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It’s Sombr Summer: The Pop Phenom on Impressing Taylor Swift, Singing About Body Image and Why People ‘Can Say Whatever the F— They Want About Me’
Sombr (real name Shane Boose), the 21-year-old New York singer behind the breakup hit "Back to Friends," has become one of pop's fastest-rising new stars over the past 18 months. His fame has grown so quickly that a recent Brooklyn club show had to be arranged secretly, with fans notified only hours beforehand, partly due to police concerns about crowd control given his popularity.
His 2025 debut album, "I Barely Know Her," has amassed more than 4 billion streams, and he has drawn a public endorsement from Taylor Swift ahead of his next record. His profile has grown enough that his next New York headline show will be at Madison Square Garden, though he reflects on trade-offs of fame, including losing the ability to move around the city unrecognised as he once did riding the subway.
In short
- Sombr (Shane Boose) is pop's breakout star of the past 18 months
- Debut album "I Barely Know Her" has surpassed 4 billion streams
- Next NYC show will be at Madison Square Garden, with Taylor Swift's praise
Explained simply
Sombr is the stage name of Shane Boose, a New York singer who broke through with “Back to Friends”, a song about a relationship ending. His debut album, I Barely Know Her, helped build a large audience online, where his music has been streamed billions of times.
Taylor Swift is among the established musicians who have publicly praised him. His rapid rise has brought bigger stages and intense attention from fans, changing everyday parts of life in New York, where he says he used to travel unnoticed.