Collins Obinna Chibueze aka Shaboozey had a breakout yet in 2024 thanks to the global success of his huge hit ‘A Bar Song (Tipsy)’. Having previously been known as a rapper, it came as a bit of a surprise when Shaboozey shifted to Country music. His arrival on the Country charts proved to be controversial and opinion on him has definitely been split. While it’s undeniable that ‘A Bar Song (Tipsy)’ is catchy and memorable, the jury is still out as to whether Shaboozey is truly committed to Country music or if this is a gimmick as he searches for success. 2024 album ‘Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going’ didn’t really help to clarify that so the fact that he’s on the C2C 2025 line-up in a fairly prominent place, is very interesting.
Shaboozey has been embraced by the CMA (Country Music Association) and he was prevalent on the CMA Fest line-up last year, but could he win over a UK crowd off the back of his breakthrough hit? The answer isn’t as straightforward as I expected. Ahead of Shaboozey’s C2C performance there was a contingent of loud voices criticising his inclusion and already writing him off before he had a chance to prove himself. Opening his set with ‘Last of My Kind’, Shaboozey showcased a more restrained version of his talents and it was met with a muted reaction. Second song ‘Tall Boy’ leaned further into Shaboozey’s hip-hop roots with rap prominent in the verses but then the star gave the audience whiplash by moving on to the more acoustic-driven ‘Anabelle’.
Confused enough, ‘Drink Don’t Need No Mix’ – a song Shaboozey released with BigXthaPlug – was an out-and-out hip-hop song with very little elements of Country in the mix at all. The expletive-laden song raised a few eyebrows, as did Shaboozey’s tendency to swear in between songs when talking to the audience. That felt a little out of place given that the Country genre, for the most part, is fairly clean. At this point in the set I honestly wasn’t sure what I thought but I admit Shaboozey came into his own over the last three songs starting with ‘Good News’. This song showed a little more of what Shaboozey is capable of and the solid ‘Let It Burn’ suggests that he could deliver a straightforward Country record if he really wanted to.
Unsurprisingly the last song of the set was ‘A Bar Song (Tipsy)’, which most of the audience had been waiting for from the moment Shaboozey stepped onto the stage. Regardless of what they thought of the controversial star, the majority of the audience jumped to their feet to dance and sing their way through the song. It was one of the biggest reactions I saw inside the arena all weekend, and it proves that the song was a huge global hit for a reason. Shaboozey gave a high-energy performance of the song before saying goodbye and exiting the stage.
It's really hard to tell what the audience thought of Shaboozey overall. I know I was a little confused as the setlist was muddled and certainly not even Country adjacent at times. There were moments that showcased an artist I’d be interested in pursuing further, while others felt out of place and jarring. Vocally Shaboozey isn’t the strongest, and he’s clearly more comfortable when he’s rapping, but with ‘A Bar Song (Tipsy)’, he’s clearly hit the right note with plenty of people. Did we see the real Shaboozey? Who knows, but those final five minutes of his set will go down in the C2C history books regardless.
Set list: 1. Last of My Kind 2. Tall Boy 3. Anabelle 4. Vegas 5. Drink Don’t Need No Mix 6. Highway 7. Good News 8. Let It Burn 9. A Bar Song (Tipsy) Venue: The O2, London Performance date: Sunday 16th March 2025
