- - Who is sombr? Meet the charismatic Grammy best new artist nominee

Melissa Ruggieri, USA TODAYJanuary 17, 2026 at 8:31 PM

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When sombr took the “Saturday Night Live” stage in November, his animated performance turned heads and capped his breakout year.

The slender 20-year-old born Shane Michael Boose in New York was omnipresent on radio and streaming last year after his songs “Back to Friends” and “Undressed” burst through the TikTok clutter.

That virality led to a well-received debut album (“I Barely Know Her”), three MTV Video Music Award nominations (he won one for best alternative video for “Back to Friends”) and his inaugural Grammy nomination for best new artist.

The latter was tied to so much nervous anticipation that he purposefully slept through the nominations announcement, he told Billboard in December.

Whether or not sombr is christened with the Grammy honor amid a crowded field that includes Olivia Dean, Alex Warren, Leon Thomas, Addison Rae, Lola Young, KATSEYE and The Marías, his musical mélange of introspective pop and alt-rock has earned him critical and commercial clout early in his career.

Singer sombr, born Shane Michael Boose, says he took his stage name as an interpolation of his initials and that it described his mood at the time.

More: Grammy nominations live. Who made the 2026 list?

He adopted his stage name when he dropped his first song – “Nothing Left to Say” – online in 2021. It’s a combination of his initials (SMB) with “how I was feeling at the time,” he explained to 1883 Magazine in 2023.

Sombr’s heart-piercing songs also stand out among his peers, as he wrote the 10 tracks on “I Barely Know Her” with nary an assist from the usual cadre of ancillary voices. He co-produced the record with Tony Berg, whose decades of experience include working with artists ranging from Bette Midler to The Replacements to 2024 Grammy darlings boygenius.

“Tony held me to a certain standard and really showed me what a good song through and through is,” sobmr told Billboard. “And he wouldn’t work on something that wasn’t fully fleshed [out].”

Justin Bieber earned four 2026 Grammys nominations including album of the year for “SWAG”.

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Justin Bieber earned four 2026 Grammys nominations including album of the year for “SWAG”.

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KPop Demon Hunters’ “Golden” earned 2026 Grammys nominations for song of the year, best pop duo/group performance and best song written for visual media.

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KPop Demon Hunters’ “Golden” earned 2026 Grammys nominations for song of the year, best pop duo/group performance and best song written for visual media.

">KPop Demon Hunters’ “Golden” earned 2026 Grammys nominations for song of the year, best pop duo/group performance and best song written for visual media.

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ROSÉ earned three 2026 Grammys nominations including record of the year and song of the year for “APT.” with Bruno Mars.

">ROSÉ earned three 2026 Grammys nominations including record of the year and song of the year for “APT.” with Bruno Mars.

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Sombr is up for best new artist at the 2026 Grammys.

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Sombr is up for best new artist at the 2026 Grammys.

">Sombr is up for best new artist at the 2026 Grammys.

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Doechii earned five 2026 Grammys nominations including record of the year and song of the year for “Anxiety”.

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Doechii earned five 2026 Grammys nominations including record of the year and song of the year for “Anxiety”.

">Doechii earned five 2026 Grammys nominations including record of the year and song of the year for “Anxiety”.

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Clipse earned five 2026 Grammys nominations including album of the year for “Let God Sort Em Out”.

">Clipse earned five 2026 Grammys nominations including album of the year for “Let God Sort Em Out”.

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Lola Young earned two 2026 Grammys nominations including best new artist and best pop solo performance.

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Lola Young earned two 2026 Grammys nominations including best new artist and best pop solo performance.

">Lola Young earned two 2026 Grammys nominations including best new artist and best pop solo performance.

" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/3cgXhWHUkgdO.Tt3d6gFoA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/2f0db03ee4c5fac8c5aded272d94397d class=caas-img>Leon Thomas earned six 2026 Grammys nominations including best new artist and album of the year.

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Leon Thomas earned six 2026 Grammys nominations including best new artist and album of the year.

">Leon Thomas earned six 2026 Grammys nominations including best new artist and album of the year.

" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/uhqC5VfDC8Nt.RF87zXlxw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/bc787dd9e1b3b312ca18f111e7e7fc3c class=caas-img>Addison Rae is up for best new artist at the 2026 Grammys.

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Addison Rae is up for best new artist at the 2026 Grammys.

">Addison Rae is up for best new artist at the 2026 Grammys.

" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/1ECWzcjPSsdzhOFPHvjpuA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjk-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/40cc444c641b738a697617af31558da7 class=caas-img>The Marias are up for best new artist at the 2026 Grammys.

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The Marias are up for best new artist at the 2026 Grammys.

">The Marias are up for best new artist at the 2026 Grammys.

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1 / 21See the top 2026 Grammy nominees in photos

Justin Bieber earned four 2026 Grammys nominations including album of the year for “SWAG”.

More: Who is Leon Thomas? Meet the Grammy best new artist nominee and Bruno Mars tour opener

Sombr ascends from high school dropout to heartthrob

Sombr currently lives in Los Angeles, but fingerprints of his life in New York are felt on his album, with shoutouts to “Canal Street” and a Brooklyn apartment in “I Wish I Knew How to Quit You.”

The burgeoning artist attended LaGuardia High School as a vocal major but, much to his mother’s disappointment, dropped out during his junior year in 2022.

"My mom wasn't too happy. I think my dad was more supportive, but it was just like, 'This is all I wanted to do. Why should I go to school and delay the whole thing when it's happening now?'," he told People magazine.

Sombr’s decision followed the attention that flooded his socials – including from record labels – after he posted the song “Caroline,” which he recorded in a makeshift studio in is childhood bedroom.

Sombr's 2025 debut album, "I Barely Know Her," helped earn him a best new artist nomination for the 2026 Grammy Awards.

Though the song, which he refined with Berg for his full-length debut, initiated his signing to Warner Records in 2022 and led to his debut EP “In Another Life” in 2023, sombr didn’t truly become a worldwide heartthrob until 2025.

Touring solo for the first time in his fledgling career, sombr traversed North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand most of the year, playing shows that often had to be relocated to larger venues following his expanding success.

Sombr honed stagecraft while looking to inspirations including Jeff Buckley, David Bowie and Prince and, as evidenced by his “SNL” performance of “12 to 12,” as he shimmied hips, shadow-boxed with his microphone stand and karate kicked the air, a boyish Mick Jagger.

No doubt, sombr is walking a bright path.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is sombr? Meet the charismatic Grammy best new artist nominee

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”