Virginia-born artist Shaboozey is experiencing a new type of heat this summer with the success of his mega-hit, “A Bar Song (Tipsy).”

During an intimate chat at CMA Fest with Audacy’s Katie Neal taking place at Nashville’s Hard Rock Cafe, the 29-year-old shared where he pulled inspiration for the song full of good-time lyrics and boozy references that has music fans of all ages lettin’ loose.

“It’s just a feel-good song,” Shaboozey shared of what he thinks made the tune so successful. “As soon as you hear it, it’s kinda just let go of your worries for a little bit.”

He continued, “I’m gonna tell you this, from the first time that I played that [first] show live when no one has heard it, to now — it’s the same exact reaction,” he shared. “I think that’s when you’ve really made something special… The first time I played it for 20 people and the next time I played it in front of 20,000 people it’s the same reaction… by the end, everyone’s singing the chorus, and everyone’s screaming, like crazy, everyone’s just having a good time the first time they heard it.”

The good times were on full display at CMA Fest over the weekend as numerous stages reached capacity anytime Shaboozey was scheduled. He even played the song twice in a row after fans filled the overflow spaces and packed the surrounding streets and bars for any chance to catch the “good vibes” live. So where exactly did he find the magic mix for this song?

“It definitely started with ‘Everybody in the Club Gettin’ Tipsy,’ [‘Tipsy’ by J-Kwon], he said, recalling the inspiration he felt when hearing the song from 2004. “I think it started there and then… as soon as I said it, It just kind of fell out. It as so fun to write. I have a voice memo of me starting to write the song and you can hear me in real time writing the song… me singing random lyrics and then singing, ‘Me and Jack Daniel’s got a history,’ it’s a really cool piece of archive audio.”

While the song is surely contributing to many good times, Shaboozey says there can also be some major depth to it depending on what frame of mind you are in.

“Not to ruin anybody’s time, but ‘A Bar Song’ is… a song that sounds happy, but if you look at it from a different perspective, it’s also like, a song about someone who is having some struggles that are trying to get through it,” he shared. “And in the moment, it seems like we’re having a great time, but then…. It’s kinda sad. Like, ‘I’m at the bottom of a bottle don’t miss me…. It’s good storytelling.“

There’s a lot more of that depth throughout his newest album, Where I've Been, Isn't Where I'm Going, which highlights his humble beginnings and is proof to everyone of just how far he’s come from “writing music on broken laptops,” to having one of the hottest Country songs of the summer. While many might credit his success mostly to hard work and dedication, Shaboozey says it was mostly “delusion.”

“Making music in a basement and then being like ‘Hey, I want to do this seriously,’ and then just a lot of luck, a lot of delusion,” he said of how he got to where he is. “A lot of delusion, a lot of just, ‘Well, if they did it, why can’t I do it?’ And then just going for it.”

He continued, I didn’t put too much pressure on myself to be like, ‘You gotta be this,’ I’m just having fun and honestly just helping the people around me — helping their dreams come true too. Whether it’s producers or managers or labels, everyone’s got goals and everyone wants to work on something they're proud of so I really just try to work my hardest every time I’m in the studio just to make the people around me proud.”

Safe to say he’s doing just that as he continues to dominate streaming and gains even more traction on the charts. And while all of that is reassuring, Shaboozey says he’s focused on just staying true to himself, his sound and the people who have supported him.

“It’s not about the accolades and the awards… it’s really about how do you feel when you get there,” he concluded.

Hear much more from Shaboozey by checking out his entire interview at CMA Fest with Audacy’s Katie Neal above.

Words by Monica Rivera Interview by Katie Neal