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Shaboozey’s career is still skyrocketing since the singer-songwriter dropped his irresistible No. 1 single, “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” more than a year ago.
The rapidly-rising superstar from Woodbridge, Virginia, who celebrated his 30th birthday earlier this month, is photographed on the new cover of PEOPLE. In his cover story, Shaboozey talked about his viral single, his musical influences, how his parents inspired his passion for music, why he felt “directionless” before “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” and more, including the story behind his stage name.
Shaboozey was born Collins Obinna Chibueze. PEOPLE notes the singer’s last name is pronounced “Chee-BWAY-zay.” However, Shaboozey’s football coach in high school mispronounced the surname the way the world pronounces it now. The name stuck.
“Growing up, it was always just a thing, trying to pronounce the name. That was the nickname everyone called me back home, and it shows how far I probably thought this was actually going to go,” Shaboozey said in his interview with PEOPLE for the cover story. "I remember asking one of my friends, 'What do y'all think my stage name should be? Should I just keep this?' And they were like, 'Yeah, just keep it.' Little did they know."
Now, Shaboozey is looking ahead to the future with an aim to “outdo” himself. Later this year, he kicks off the “Great American Roadshow” tour. It starts on September 22 in Indianapolis, Indiana, with stops in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Tennessee, Alabama, Louisiana, Texas and Florida. The tour wraps up on October 16 in Orlando, Florida. See the dates here, and find Shaboozey’s PEOPLE interview here.