Shaboozey is the kind of artist who is constantly growing, always creating and never standing still. Sitting down for our chat amongst his huge run of Australian shows with Jelly Roll, he appears grounded and quietly self-assured, the kind of energy you get from someone who knows exactly who they are and where they came from.

When asked about his stage name his answer is simple and unfiltered. “Yeah, I don’t know, it’s a name that people call me, and I just stuck with it,” he says with a laugh. “It’s a name from my hometown. I just kind of kept it as my artist name.” That authenticity sums him up: down to earth and connected to his roots.

Those roots run deep in Virginia, the place that helped shaped the sound he’s now celebrated for. “I just wanted to do something different and really pay homage to where I’m from,” he explains. “Virginia has strong country roots, and a lot of the origins of the music came from there. And then, you know, also hip-hop being a huge part of Virginia as well. It was a natural combination - two things I love.”

For Shaboozey, blending genres wasn’t some strategic move it was instinctive. “True artists don’t really think about timing,” he says. “It’s just about creating something that feels like who you are… it just so happened to connect in this season.”

His journey started long before the spotlight found him. “I’ve been making music since I was a kid in Virginia,” he says. “It was a huge part of the journey and the formation of who I am.”

It’s made clear that storytelling is at the heart of what he does, his catalogue is wide and full of stories that feel both personal and universal.  “Anything that inspires me in the moment,” he says of his writing. “More Western tales, more stories of life experiences… all that is.” And while he’s reluctant to single out one song above another, there’s depth in everything he writes. “All the songs I’ve been writing recently, everything I make, I try to inspire some meaning to me.”

Now, he’s taking that storytelling global and Australia’s getting a front row seat right now. “It’s awesome,” he says of performing in Australia for the first time. “I have three number ones here, so it’s cool to finally get to perform the songs that people have come to love and enjoy live for them.”

It’s clear that the love goes both ways. Shaboozey’s live shows at the Strummingbird festivals have been met with thunderous cheers and sing-a-long moments that some have said feel almost spiritual. “I believe we’re all the same,” he reflects. “We’re more similar in ways than we are different. So I just connect to my most human moments and try to create from there. Usually, that connects with larger groups of people.”

Of course, no Shaboozey story would be complete without mentioning A Bar Song (Tipsy) the breakout hit that’s clocked over a billion streams. But he remains humble about its success. “I just write songs,” he says. “I try to put my best effort in the studio and hope it connects.”

He keeps his creative circle tight and confirmed he working with the same people for his new material. And when it comes to what’s next, he’s keeping things close to the chest. “Can’t say too much on that,” he teases. “As an artist, those ideas always change. I’m still in the process of incubating and figuring out what it is.”

If his recent collaborations are anything to go by, the future looks bright. One standout moment was teaming up with Jelly Roll for the song Amen, which was a full circle experience for Shaboozey. “It’s really cool to have a collaboration with Jelly Roll,” he says. “After looking up to him, seeing him win Best New Artist, and then being on stage with him… it was pretty unbelievable.”

And of course, there was that surreal NFL Christmas Day Halftime Show performance alongside Beyoncé. “Yeah, it was awesome,” he says, in a somewhat understated way. With a couple features on Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter album, he’s clearly in the orbit of icons yet still grounded in humility.

As for the legacy he hopes to leave, he doesn’t hesitate: “Just be someone who stuck true to their roots and opened doors for people who look like me to express themselves in ways they never thought they could.”

For all the global success, innovation and star-studded collaborations, Shaboozey’s greatest strength might just be his quiet confidence: a Virginia kid doing something different.