Sombr’s debut album, I Barely Know Her, co-produced and written entirely by the 22-year-old artist born Shane Michael Boose, is out now. In addition to “back to friends” and “undressed,” the album includes sombr’s recent single “12 to 12.” The album drops a month before sombr kicks off his North American headlining tour, which begins Sept. 22 in Charleston, South Carolina. He’s also been nominated for two MTV VMAs, and that he will be performing on the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards.
The “back to friends” artist is part of a lineup that also includes Sabrina Carpenter, Alex Warren, Busta Rhymes, Ricky Martin and J Balvin with DJ Snake. The VMA performance will mark sombr’s awards show debut. He’s also nominated for two VMAs: best new artist and best alternative for “back to friends.”
The 2025 MTV VMAs, hosted by LL COOL J, will air live coast-to-coast Sept. 7 on CBS and MTV at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. It will also stream on Paramount+. that ceremony takes place Sept. 7.
To celebrate the album release, the New York-based artist is doing a surprise show in his hometown.
The “back to friends” singer announced on his Instagram Story that he’ll be performing a “free outdoor show” on the corner of Canal Street and Orchard Street in Manhattan’s Lower East Side at 6 p.m. ET. He writes, “It’s a free show. No excuses. I wanna to see all of you there.”
In another Instagram Story, he hypes the hometown show and captions it, “Early arrival recommended.”