Virginia-born singer Shaboozey is crediting his Nigerian parents for helping him develop the love for country music and also the proper work ethics.
The Grammy-nominated singer, born Collins Obinna Chibueze, shot into superstardom after he landed two features on Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter album and his Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going album attained commercial success.
In a recent interview with PEOPLE, the A Bar Song (Tipsy) singer touched on his father’s love for country music and American culture. His father immigrated to the United States from Nigeria and had his college education in Texas.
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“My dad very much loves the Old West and America. Even just spending time with him recently, it’s interesting to see how much he just loves American culture,” Shaboozey, 30, said. “He can’t explain, but Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton, Don Williams were some of his favorites. He’d mention these people that I feel like he somehow connected to their music.”
Besides being inspired by his music taste, Shaboozey said his father also opened up about his life back in Africa and how he helped his mother in the fields during his childhood.
“[My dad] told me a story the other day about how he told his parents, ‘Hey, I’m going to make you guys proud,’” he recalled. “He washed dishes and figured out any menial jobs he could to pay his way through college. He’s always telling me about individual responsibility. It’s on you to really make something of yourself.”
Shaboozey then touched on how that has helped him develop a good work ethic. “I definitely put a lot of those principles into my work ethic, when it comes to getting something done or finishing up a project or waking up and being like, ‘Alright, got to get to the studio,’ or ‘Got to edit this video,’” he told PEOPLE.
“Just getting up and getting it done, not putting things off. My mom also worked pretty tirelessly. It’s very inspiring. I’m grateful for them.”
This isn’t the first time Shaboozey has shared his gratitude to his parents for their support. In his hit single, A Bar Song (Tipsy), he even pays homage to his mother, singing, “I ain’t changing for a check/Tell my ma I ain’t forget.”
During a September 2024 show, Shaboozey also brought his mother on stage and showered praises on her. “She was one of my earliest supporters in my career. As a Nigerian parent, it’s really hard. She wanted me to go to school and be a lot of things other than what I’m at right now, but she trusted me and she was a loving mom and she changed my entire life,” he was heard telling the crowd in a video he posted on TikTok.
READ ALSO: Cowboy Carter: Shaboozey Speaks About His Relationship With Beyoncé
