Last Thanksgiving, Shaboozey might have been a mystery name at your family dinner. Fast forward a year, and now he’s the artist everyone’s talking about. His hit song, A Bar Song, has taken over—blasting through speakers at bars, weddings, and parties all over the place. It’s the anthem no one can stop humming.
This year, Shaboozey took things up a notch. He hit the stage during the halftime show at Thursday’s Chicago Bears vs. Detroit Lions game. Not bad for someone who, just a few years ago, was performing for a couple hundred people in tiny venues.
Shaboozey’s journey to stardom wasn’t exactly smooth. He dropped his first single back in 2014, and his first two albums? Let’s just say they didn’t make much noise. But everything changed with A Bar Song. It didn’t just hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100; it stayed there for a jaw-dropping 19 weeks, tying the record set by Lil Nas X’s Old Town Road.
Reflecting on his rise to fame, the 29-year-old artist shared his thoughts after his halftime performance. “From playing for 250 people to performing at an NFL halftime show in one year? That’s crazy. What can’t God do?” he wrote on social media.
And he’s not exaggerating. Back in 2018, he was performing at Resident, a small venue in Los Angeles that fits just 210 people. Earlier this year, he played at the Clyde Theatre in Fort Wayne, Indiana, which holds 2,000. Now? He’s dominating NFL halftime shows and gearing up for the Grammys.
Speaking of Grammys, A Bar Song is nominated for three awards, and Shaboozey himself is in the running for Best New Artist. It’s safe to say this year has been life-changing for him.
As for the Thanksgiving game, it wasn’t just Shaboozey’s performance that brought smiles. Lions fans got an extra treat as their team scored a close 23-20 victory over the Bears. A win for Detroit and a huge win for Shaboozey—what a day!
