Shaboozey, the genre-blending artist making waves in country and Hip-Hop, revealed the invaluable advice Beyoncé gave him while working on her album Cowboy Carter.
The rising star, whose real name is Collins Obinna Chibueze, admitted he felt overwhelmed in the presence of the music icon while recording his part for the track Spaghettii.
“When I was recording the songs on her album, (I was like), ‘Oh man, I can’t do these runs’ or ‘I am nowhere near the vocalist, performer or anything Beyoncé is.’ And I kind of got in my head about that,” he told People magazine.
But Beyoncé, 43, stepped in with a message that shifted his perspective. “What they told me was, ‘Hey, we brought you here for you to do you, for you to be yourself.'”
She personally reassured him, saying, “Just be confident in the fact that you are different, you are unique and that’s what people are going to resonate with.”
Her words resonated deeply with Shaboozey, 35, who has been carving out his space in music, balancing country storytelling with Hip-Hop influences.
This year, he earned five Grammy nominations, including Song of the Year, Best New Artist, and Best Country Solo Performance.
The musician recalled exactly where he was when he received the career-defining news.
“I was on tour with Jelly Roll,” he shared. “To have two people on the same tour nominated and just share a moment like that was really awesome.”
His song A Bar Song (Tipsy) became a breakout success, topping the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and spending an impressive 19 weeks dominating the Hot 100.