Shaboozey Shares Story About How He Appeared On Beyoncé's 'Cowboy Carter'
By Kelly Fisher
June 3, 2024
Shaboozey caught up with Billy Costa backstage at the Kiss 108 Kiss Concert 2024 over the weekend, including the story of how he ended up on two tracks on Beyoncé’s historic COWBOY CARTER album.
Beyoncé released the 27-track country-themed album earlier this year. The 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards Innovator Award recipient collaborated with many artists spanning genres, including legends and rising stars in country music. Artists who joined Beyoncé on COWBOY CARTER include Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Brittney Spencer, Tiera Kennedy, Tanner Adell, Reyna Roberts, Linda Martell, Willie Jones, Miley Cyrus, Post Malone and Shaboozey. Beyoncé’s daughter Rumi, 6, also appears on one of the tracks.
Shaboozey — who released his own, album, Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going, last month — told Costa he’s been making music for about 10 years. Growing up in Virginia, the “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” hitmaker said he often made music as a way of bonding with friends, but “never thought I was gonna do anything too serious.” After moving out and heading to L.A., Shaboozey’s perspective started to change.
He joked that “it’s part delusion” and being a “dreamer” to end up on two tracks on COWBOY CARTER (“Spaghetti” and “Sweet Honey Buckin’”). Shaboozey sought to create an “inspiring” project, fueled by some radio hits by Harry Styles, Post Malone and others. He said he’d “always having this country, Western flair and this sound to my music,” and said Beyoncé is “always trying to break grounds and stuff like that, so I think when you look at the country space, as far as people of color doing it, it’s not that many of us. I think she just saw me as one of the major people visibility-wise, maybe, and they just reached out.”
In addition to collaborating with Beyoncé, Shaboozey teamed up with Paul Cauthen and BigXthaPlug on his 12-track album that released last month. He spoke with Costa about his duet featuring Noah Cyrus during their conversation backstage at the Kiss Concert. Shaboozey also noted a tour is on the way and teased dream guests he would bring.Liisten below (warning: language).