Sombr has hit back at claims that he is a “nepo baby” or industry plant, saying suggestions that his father’s career helped with his rapid rise are “incredibly insane”.
The 21-year-old musician – real name Shane Michael Boose – reflected on the online speculation surrounding his success in a new interview with ELLE.
Discussing the speed with which successful new artists can find their backgrounds scrutinised online, he said: “Every time I see an artist blow up, I’m like, ‘Okay, this artist is great. I love them so much. They’re so talented.’ Three months later, somehow they’re a nepo baby.”
Sombr’s father Andy Boose was previously a musician himself before becoming an events producer working with HIV/AIDS organisations, while his mother Bennah Serfaty also works in HIV/AIDS prevention.
“I will forever respect my dad and my mom,” Sombr told ELLE. “I’m so fucking proud of them, because to devote your life to something like that is so incredible and important.
“To think that that could help me get signed or become a big artist because my dad devotes his life to fight AIDS is just incredibly insane.”
Sombr grew up in New York and attended the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, where he trained as a classical singer.
He began releasing music independently as a teenager, and said his breakthrough came after he uploaded ‘Caroline’ to TikTok in 2022, prompting approaches from numerous record labels.
“I was failing in school, and we would get emails home pretty much three times a week,” he recalled. “My mom was saying I was spending too much time doing music, because I was flunking and skipping class. You can’t expect your kid to be a pop star.”
He ultimately left school and signed with Warner Records at 16, telling the magazine that the label had been the “hungriest” to work with him.
However, a run of subsequent releases failed to make a significant impact, until his fortunes changed with ‘Back To Friends’, which he wrote around Christmas 2024 and became his breakthrough hit alongside ‘Undressed’. Both tracks featured on his debut album ‘I Barely Know Her’, released in August 2025.
In a four-star review, NME described the record as “smart, emotional and surprisingly upbeat”, adding that it was “a gloriously dynamic record that’s less about misery and more about catharsis. It’s sad boy indie with a smirk.”
Earlier this year, Taylor Swift declared that “Sombr is the future” during her Songwriters Hall Of Fame induction speech, after personally choosing him to perform ‘Cardigan’ and ‘Dear John’ at the ceremony.
Last year, he responded to criticism and body-shaming surrounding his live shows, while his recent single ‘My Body Isn’t Ready’ directly tackled his struggles with self-worth and body image.
He brought out 5 Seconds Of Summer during his Lollapalooza set this year, before drawing one of the biggest crowds of Reading 2026, where Slayyyter accompanied him from an ambulance stretcher to the stage as part of his theatrical entrance.
He has since announced a huge UK and European tour for 2027, with demand leading him to add three extra nights at London’s O2.
