It was one of the songs of the summer that persisted into the fall: ubiquitous in restaurants, grocery stores, coffee shops and, appropriately, bars.
Now, Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” the foot-stomping smash that held No. 1 for 16 weeks on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart, will compete for one of the Grammys’ biggest awards: song of the year.
But well before Friday’s nominations, the record helped change Shaboozey’s career. The genre-bending country singer and rapper born Collins Obinna Chibueze caught the attention of a member of Beyoncé’s team when he performed the song at a label showcase before it had been released.
Not long after, he was tapped for features on Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter.” Then came the well-timed release of his third album, “Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going.”
When his six Grammy nods rolled in — the first of his career — Shaboozey, 29, was on a tour bus in Kentucky as part of his arena tour with Jelly Roll, where each night he says he gets a rush when audiences sing, clap and stomp along to “A Bar Song.”
“It’s the same feeling I get every single night I perform that song, from the first time I played it til now,” he said in an interview on Friday following his nominations, which include nods for best new artist and for his feature on “Spaghettii,” from Beyoncé’s LP.
Ahead of a show in Lexington, Shaboozey discussed how rediscovering a 20-year-old rap song sparked his hit, and what he thinks gives the track its staying power. These are edited excerpts from the conversation.
Every artist has a different take on the Grammys — some revere the awards, some shun them altogether. What has your relationship been?
I don’t think I had ever been nominated for an award ever, even as a kid. It’s the Grammys — I’ve never even been invited. It’s a huge deal and a huge honor to me. Personally, I’m super optimistic, but because there’s so much talent on that list it’s going to be a hard one.
What was it like when you first performed “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” at that pivotal showcase?
We had just made “A Bar Song,” like, a couple of days before. That was my first time performing it. We did our soundcheck and when we did that song, the six people that were there stood up and clapped, and so we knew then and there that it was going to be a big moment. To be able to tease a song in a live show and people immediately learn the lyrics by the time you get to the second chorus — it was crazy.
Why do you think the song has had such staying power?
A lot of songs are about breakups or heartbreak or loss, and I think in the midst of all that music it’s rare to have something that feels that bright. By the last chorus, with the fiddle — I always compare it to the scene in “The Hobbit” in the shire where everyone’s on the table and they’re all holding their mugs. I just equate it to that or even the “Titanic” scene where they’re partying in the mess area. You feel it when you hear the song.
Do you have a specific bar that you think of?
I have an idea of it — it’s like the best parts of a dive bar. I think of people from different walks of life and a whole bunch of people you wouldn’t see together. It’s dimly lit with old bar signs and you can’t get a drink, but everyone’s got one.
The song interpolates a record from 2004 by Jerrell Jones, known as J-Kwon, who is also nominated now for the song. It feels like you both changed each other’s career in a way.
His song peaked at No. 2 on the Hot 100 and it’s crazy because it’s such a big song, a big part of my childhood. To be able to get this opportunity to come together and get that No. 1 for him and myself — it’s just remarkable. Sometimes artists are not eager to clear a sample, like, “Who’s this guy? What’s he going to do with my song?” He was always just open and supportive of this random person who happened to interpolate one of his songs. He deserves this just as much as anybody, just as much as I do.
You released your first single in 2014 as a rapper. At this stage of your career, after your segue into country music, how does it feel to receive a nomination for best new artist?
It’s a dream come true. I’ve had so many different eras of music. The music I’ve found myself making on this project and the last one, this is truly an authentic version of me and this is the music that I want to be making, hopefully, for the rest of my life. To finally feel like I’ve found my sound and found my place and my confidence — it just shows I’m going in the right direction.
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