# Where I've Been, Isn't Where I'm Going
**Where I've Been, Isn't Where I'm Going** is the third studio album by the American singer-songwriter [Shaboozey](https://www.edgepedia.org/shaboozey) (Collins Obinna Chibueze), released on May 31, 2024 by American Dogwood and Empire. The 12-track record blends country, hip-hop, Americana, and R&B, and it carries the single "A Bar Song (Tipsy)," which topped the Billboard Hot 100 and became one of 2024's defining crossover hits.[1](https://musicrow.com/2024/05/shaboozey-shares-stories-that-shaped-his-artist-journey-on-where-ive-been-isnt-where-im-going/) • [2](https://www.plattentests.de/rezi.php?show=20128)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Artist / release | Shaboozey (Collins Obinna Chibueze); May 31, 2024, American Dogwood / Empire[1](https://musicrow.com/2024/05/shaboozey-shares-stories-that-shaped-his-artist-journey-on-where-ive-been-isnt-where-im-going/) |
| Catalog number / length | ERE 1023; CD edition runs 37:53[3](https://www.allmusic.com/album/release/where-ive-been-isnt-where-im-going-mr0006356566) |
| Album number | Third, after *Lady Wrangler* (2018) and *Cowboys Live Forever, Outlaws Never Die* (2022)[2](https://www.plattentests.de/rezi.php?show=20128) |
| Breakout single | "A Bar Song (Tipsy)," which interpolates J-Kwon's 2004 hit "Tipsy" and reigned 19 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100[4](https://ca.billboard.com/music/country/inside-shaboozey-s-world-the-a-bar-song-hit-maker-reveals-how-he-became-country-s-favourite-new-cowboy) • [5](https://ca.billboard.com/music/country/shaboozeys-born-to-die-stream-it-now-1236230784/?debugld=stickybtest) |
| US chart debut | No. 5 on the Billboard 200; No. 2 on Billboard's country albums chart with 50,000 units of first-week consumption (7.8K album sales, 49 million song streams)[6](https://ca.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/shaboozey-a-bar-song-tipsy-hot-100-third-week-number-one-1235742170/) • [7](https://musicrow.com/2024/06/weekly-register-shaboozey-shakes-up-country-albums-chart-with-new-project/) |
| Guest features | Paul Cauthen ("Last Of My Kind"), Noah Cyrus ("My Fault"), BigXthaPlug ("Drink Don't Need No Mix")[8](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/909566-shaboozey-where-ive-been-isnt-where-im-going.php) |
| Reception | Critic score of 79 on Album of the Year (AllMusic 80, Rolling Stone 80, Pitchfork 77, Holler 9/10)[8](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/909566-shaboozey-where-ive-been-isnt-where-im-going.php) |
| UK chart run | No. 1 on the Official Country Artists Albums Chart, spending 92 weeks there[9](https://www.officialcharts.com/albums/shaboozey-where-ive-been-isnt-where-im-going/) |
## Background
Shaboozey, a Virginia-born artist of Nigerian descent, had released two albums before this one, *Lady Wrangler* (2018) on [Republic Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/republic-records) and *Cowboys Live Forever, Outlaws Never Die* (2022), but remained a relatively obscure name.[2](https://www.plattentests.de/rezi.php?show=20128) • [4](https://ca.billboard.com/music/country/inside-shaboozey-s-world-the-a-bar-song-hit-maker-reveals-how-he-became-country-s-favourite-new-cowboy) His fortunes changed through Beyoncé's 2024 album *Cowboy Carter*, on which he appeared twice, more than any other featured artist.[10](https://www.roughtrade.com/en-gb/product/shaboozey/where-ive-been-isnt-where-im-going) According to his label EMPIRE, Spotify listens across his catalog, including his first two albums, rose by 1,000 percent after *Cowboy Carter* was released.[11](https://www.grammy.com/news/shaboozey-new-album-where-ive-been-isnt-where-im-going-interview-beyonce-cowboy-carter/)
Six weeks after *Cowboy Carter*, "A Bar Song (Tipsy)" reached No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart, dethroning Beyoncé's "[Texas Hold 'Em](https://www.edgepedia.org/texas-hold-em-song)."[11](https://www.grammy.com/news/shaboozey-new-album-where-ive-been-isnt-where-im-going-interview-beyonce-cowboy-carter/) The song was written and recorded in November 2023, near the end of the album sessions, and grew out of Shaboozey's desire to rework a 2000s hit; listeners recognized it as a potential hit before it even received a final mix.[4](https://ca.billboard.com/music/country/inside-shaboozey-s-world-the-a-bar-song-hit-maker-reveals-how-he-became-country-s-favourite-new-cowboy)
## Music and themes
The album mixes hip-hop, country, and [Americana](https://www.edgepedia.org/americana). The German review site Plattentests described its blend of blues, folk, Americana, and R&B, noting that small rap interjections feel organic among the acoustic guitars.[2](https://www.plattentests.de/rezi.php?show=20128)
Shaboozey himself later described the record as "a journal entry and an opportunity for the world to get to know more about me as a person."[5](https://ca.billboard.com/music/country/shaboozeys-born-to-die-stream-it-now-1236230784/?debugld=stickybtest) Rolling Stone's David Browne called it "a full-on barrage of post-genre possibilities" and wrote that Shaboozey "comes across like someone raised on country who also appreciates hip hop.
