Sombr

Shane Michael Boose was born on July 5, 2005, in New York City and grew up on the Lower East Side. He is the son of Andy Boose, founder of the event planning company AAB Productions, and Bennah Serfaty, who works in public relations at amfAR. He also has a sister named Amelie Boose. His father played in several bands during his youth, surrounding him with music from an early age.

Boose began experimenting with music production at the end of elementary school, layering harmonies and tracks on GarageBand. By middle school, he had transitioned to Logic Pro, teaching himself recording and mixing techniques through internet tutorials. He later attended Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts as a vocal major, where he received classical vocal training. During his junior year in 2022, he chose to drop out of high school to pursue music full-time after his self-produced song "Caroline" gained viral traction online.

Boose adopted the moniker Sombr upon releasing his debut single, combining his personal initials (SMB) with the somber emotional state he was experiencing at the time. In October 2021, he officially debuted with the self-released single "Nothing Left to Say". Working primarily from his makeshift bedroom studio in New York, he followed with independent releases including "Fine", "Through It All", and "Caroline".

The viral response to "Caroline" attracted immediate interest from record companies, leading Sombr to sign with Warner Records in early 2023. Under the label and his own SMB imprint, he released the single "Weak" in January 2023. In September 2023, he released his debut extended play, In Another Life, which he co-produced alongside Grammy-winning producer Tony Berg. Later that year, he issued the single "Would've Been You", which incorporated a sample of Flawed Mangoes' instrumental track "The Beginning".

In early 2025, Sombr achieved widespread mainstream recognition when his singles "Back to Friends" and "Undressed" went viral on TikTok. Both tracks climbed into the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100 and the Billboard Global 200, while "Undressed" reached number one on the Irish Singles Chart and entered the top five in the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. His rapid ascent led to high-profile television appearances, including performances on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge, where he performed "Undressed" along with a cover of Lorde's "Ribs".

Following the release of followup singles "We Never Dated" and "12 to 12" (the latter accompanied by a music video co-starring Addison Rae), Sombr released his debut studio album, I Barely Know Her, on August 22, 2025. Co-produced with Tony Berg, the ten-track project was written entirely by Sombr without outside co-writers and charted in the top ten of both the Billboard 200 and the UK Albums Chart. The album's success earned him three MTV Video Music Award nominations, winning Best Alternative Video for "Back to Friends", as well as a nomination for Best New Artist at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards. To support the album, he launched his first headlining world tour, The Late Nights & Young Romance Tour, playing across North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.

Sombr's music blends indie rock, alternative rock, indie pop, and pop rock, delivered in a distinctive tenor vocal range. His songwriting frequently explores raw vulnerability, unrequited feelings, and late-night heartbreak, with narrative settings often rooted in New York City.

He has cited a wide array of musical influences across eras, including Jeff Buckley, Phoebe Bridgers, Radiohead, the Velvet Underground, David Bowie, Prince, the Rolling Stones, Lana Del Rey, and Taylor Swift. Outside of music, he has also credited romantic films such as The Notebook and Call Me by Your Name as creative touchstones for his lyrical storytelling.