Shaboozey Deserves More Than What the CMA Awards Gave Him. Including an Apology

Shaboozey was on a high coming into the 2024 CMA Awards, having received two nods in his debut year as a nominee and a performance slot to showcase a mix of his breakthrough hit “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” and his recent single “Highway.” But what should have been a night of celebrating country — a genre in which the 29-year-old musician has been a history-making force for the duration of the year — was plagued by microaggressions being played off as jokes.