{"id":2239074,"date":"2026-01-17T20:15:08","date_gmt":"2026-01-17T20:15:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2239074"},"modified":"2026-01-17T20:15:08","modified_gmt":"2026-01-17T20:15:08","slug":"who-is-sombr-meet-the-charismatic-grammy-best-new-artist-nominee","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/who-is-sombr-meet-the-charismatic-grammy-best-new-artist-nominee\/","title":{"rendered":"Who is sombr? Meet the charismatic Grammy best new artist nominee"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<div id=\"videoWrap\" class=\"spacer-large videoWrap\" style=\"position:relative\"><media-video video-id=\"87147683007\" title=\"Benson Boone, The Weeknd, Lorde snubbed from 2026 Grammy nominations\" poster=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2025\/11\/07\/USAT\/87147697007-et-thumbs-00-00-01-21-still-001.jpg?crop=1919,1079,x0,y0\" util-module-path=\"elements\/media\" placement=\"snow-video-story-priority\"><\/p>\n<div id=\"uwVideoPlaceholder\" slot=\"placeholder\" style=\"z-index:19;width:100%;padding-bottom:56.25%;position:relative\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"vidplaybtn\" style=\"display:-moz-box;display:-ms-flexbox;display:-webkit-flex;display:flex;background-color:rgba(0,0,0,.4);border:2px solid #fff;border-radius:80px;cursor:pointer;height:80px;width:80px;position:absolute;top:50%;left:50%;transform:translate(-50%,-50%);z-index:10\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"vidplayicon\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/appservices\/universal-web\/universal\/icons\/icon-play-alt-white.svg\" alt=\"play\" style=\"height:40px;margin:auto 18px auto 27px;width:40px\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div slot=\"videoDetails\" id=\"videoDetails\" class=\"videoDetails\" style=\"padding-top:8px;padding-bottom:8px\">\n<div id=\"videoDetailsContainer\" class=\"videoDetailsContainer\" hidden=\"\">\n<p>Benson Boone, The Weeknd, Lorde snubbed from 2026 Grammy nominations<\/p>\n<p>USA TODAY&#8217;s Ralphie Aversa recaps some of the 2026 Grammy nomination snubs and surprises, from &#8220;Golden&#8221; to The Weeknd, Benson Boone, Lorde and more.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/media-video><\/div>\n<p>When <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/sombr\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">sombr<\/a> took the <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Papt156JPqo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u201cSaturday Night Live\u201d stage<\/a> in November, his animated performance turned heads and capped his breakout year.<\/p>\n<partner-banner util-module-path=\"elements\/partner\" class=\"spacer-large\" min-height=\"600\" fluid=\"\" outstream=\"\" momentum=\"\"\/>\n<p>The slender 20-year-old born Shane Michael Boose in New York was omnipresent on radio and streaming last year after his songs \u201c<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=c8zq4kAn_O0\">Back to Friends<\/a>\u201d and \u201c<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=z0wT6CrEGYg\">Undressed<\/a>\u201d burst through the TikTok clutter.<\/p>\n<p>That virality led to a well-received debut album (\u201c<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=WezQhgVIXXk\">I Barely Know Her<\/a>\u201d), three <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/entertainment\/music\/2025\/09\/07\/vmas-2025-performance-reviews\/85892943007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">MTV Video Music Award<\/a> nominations (he won one for best alternative video for \u201cBack to Friends\u201d) and his inaugural <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/entertainment\/music\/2025\/11\/07\/grammy-nominations-list-2026-awards\/87126478007\/\">Grammy nomination for best new artist<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The latter was tied to so much nervous anticipation that he purposefully slept through the nominations announcement, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/music\/pop\/sombr-number-ones-interview-1236133577\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">he told Billboard in December.<\/a><\/p>\n<partner-banner util-module-path=\"elements\/partner\" fluid=\"\" bottom=\"\" lazy=\"\" class=\"spacer-large\" min-height=\"390\" outstream=\"\"\/>\n<p>Whether or not sombr is christened with the Grammy honor amid a crowded field that includes Olivia Dean, Alex Warren, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/entertainment\/music\/2026\/01\/14\/leon-thomas-grammy-awards-2026\/88051555007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Leon Thomas<\/a>, Addison Rae, Lola Young, KATSEYE and <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/entertainment\/music\/2024\/05\/30\/the-marias-interview-submarine-album\/73874496007\/\">The Mar\u00edas<\/a>, his<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/artist\/4G9NDjRyZFDlJKMRL8hx3S\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> musical m\u00e9lange<\/a> of introspective pop and alt-rock has earned him critical and commercial clout early in his career.