo Manheim in Western music video”. Billboard. Archived from the original on February 7, 2026. Retrieved February 6, 2026.
  48. ^ Stengel, Gracie (March 23, 2025). “Sombr: A Journey Through Emotion And Indie Sound”. The Garnette Report. Archived from the original on April 19, 2025. Retrieved April 10, 2025.
  49. ^ “A Sombr tale: warner’s alt-pop troubadour turns tears into streams”. Hits Daily Double. March 26, 2025. Retrieved April 10, 2025.
  50. ^ Dwihartana, Simon (August 29, 2025). “What’s Sombr’s Favorite Taste?”. Interview Magazine. Archived from the original on August 29, 2025. Retrieved September 1, 2025.
  51. ^ Orlov, Piotr (October 20, 2025). “Sombr, On The Cusp of Stardom, Forges Fan Connection at NYC’s Pier 17”. Pollstar. Archived from the original on March 19, 2026. Retrieved February 24, 2026.
  52. ^ https://www.lofficielusa.com/music/sombr-fall-2026-you-are-the-reason-tour-tickets-presale-sign-up-dates-cities
  53. ^ Millman, Ethan (April 14, 2026). “Taylor Swift Leads 2026 American Music Awards With Eight Nominations”. The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on April 14, 2026. Retrieved April 15, 2026.
  54. ^ “BBC Radio 1 unveils its Sound of 2026 longlist”. BBC. December 2, 2025. Retrieved January 7, 2026.
  55. ^ Savage, Mark (January 21, 2026). “Brit Awards 2026: Full list of nominees”. BBC. Archived from the original on January 21, 2026. Retrieved January 22, 2026.
  56. ^ Willman, Chris (November 7, 2024). “Grammy Nominations 2026: Kendrick Lamar Leads With Nine as Lady Gaga, Bad Bunny, Sabrina Carpenter and Leon Thomas Land Among Top Nominees”. Variety. Archived from the original on November 7, 2025. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
  57. ^ Horowitz, Steven J. (March 27, 2026). “Taylor Swift Takes Home Seven Awards at iHeartRadio Music Awards 2026, Extending Her Record for Most Wins”. Variety. Retrieved March 27, 2026.
  58. ^ Gulm, Francesca (November 7, 2025). “Aitana, Ed Sheeran y Emilia se consagran como los grandes ganadores en LOS40 Music Awards 2025”. Billboard (in Spanish). Archived from the original on November 8, 2025. Retrieved January 10, 2026.
  59. ^ Électorales, Elle Suit Toutes Les Soirées; Roland-Garros., sauf pendant (September 22, 2025). “NRJ Music Awards 2025 : David Guetta et Alex Warren en tête des nominations, carton plein pour la “Star Academy”… Découvrez la liste complète des nommés”. Puremédias (in French). Archived from the original on September 23, 2025. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
  60. ^ Krausz, Schimun; Wendli, Neil (March 20, 2026). “Swiss Music Awards 2026 – Hecht war viermal nominiert – und hat komplett dominiert” [Swiss Music Awards 2026 – Hecht was nominated four times – and completely dominated] (in Swiss High German). Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen. Retrieved May 10, 2026.