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.