Shaboozey was raised in Virginia by Nigerian parents
His father loved country artists like Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton, and always felt “somehow connected” to them
He credits both parents with instilling in him a tireless work ethic: “I’m grateful for them”
Shaboozey cracked the code to country music stardom with two very important people by his side: his parents.
The “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” singer, 30, has mom and dad to thank not only for his taste for country music, but also for his tireless work ethic, he tells PEOPLE in this week’s joint print and digital cover.
Shaboozey (né Collins Obinna Chibueze) grew up in Woodbridge, Va., and was raised alongside his three siblings by Nigerian parents. His father, who attended college in Texas after immigrating to the United States, always felt “somehow connected” to country artists.
“My dad very much loves the Old West and America. Even just spending time with him recently, it’s interesting to see how much he just loves American culture,” the singer says. “He can’t explain, but Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton, Don Williams were some of his favorites. He’d mention these people that I feel like he somehow connected to their music.”
A love for music wasn’t all he gave his son. Shaboozey says his dad would often tell stories of his childhood in Africa, where he’d work in the fields carrying big basins of water across miles as a way of helping out his own mother.
“[My dad] told me a story the other day about how he told his parents, ‘Hey, I’m going to make you guys proud,’ ” the Grammy-nominated star says. “He washed dishes and figured out any menial jobs he could to pay his way through college. He’s always telling me about individual responsibility. It’s on you to really make something of yourself.”
He continues, “I definitely put a lot of those principles into my work ethic, when it comes to getting something done or finishing up a project or waking up and being like, ‘Alright, got to get to the studio,’ or ‘Got to edit this video.’ Just getting up and getting it done, not putting things off. My mom also worked pretty tirelessly. It’s very inspiring. I’m grateful for them.”
Daniel Prakopcyk
Shaboozey photographed in Los Angeles on May 12, 2025.
Since rising to fame, Shaboozey has stayed true to his roots. In his breakthrough hit “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” the star even gives his mom a shoutout, singing, “I ain’t changing for a check/Tell my ma I ain’t forget.” The line was especially poignant when he performed it at the Grammy Awards in February, pointing to his mom in the audience as she looked on with visible pride.
Earlier, in September, Shaboozey’s mom even joined him onstage in a sweet moment he shared to social media. In the clip, she joined him for a hug, and danced in a cowboy hat as he sang “A Bar Song.”
Daniel Prakopcyk
Shaboozey
“She was one of my earliest supporters in my career. As a Nigerian parent, it’s really hard. She wanted me to go to school and be a lot of things other than what I’m at right now, but she trusted me and she was a loving mom and she changed my entire life,” he told the crowd.
Shaboozey is fresh off the release of the deluxe edition of his hit record Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going, which came out in April.
“I wanted to get new music out before tour, and I feel like I progressed very quickly and I have all these ideas all the time,” he says. “I felt like some of the beats I was missing on the first iteration of the project, I wanted to hit that with these songs.”
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