![\"Sombr](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/P106J55K-e1782829757595.jpg\")
<\/p>\nHe did all this before turning 21 on Sunday (July 5).<\/p>\n
\t7\/2\/2026\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\tSombr performs onstage at The 52nd American Music Awards held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 25, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRich Polk\/Dick Clark Productions<\/p>\n
\n\tTurning 21 is a momentous occasion for anybody, but it\u2019s usually a time for formulating plans and getting more serious about achieving your goals. Sombr<\/a>, who turns 21 on Sunday (July 5) has already achieved more than he probably ever dreamed possible.<\/p>\n \n\tJust this year, he performed at the Grammys, the Brit Awards and the Songwriters Hall of Fame induction gala. At the SHOF event, Taylor Swift <\/a>sang his praises with a compliment that he will likely never forget \u2013 \u201cHis writing is so exceptional that it makes me actually envious, and I love that feeling.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tIn December 2025, Sombr (a stage name which contains his initials SMB, for Shane Michael Boose) was the subject of a Billboard profile in which writer Andrew Unterberger concluded: \u201cSombr blew up quicker in 2025 than any young pop-rock star since Olivia Rodrigo<\/a>, a journey that has taken him in one year\u2019s time from an indie-skewing singer-songwriter trying to show that he could play in the majors to a proven hit-maker who counts the Recording Academy and Taylor Swift as fans.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tSombr\u2019s own take on his success: \u201cI think people are just craving real music with real instruments and real bridges and really thoughtful writing. And I think we\u2019re headed in the right direction. I\u2019m loving the current state of the charts right now, with Olivia Dean<\/a> and RAYE<\/a> and Rosal\u00eda<\/a> and, you know, me! I didn\u2019t set out to make pop songs \u2014 I initially set out to make alternative indie songs. [They] became pop songs because they were catchy.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tSombr\u2019s forthcoming sophomore album (set for release this fall) has already spawned three singles: \u201cHomewrecker,\u201d which is up to No. 16 on this week\u2019s Hot 100, \u201cPotential\u201d and the just-released \u201cMy Body Isn\u2019t Ready.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tHere are Sombr\u2019s nine most impressive accomplishments before turning 21.<\/p>\n \tSept. 7, 2025: First awards show performance; first major award win<\/p>\n \n\tSombr made his awards show debut on the MTV Video Music Awards, where he performed \u201cBack to Friends\u201d and \u201c12 to 12.\u201d He lost best new artist to Alex Warren but won best alternative for \u201cBack to Friends.\u201d<\/p>\n \tSept. 20, 2025: Debut album makes the top 10 on the Billboard 200<\/p>\n \n\tSombr\u2019s debut album, I Barely Know Her, climbs to No. 10 in its third week on the Billboard 200. Sombr was the sole writer of every song on the album, which he co-produced with Tony Berg (except for two tracks he produced by himself).<\/p>\n \n\tThe album ranked No. 30 on Billboard\u2019s \u201cThe 50 Best Albums of 2025: Staff Picks<\/a>\u201d list, where I wrote: \u201cThough Sombr\u00a0is just 20, he\u00a0knows his pop history: The stacked harmonies and melancholy undertones in his hit singles \u2018Undressed\u2019 and \u2018Back to Friends\u2019 are reminiscent of The Beach Boys, while several other tracks on debut set\u00a0I Barely Know Her\u00a0are rooted in \u201990s alternative rock.\u00a0What\u2019s more, Sombr\u00a0wrote every song on the album himself, and co-produced it with Tony Berg (except for two tracks he produced on his own).\u00a0The rising star kept ascending following his LP\u2019s August release,\u00a0winning best alternative at the VMAs in September and snaring a Grammy nod for best new artist in November. Win or lose on Feb. 1, this talented newcomer should be headed for a long career.\u201d<\/p>\n \tOct. 6, 2025: Taylor Swift sings his praises for the first (but not last) time<\/p>\n \n\tTaylor Swift called Sombr \u201camazing\u201d in a SiriusXM interview, a moment he told Unterberger was akin to \u201cbreaking the simulation.\u201d Swift later also gifted sombr a four-leaf clover necklace. They sat together at the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards on March 26, where he won four awards (and she won seven). Swift gave him a shout-out at the Songwriters Hall of Fame Gala, where he performed two of her songs, \u201cDear John\u201d and \u201ccardigan\u201d: \u201cA lot of my late-night debates with my friends about the state of the music industry involve me saying very loudly, \u2018Sombr is the future, and he does it all on his own, and he doesn\u2019t need AI. The kids are fine.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n \tDec. 13, 2025: Tops Billboard\u2019s year-end Hot Rock Songwriters chart for 2025<\/p>\n \n\tSombr ranked No.\u00a01 on\u00a0Billboard\u2019s 2025\u00a0year-end Hot Rock Songwriters<\/a>\u00a0chart, which Unterberger called \u201ca fitting honor for an artist who has helped return rock to the pop mainstream as a songwriter first and foremost.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tThe artist agreed that he is a songwriter above all: \u201cEven if I take a week [off], I\u2019m still going to be writing,\u201d he says. \u201cI can\u2019t not write, because it\u2019s what I enjoy doing.\u201d<\/p>\n \tJan. 10, 2026: \u201cBack to Friends\u201d reaches No. 7 on the Hot 100<\/p>\n \n\tSombr was the sole writer and sole producer of \u201cBack to Friends,\u201d which reached No. 7 on the Hot 100. The song is now 2 billion+ streams on Spotify.