Back-row iPad → “Caroline” → two quiet years → top 10.
Shane Boose — sombr, a name built from his initials, SMB — grew up on the Lower East Side, was a vocal major at LaGuardia High School, and has been releasing self-produced singles since “Nothing Left to Say” (Oct 2021). Labels found him in 2022; the audience found him in 2025, at 19.
The timeline (what actually happened)
Oct 2021 — “Nothing Left to Say”, self-released REPLICABLE
No label. He had been producing himself since middle school — GarageBand first, then Logic, learned from online tutorials — and writing on his iPad in class.
2022 — “Caroline” goes viral on TikTok STILL IN SCHOOL
Self-written, self-recorded. Labels were in his inbox the next morning. He leaves LaGuardia during his junior year and signs with Warner Records at 17 (announced January 2023). Releases carry an SMB / Warner credit; the deal terms are not public.
2023 — LA, Tony Berg, EP In Another Life INFLECTION
Moves to Los Angeles after signing. Producer Tony Berg becomes his mentor at Sound City and produces the September 2023 EP. Commercially quiet: nothing on it charted.
2023–2024 — Keeps releasing REPLICABLE
A steady run of singles, none of them hits. He brings finished songs to Berg for input, texture and sometimes other players — Berg adds to the song rather than replacing it.
Dec 27 2024 — “Back to Friends” released WAIT
Written and produced by sombr alone — no Berg on this one. Does not chart. This is the key: release ≠ virality. TikTok picks it up in March 2025, about ten weeks later.
Early 2025 — TikTok teases flip the switch MECHANIC
He teases the chorus of “Undressed” before its March 21 release; the teaser passes 9.5M views, his most reactive yet. Both songs climb the charts together. “Back to Friends” enters the Hot 100 on Apr 12 2025 and peaks at #7 nine months later (Jan 10 2026).
Mar 21 + May 13 2025 — “Undressed” single + pop radio SEQUENCED
Single via SMB/Warner, then US pop radio seven weeks later. Not day one. Music video (Gus Black) May 8.
Aug 22 2025 — Debut album I Barely Know Her ONE-TIME WINDOW
4 singles deep: “Back to Friends”, “Undressed”, “We Never Dated”, “12 to 12” (his third top-50 Hot 100 entry). “Back to Friends” had topped Spotify's Global Weekly chart in July. Co-produced with Berg, recorded at Sound City. A Grammy Best New Artist nomination follows in November.
2026 — The run continues UPDATE
Best New Artist goes to Olivia Dean. “Back to Friends” reaches #1 on Pop Airplay; “Homewrecker” (Feb 2026) reaches the Hot 100 top 20. On Spotify: 53.6M monthly listeners and 6.6B total streams (as of Oct 2026).
Three facts that matter more than myth
- 1The gap was 3 years. Caroline (2022) → Hot 100 (Apr 2025). That middle stretch is where it's easiest to quit. He used Warner’s runway to keep releasing, not to blow up.
- 2The biggest hit had no outside producer. “Back to Friends” was made by sombr alone. Berg co-produced “Undressed” and the album, adding input, texture and sometimes other players to songs that were already finished. That's an ethic you can copy without the budget: finish it yourself, then bring in help.
- 3SMB is a credit, not a contract. His releases say SMB / Warner, but the terms aren't public — an imprint name alone doesn't tell you who owns the masters. What transfers: know what you keep before you sign.
Cost sheet
| Cost | What it bought |
|---|---|
| Left LaGuardia in his junior year | Full-time writing, then the LA move |
| 2 quiet years post-signing (2023–2024) | Craft + the Tony Berg relationship |
| Loop fatigue risk (TikTok indie pop) | Narrowed lane = top 10 when it hit |