Art as a performance: a deep dive into Sombr.
From TikTok to his first tour, Sombr strikes his audience with his stage presence and vocal range at Schubas Tavern.
photo taken by Charlotte Mooney.
This past January, I had the pleasure of viewing singer-songwriter Sombr at Schubas Tavern in Chicago. Prior to this concert, I had no idea who Sombr was; one of my friends, coincidentally a close family friend of Sombr, offered me an extra ticket. Not only did I get to watch him perform, but I was able to land an interview with him. Although I gathered as much information about his music, social media presence, and overall background before I went to the concert, I did not know what to expect from Sombr’s performance. I was pleasantly surprised. Sombr captivates his audience, not just with his voice, but with his attire, body language, and the intimate atmosphere of the small, sparsely lit venue. Sombr is a performer; he shows with his actions and projected aura rather than just saying.
As he sings about love and heartbreak and the expansive emotions in between, Sombr held the gazes of the whole audience. When I looked around the venue, everyone had their eyes stuck on him and their mouths gaping open. The audience was truly captivated by him; his voice was not only incredible, but he was visually stunning. A product of the intense performing arts high school, LaGuardia, Sombr showed extraordinary strength and range in his performance. When I met Shane Boose, I realized that Sombr was able to be a confident performer, while Shane expressed the realness of a teenager. I valued Shane as a person, but also how he crafts Sombr into an outward expression of himself and creates a sort of persona for the sake of the performative art.
photo taken by Charlotte Mooney.
Charlotte Mooney: Can you tell me a little bit about yourself, what first got you into music?
Shane Boose: My name is Shane, I love music and skateboarding. I love radiohead. I got into music because of my dad, and I was constantly exposed and surrounded by music growing up. We always had instruments in the house and my dad was always singing on the piano or guitar.
CM: How did you start producing your own music?
SB: I started with GarageBand on my phone when I was around eleven, and then it switched to the computer GarageBand; my dad had it. And then eventually went to logic pro, I was making rap beats. I spent hours in my room when I was younger teaching myself how to produce music and it was really during the Covid lockdown that I found the time to improve my production skills and take them to the next level.
CM: I read somewhere that you were classically trained, how has that developed your sound?
SB: I was a vocal major at Laguardia high school, a NYC public performing Arts School, where I really learned how to use my voice. It taught me how to breathe properly, different mouth shapes. I used to do Italian arias and German arias in school. That definitely helped a lot with the longevity of my voice.
CM: Who or what inspires your music?
SB: Life, books, movies, heartbreak, radiohead, type shit. Also, hard times and depressing situations seem to be made better by writing and singing songs about them. That’s always been my inspiration. Relationships, breakups inspire Sombr music. I also can’t forget my dad—he used to be in bands and he always had instruments around the house that he was playing and singing.
CM: Who are your favorite artists?
SB: Radiohead, Phoebe Bridgers, Bon Iver, the 1975 and obviously Sombr.
photo taken by Charlotte Mooney.
CM: What are the challenges of being a young artist such as yourself?
SB: Not being taken seriously. Honestly, being young is the best time in life to be an artist. It’s a time when everything is possible, everything is new. You’re in a period of discovery. You’re immersed in culture and stimulus that you are able to synthesize it in your own way.
CM: Who do you make music for? What is your target audience? Why?
SB: All these beautiful people, everyone that showed up to the show tonight. I didn't find them, they found me. Making music is my passion. People often tell me that certain songs of mine have helped them get through tough times. I am always grateful if my music touches people. There really isn’t a specific target audience, but I think young people are a large part of my fan base.
CM: What is next for you? Do you see yourself collabing with other artists?
SB: Writing and releasing more songs and touring more. But yes, I hope to collab with other artists in the future when the right one comes along. I’m still working on my sound, so I’m not too into collabs right now, but maybe if Phoebe Bridgers wanted to. Also, my song “Would’ve been you” is something I collaborated on with Flawed Mangoes.
CM: Would you consider any new sounds, genres, rhythms?
SB: I’d like to try to work on some songs that are more upbeat. And my ears are wide open and I will never say no to any possible influences. Maybe I'll try an R&B song.
CM: Considering this is your first tour, how are you enjoying it?
SB: It's been amazing, life changing, and I'm so grateful for everyone showing up and supporting me. I am loving it. It is so great to see and meet all my supporters in person! I’m very grateful to everyone who has been coming out to see my shows. My fans are everything to me.
CM: In what ways do you think TikTok has impacted your growing fame?
SB: It has done everything, TikTok has brought my music to the world.
edited by Paulina DePaulo.
photos by Charlotte Mooney.