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cBack to Friends\u201d ranked No. 13 on Billboard\u2019s \u201cThe 100 Best Songs of 2025: Staff\u00a0Picks<\/a>\u201d list. Unterberger said of the song: \u201cThe first thing that hits you, obviously, is the chorus: a guttural howl of unreciprocated passion that makes palpable both the hurt and sheer incredulity anyone feels after finally making the leap with a partner, and then being expected to immediately jump right back. But\u00a0\u2018Back to Friends\u2019\u00a0became one of the year\u2019s slowest-building top 10 hits because every time you listen to it, a new element of the impressively rich writing and production hooks you even further \u2014 from the gorgeous backing sighs, to that one guitar chord playing over and over like a bad idea in your head, to Sombr\u2019s pained and thoroughly convincing wail on the bridge: \u201cThis is casuaaaaallllll\u2026..\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tSombr also single-handledly wrote and co-produced two other top 20 hits, \u201cUndressed\u201d (No. 16 in October 2025) and \u201cHomewrecker\u201d (No. 16 this week).<\/p>\n \tJan. 31, 2026: Performs on the Grammys where he is nominated for best new artist<\/p>\n \n\tAt 20, Sombr was the youngest best new artist nominee in four years, since The Kid LAROI and Olivia Rodrigo were 18 and 19, respectively, at the 2022 ceremony.<\/p>\n \n\tHe didn\u2019t win \u2013 the award went to Olivia Dean \u2013 but he shouldn\u2019t be discouraged. Among the many superstars who also didn\u2019t win in that category is one Taylor Swift, who lost in 2008 to Amy Winehouse.<\/p>\n \n\tSombr also capped the annual best new artist performance medley with a bit of his hit \u201c12 to 12.\u201d Of that song, Billboard\u2018s Jason Lipshutz wrote<\/a>: \u201cIf \u2018Back to Friends\u2019 and \u2018Undressed\u2019 established\u00a0Sombr\u00a0as Gen Z\u2019s leading student of alternative rock,\u00a0\u201912 to 12\u2032 let the word know that the young singer-songwriter could both ride a guitar groove and bust a move.\u201d<\/p>\n \tFeb. 28, 2026: Performs on the Brit Awards where he is a double nominee<\/p>\n \n\tSombr was nominated for two Brit Awards \u2013 best international artist and best international song (\u201cBack to Friends\u201d). He also performed \u201cUndressed\u201d and \u201cBack to Friends\u201d on the telecast.<\/p>\n \tApril 11 & 18, 2026: Performs at Coachella with a surprise special guest.<\/p>\n \n\tPerformed at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival alongside such artists as Jack White, Addison Rae, Geese, PinkPantheress, The Strokes, David Byrne and Justin Bieber.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cMaking his Coachella debut after a whirlwind rise over the last year, Sombr swaggered onto the Outdoor Stage wearing sunglasses, studded black leather pants and a black leather jacket over a black lace shirt,\u201d Billboard\u2018s Katie Bain wrote<\/a>. \u201cHe looked a lot like a rock star, and acted like one too, busting moves with his mic stand and at one point actually dropping to his knees during a scorching solo from his guitarist. Naturally, the show featured music largely from his 2025 debut\u00a0I Barely Know Her, as well as the show-opening 2026 single \u2018Homewrecker\u2019 and, later, \u20181979\u2019 \u2014 the Smashing Pumpkins classic, for which frontman Billy Corgan made his first ever Coachella appearance to come out and duet on. The two men\u2019s voices sounded complementary in tandem, and surely the cosign from the alt-rock legend added further credibility to an already-respectable show that drew a packed crowd.\u201d<\/p>\n \tMay 25, 2026: Wins three awards at American Music Awards<\/p>\n \n\tSombr took three awards at the AMAs \u2013 breakthrough rock\/alternative artist, best rock\/alternative song (\u201cBack to Friends\u201d) and best rock\/alternative album. Those three awards put him in a tie for most awards of the night with Bruno Mars, BTS, Cardi B, HUNTR\/X, Katseye and Sabrina Carpenter.<\/p>\n \n\tHe also performed his new single, \u201cHomewrecker.\u201d<\/p>\n \t<\/p>\n \t<\/a><\/p>\n Get weekly rundowns straight to your inbox<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tThe Daily\t\t<\/p>\n A daily briefing on what matters in the music industry<\/p>\n \t\tBy providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use<\/a> and our Privacy Policy<\/a>.
\n\tSign Up<\/a><\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\tWe use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. \/\/ This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy<\/a> and Terms of Service<\/a> apply.\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"He did all this before turning 21 on Sunday (July 5). 7\/2\/2026 Sombr performs onstage at The 52nd…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":521888,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[1096,31374,233413,146,2646,12963,85,46,409],"class_list":["post-521887","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-music","tag-awards","tag-billboard-lists","tag-billboard-news","tag-entertainment","tag-genre-pop","tag-genre-rock","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-music"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/521887","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=521887"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/521887\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/521888"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=521887"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=521887"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=521887"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}