Facebook Pixel

    Who Is Shaboozey? Get To Know the Alt-Country Star Who Will Headline the Lions and Bears Thanksgiving Halftime Show

    Published on

    Who will perform at halftime of the Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions Thanksgiving game? Get to know Shaboozey ahead of his performance at Ford Field.

    After an incredibly successful 2024, “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” and alt-country singer Shaboozey will add another accolade to his already impressive career — performing at an NFL halftime show. While he has been recording music for quite some time, two features on Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter album pushed his catalog into the mainstream.

    While many people may know his breakout hit, “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” there’s a much more extensive catalog to be discovered when he takes the stage at halftime of the NFL Thanksgiving game between the Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions. Here’s more about Shaboozey.

    Pro Football Network Mock Draft Simulator
    Dive into Pro Football Network's FREE Mock Draft Simulator and run a mock by yourself or with your friends!

    Who Is Shaboozey?

    Shaboozey, or Collins Obinna Chibueze, is a 29-year-old musician from Woodbridge, Virginia. He was born to Nigerian parents and spent time in Nigeria while attending boarding school for junior high.

    He said his love for country music partly came from its similarities to his West African culture. He told the Los Angeles Times, “I think there’s the folk tales, the storytelling aspect you see in Western African music that’s also a very big part of country music.”

    When Did His Music Career Begin?

    Shaboozey released his first single in 2014, titled “Jeff Gordon.” After releasing a few more singles, including “Starfoxx” and “Robert Plant,” he signed with Republic Records in 2017. The singles built up to his debut studio album, Lady Wrangler, released in 2018.

    He dropped his second album, Cowboys Live Forever, Outlaws Never Die, in October 2022 through Empire Distribution. While he had failed to get much attention or major streaming, that was all about to change in 2024.

    A few weeks before releasing his hit single “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” Shaboozey was featured twice on Beyoncé’s country music album. The first appearance was alongside country music legend Linda Martell on “Spaghettii,” and the second was as a solo feature on the second-to-last song on the album, “Sweet/Honey/Buckiin.”

    The appearance saw Shaboozey have a significant boost in streams. “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” spent 19 weeks on top of the Billboard Hot 100, tying Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” as the longest-running Hot 100 No. 1 song ever.

    Has Shaboozey Won Any Awards?

    Shaboozey had not been nominated for anything before his work with Beyoncé. However, after the collaboration, he was nominated for several awards in 2024.

    The People’s Choice Country Awards had several nominations for his third album, Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going:

    • Best Album of 2024
    • “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” for Best Song of 2024, Male Song of 2024, and would win New Artist Song of 2024
    • “My Fault” featuring Noah Cyrus for Crossover Song of 2024
    • “Let It Burn” for Music Video of 2024
    • He would win New Artist of 2024

    He was nominated for two Country Music Association Awards: New Artist of the Year and Single of the Year for “A Bar Song (Tipsy).” He wouldn’t take either home, but his nomination, unfortunately, caused quite a stir. The MTV Video Music Awards nominated him for Best New Artist and Song of Summer.

    While all of those have been decided, he still has some nominations waiting for results. Shaboozey was nominated for multiple Grammys, including Best New Artist, Song of the Year, Best Country Song, Best Country Solo Performance, and Best Melodic Rap Performance for “Spaghettii.”

    Related Stories