<\/p>\n<p><media-image image-set=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2026\/01\/15\/USAT\/88200991007-pc-bryce-glenn.jpg bestCrop, https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2026\/01\/15\/USAT\/88200991007-pc-bryce-glenn.jpg?crop=5973,4479,x336,y0 4:3, https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2026\/01\/15\/USAT\/88200991007-pc-bryce-glenn.jpg?crop=3360,4479,x1680,y0 3:4, https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2026\/01\/15\/USAT\/88200991007-pc-bryce-glenn.jpg?crop=6719,3781,x0,y349 16:9\" image-alt=\"\" credit=\"Bryce Glenn for sombr\" caption=\"Singer sombr, born Shane Michael Boose, says he took his stage name as an interpolation of his initials and that it described his mood at the time.\" orientation=\"horizontal\" class=\"spacer-large\" util-module-path=\"elements\/media\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"related-link\"><span class=\"exclude-from-newsgate\"><strong style=\"margin-right:3px\">More: <\/strong><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/live-story\/entertainment\/music\/2025\/11\/07\/grammy-nominations-2026-live\/87126391007\/\" rel=\"noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Grammy nominations live. Who made the 2026 list?<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p>He adopted his stage name when he dropped his first song \u2013 \u201cNothing Left to Say\u201d \u2013 online in 2021. It\u2019s a combination of his initials (SMB) with \u201chow I was feeling at the time,\u201d he explained to <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/1883magazine.com\/sombr\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">1883 Magazine in 2023.<\/a><\/p>\n<partner-inline util-module-path=\"elements\/partner\" class=\"spacer-large\" placement=\"native-article_link\" sizes=\"[[300, 250], [3, 3]]\" min-height=\"250\" fluid=\"\" outstream=\"\"\/><cta-atoms-container-inline util-module-path=\"elements\/cta\" class=\"spacer-large\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Sombr\u2019s heart-piercing songs also stand out among his peers, as he wrote the 10 tracks on \u201cI Barely Know Her\u201d with nary an assist from the usual cadre of ancillary voices. He co-produced the record with Tony Berg, whose decades of experience include working with artists ranging from Bette Midler to The Replacements to 2024 Grammy darlings boygenius.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTony held me to a certain standard and really showed me what a good song through and through is,\u201d sobmr told Billboard. \u201cAnd he wouldn\u2019t work on something that wasn\u2019t fully fleshed [out].\u201d<\/p>\n<partner-banner util-module-path=\"elements\/partner\" fluid=\"\" bottom=\"\" lazy=\"\" class=\"spacer-large\" min-height=\"600\" outstream=\"\" momentum=\"\"\/><media-gallery-promo asset-id=\"87133568007\" class=\"column ten-column no-gutter spacer-large\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"related-link\"><span class=\"exclude-from-newsgate\"><strong style=\"margin-right:3px\">More: <\/strong><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/entertainment\/music\/2026\/01\/14\/leon-thomas-grammy-awards-2026\/88051555007\/\" rel=\"noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Who is Leon Thomas? Meet the Grammy best new artist nominee and Bruno Mars tour opener<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<partner-inline util-module-path=\"elements\/partner\" placement=\"native-article_link\" sizes=\"[[300, 250], [3, 3]]\" min-height=\"250\" fluid=\"\" outstream=\"\"\/>\n<h2 class=\"presto-h2 wp-block-heading\">Sombr ascends from high school dropout to heartthrob<\/h2>\n<p>Sombr currently lives in Los Angeles, but fingerprints of his life in New York are felt on his album, with shoutouts to \u201cCanal Street\u201d and a Brooklyn apartment in \u201cI Wish I Knew How to Quit You.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The burgeoning artist attended LaGuardia High School as a vocal major but, much to his mother\u2019s disappointment, dropped out during his junior year in 2022.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;My mom wasn&#8217;t too happy. I think my dad was more supportive, but it was just like, &#8216;This is all I wanted to do. Why should I go to school and delay the whole thing when it&#8217;s happening now?&#8217;,&#8221;\u00a0he told <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/back-to-friends-singer-sombr-talks-dropping-out-of-high-school-songwriting-exclusive-11713265\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">People magazine.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Sombr\u2019s decision followed the attention that flooded his socials \u2013 including from record labels \u2013 after he posted the song \u201cCaroline,\u201d which he recorded in a makeshift studio in is childhood bedroom.