Shaboozey shouts out Skyline Chili while talking state of country music, Beyoncé, more

Singer-songwriter Shaboozey got the crowd a little tipsy at Voices of America Country Music Fest.

The “Bar Song (Tipsy)” singer took the stage at Voice of America MetroPark in West Chester Township on Aug. 8 for the third iteration of the country music festival, opening up for Grammy-winning singer Carrie Underwood.

However, his appearance was just one of many times he has visited the area in the last year. The Nigerian-American crooner first opened for Russell Dickerson at Andrew J. Brady Music Center in March 2024 before returning to the venue a few months later in September for the Forbes Under 30 Summit.

He also opened for Jelly Roll at Heritage Bank Center in November and attended a Cincinnati Bengals game while in town. Shaboozey then came back to the Queen City in May of this year to dine at Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse (the reason for that visit still remains unknown).

So, what keeps Shaboozey coming back to the Queen City?

The Enquirer’s trending news editor, David Wysong, and trending news reporter Haadiza Ogwude sat down with the country music star, who chatted about his previous Cincinnati visits, the visibility of Black artists in the country genre, his biggest musical influences, working with Beyoncé and more.

These excerpts have been edited for length and clarity.

Shaboozey talks past Cincinnati visits, country music and Beyoncé at Voices of America Country Music Fest

Ogwude: You visited Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse in May, just days after your Met Gala debut. You also went to the Kentucky Derby and performed at the 60th annual Academy of Country Music Awards in Frisco, Texas, that week. But what brought you to Cincinnati?

Shaboozey: I don’t even remember. I’ve been here a couple times. I’ve been here probably about four (times).

I think I’ve probably been here the most out of any city, honestly, as far as like work goes or playing shows. I came here once with Russell Dickerson when he had me on the tour. I came here another time for Jelly Roll. I think I went to a Bengals game, and I came here another time for something else.

I couldn’t even recall what time that was for, but the Kentucky Derby was super fun. It was like one of the highlights of this year.

Wysong: Do you remember what you ate at Jeff Ruby’s?

Shaboozey: I went there for my birthday, and they made me a custom boot cake. They do the Nike shoe … the Jordan, but (they) made me a boot. It was really cool. It was really sick. It was delicious, too.

Wysong: You said you’ve been here a lot. I know we both saw you at Forbes. I saw you open for Jelly Roll. What stands out about the city?

Shaboozey: I think it’s really cool. It’s like kind of the East Coast, but still the Midwest. I mean, what do you consider Ohio? Is it East Coast?

Wysong: It’s Midwest.

Shaboozey: It’s just a really cool culture, man. Skyline Chili is there. I haven’t had it yet, but it’s a fun, cool place. There’s a lot of great places to eat. A lot of good music, a lot of cool bars. Cincinnati is one of the fun places in my book.

Ogwude: How do you feel about the growing visibility of Black artists in country music?

Shaboozey: It’s cool. I think music shouldn’t really be conditioned to what someone looks like, you know? It’s about, “What’s the story, the authenticity, the connection it has with artists as well?” I think a lot more people should not be afraid to create from that genre. It’s definitely a genre of music where I think the public perception is that it’s not really open to a lot of new faces. But, I always say this, “Man, it’s beautiful to see.”

Like, Luke Bryan grew up in the same place that Quavo grew up. What makes that person country and that not? We’re all country, we all have roots in the South and love storytelling. So, I think people just need to be less afraid of exploring the genre. I think they’ll be really surprised with how the space is pretty inviting and pretty family-oriented, I’ll say that.

Wysong: I think the genre has evolved a lot, for sure. Even over the past couple years.

Shaboozey: Yeah. Shout out Kashus Culpepper, (he) is really sick. Kevin Smiley out there, Tanner (Adell), everybody.

Wysong: You obviously have a unique sound. What artists and music influenced you when you were growing up?

Shaboozey: Man, I think everything. I was pretty ADD. I’m a jumper, you know what I mean? I can jump from Future to Johnny Cash, and from Johnny Cash to Gregory Alan Isakov. Then I’ll jump to Woody Guthrie, and then I’ll go to Ken Carson. It’ll kind of go all over the place.

I don’t know, maybe it’s my brain or something. I just love music. Inspired me growing up? I mean, whatever I heard, but I think country music for me, it kind of just came. I didn’t really know what I was making or what I was doing. I think it came from being from Virginia and observing my surroundings and just wanting to make music that was authentic to my experience, which was being in a small town where you work hard, you go home … it’s kind of a repeated cycle of that. So, you got to find value in the small things.

Wysong: Yeah, we’re both from small towns, so we get it.

Shaboozey: You got to find value in the little things. That’s where that appreciation is, where I decided to create from. That was my perspective that I wanted to make music from. And then I was like, “Oh, okay. Other people talk about their small towns, too.”

Ogwude: So, you collaborated with Beyoncé on “Cowboy Carter.” How did that experience impact you? What did you learn from working with her?

Shaboozey: Honestly, she’s a God. Seeing someone at that level still kind of giving it they’re all, putting on a hell of a show. But also, she’s just very warm and inviting, very welcoming. It’s like family to me, honestly. It was awesome. She’s a legend. We grew up listening to her on the radio all the time.

So to see you got to put the work in. No one does the work for you … that’s my biggest thing. She’s recording them songs, she’s writing on them songs, she’s arranging them songs. She’s putting that show together. It’s her doing it. It’s not something that’s just handed off to people. So, that was inspiring to see that you got to work. It’s on you.

Wysong: Is that what keeps you grounded, that hard work? Obviously, it’s been a very big year for you. You’ve been making music for a while, but you’ve really blown up this past year. What keeps you grounded with all this popularity?

Shaboozey: I think just being older. I moved from Virginia when I was like 20, and I had a lot of ups and downs, and a lot of moments where I had to do some self-reflection and be like, “Man, you know you have an opportunity and a gift here.”

There’s been times where no one was checking for anything. It was hard to get (a) meal. It’s hard to do anything. I couldn’t even afford a haircut. So, I think just that level of understanding that it’s a privilege. I’m just grateful every day to be able to do this … showing that, “Man, it is true. Don’t give up. There’s something on the other side.”

Ogwude: Nigerian artists such as Burna Boy and Wizkid are gaining more and more global recognition. You even collaborated with Burna Boy on the song “Change Your Mind.” What inspired that song? How were you able to blend your two distinct sounds?

Shaboozey: That’s my brother. I’ve always been a fan. I was actually visiting Nigeria once, when he was first coming up, and it was kind of a similar thing. Like everyone couldn’t stop talking about who this anomaly was. And to see how far he’s kind of taken it was really cool. I feel like, to some degree, I inspired that. He always tells me how incredible what I’m doing is, being a Nigerian-American artist or an African-American artist in country music. It’s not something you see every day. So, I think that inspired him. He wanted to do something that mixed both (of) the worlds, and he had an idea for a song. I trusted him, and we put it out.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Shaboozey shouts out Skyline Chili while talking career, Beyoncé, more