<\/p>\n<partner-banner util-module-path=\"elements\/partner\" fluid=\"\" bottom=\"\" lazy=\"\" class=\"spacer-large\" min-height=\"390\" outstream=\"\"\/><media-image image-set=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2026\/01\/15\/USAT\/88200990007-sombr-image-4.jpg bestCrop, https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2026\/01\/15\/USAT\/88200990007-sombr-image-4.jpg?crop=4438,3330,x0,y554 4:3, https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2026\/01\/15\/USAT\/88200990007-sombr-image-4.jpg?crop=4161,5548,x0,y0 3:4, https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2026\/01\/15\/USAT\/88200990007-sombr-image-4.jpg?crop=4438,2497,x0,y554 16:9\" image-alt=\"\" credit=\"Bryce Glenn for sombr\" caption=\"Sombr's 2025 debut album, &quot;I Barely Know Her,&quot; helped earn him a best new artist nomination for the 2026 Grammy Awards.\" orientation=\"vertical\" class=\"spacer-large\" util-module-path=\"elements\/media\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Though the song, which he refined with Berg for his full-length debut, initiated his signing to Warner Records in 2022 and led to his debut EP \u201cIn Another Life\u201d in 2023, sombr didn\u2019t truly become <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/c87l8dg5pnro\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">a worldwide heartthrob<\/a> until 2025.<\/p>\n<p><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/entertainment\/music\/2025\/10\/22\/sombr-tiktok-concert-review\/86833167007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Touring solo<\/a> for the first time in his fledgling career, sombr traversed North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand most of the year, playing shows that often had to be <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.melodicmag.com\/news\/overwhelming-demand-forces-sombr-to-upgrade-venues-on-his-upcoming-tour\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">relocated to larger venues<\/a> following his expanding success.<\/p>\n<p>Sombr honed stagecraft while looking to inspirations including Jeff Buckley, David Bowie and Prince and, as evidenced by his \u201cSNL\u201d performance of <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=TDeFuw5mkb4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u201c12 to 12,\u201d<\/a> as he shimmied hips, shadow-boxed with his microphone stand and karate kicked the air, a boyish Mick Jagger.<\/p>\n<p>No doubt, sombr is walking a bright path.<\/p>\n<lit-timestamp class=\"column ten-column no-gutter spacer-small\" slot=\"timestamp\" publishdate=\"2026-01-17 15:01:08.827863444 +0000 UTC\" updatedate=\"2026-01-17 15:01:08.827863444 +0000 UTC\"\/><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.usatoday.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Benson Boone, The Weeknd, Lorde snubbed from 2026 Grammy nominations USA TODAY&#8217;s Ralphie Aversa recaps some of the 2026 Grammy nomination snubs and surprises, from &#8220;Golden&#8221; to The Weeknd, Benson Boone, Lorde and more. When sombr took the \u201cSaturday Night Live\u201d stage in November, his animated performance turned heads and capped his breakout year. The [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2239075,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25179],"tags":[39915,22220,25060,392397,384894,21751,239390,6297,21741,27396,42346,22270,21739,298114,392398,21800,307678,21738,239343,239347,21940,23083,23759,27784,86850,147314,21939,22366,22488,239344],"class_list":["post-2239074","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music","tag-affiliate","tag-arts","tag-awards","tag-bette","tag-bette-midler","tag-celebrities","tag-celebrities-u0026-entertainment-news","tag-eamotion","tag-entertainment","tag-grammy","tag-grammy-awards","tag-industry","tag-local","tag-local-affiliate-arts-u0026-entertainment","tag-midler","tag-music","tag-music-reference","tag-news","tag-overall","tag-overall-positive","tag-pop","tag-pop-music","tag-positive","tag-recording","tag-recording-industry","tag-reference","tag-rock","tag-rock-music","tag-tiktok","tag-u0026"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Who-is-sombr-Meet-the-charismatic-Grammy-best-new-artist.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2239074","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2239074"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2239074\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2239076,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2239074\/revisions\/2239076"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2239075"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2239074"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2239074"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2239074"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}