## Commercial performance
The album debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard 200, the best mark of Shaboozey's career to that point, and at No. 2 on Billboard's country albums chart with 50,000 total first-week units per Luminate.[6](https://ca.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/shaboozey-a-bar-song-tipsy-hot-100-third-week-number-one-1235742170/) • [7](https://musicrow.com/2024/06/weekly-register-shaboozey-shakes-up-country-albums-chart-with-new-project/) By August 2025 it still sat in the upper reaches of Billboard's Country Albums chart, at No. 5 with 64 cumulative weeks.[12](https://bulletins.billboard.com/country/country_update_2025_0825.pdf) In the United Kingdom it peaked at No. 1 on the Official Country Artists Albums Chart, where it spent 92 weeks, and reached No. 2 on the Album Downloads Chart.[9](https://www.officialcharts.com/albums/shaboozey-where-ive-been-isnt-where-im-going/) Year-end lists included Billboard at No. 20 and Rolling Stone at No. 55.[8](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/909566-shaboozey-where-ive-been-isnt-where-im-going.php)
"A Bar Song (Tipsy)" became the first song to reach the top 10 on Billboard's Country Airplay, Rhythmic Airplay, Pop Airplay, and Adult Pop Airplay radio charts simultaneously, and by mid-2024 had been played nearly half a billion times on Spotify.[6](https://ca.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/shaboozey-a-bar-song-tipsy-hot-100-third-week-number-one-1235742170/) • [13](https://www.axios.com/local/richmond/2024/07/09/shaboozey-billboard-hot-100-country-charts-virginia) Shaboozey went on to earn five Grammy nominations.[14](https://www.grammy.com/news/new-music-friday-renee-rapp-katseye-bigxthaplug-shaboozey-songs-albums/)
## Significance
The album arrived during a wider convergence of country and hip-hop. [The Atlantic](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-atlantic) noted that Shaboozey was the only Black man riding the same cultural currents as hitmakers such as [Morgan Wallen](https://www.edgepedia.org/morgan-wallen) and [Post Malone](https://www.edgepedia.org/post-malone), and that he had been rapping and singing over country instrumentation for six years before most listeners encountered him through *Cowboy Carter*.[15](https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2024/06/hip-hop-country-billboard-charts-shaboozey/678652/) AllMusic's Timothy Monger wrote that the record is "more than just a vehicle for 'A Bar Song (Tipsy),'" calling it a showcase for "a modern American approach that continues to leave genres behind."[8](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/909566-shaboozey-where-ive-been-isnt-where-im-going.php) The album's follow-up is *The Outlaw Cheri Lee & Other Western Tales*, announced in 2025.[5](https://ca.billboard.com/music/country/shaboozeys-born-to-die-stream-it-now-1236230784/?debugld=stickybtest)
## References
1. [Shaboozey Shares Stories That Shaped His Artist Journey, MusicRow](https://musicrow.com/2024/05/shaboozey-shares-stories-that-shaped-his-artist-journey-on-where-ive-been-isnt-where-im-going/)
2. [Shaboozey – Where I've been, isn't where I'm going, Plattentests](https://www.plattentests.de/rezi.php?show=20128)
3. [Where I've Been, Isn't Where I'm Going, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/album/release/where-ive-been-isnt-where-im-going-mr0006356566)
4. [Inside Shaboozey's World, Billboard Canada](https://ca.billboard.com/music/country/inside-shaboozey-s-world-the-a-bar-song-hit-maker-reveals-how-he-became-country-s-favourite-new-cowboy)
5. [Shaboozey's Outlaw Era Rides on With 'Born to Die', Billboard Canada](https://ca.billboard.com/music/country/shaboozeys-born-to-die-stream-it-now-1236230784/?debugld=stickybtest)
6. [Shaboozey Tosses Back Third Week at No. 1 on Hot 100, Billboard Canada](https://ca.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/shaboozey-a-bar-song-tipsy-hot-100-third-week-number-one-1235742170/)
7. [Weekly Register: Shaboozey Shakes Up Country Albums Chart, MusicRow](https://musicrow.com/2024/06/weekly-register-shaboozey-shakes-up-country-albums-chart-with-new-project/)
8. [Where I've Been, Isn't Where I'm Going, Album of The Year](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/909566-shaboozey-where-ive-been-isnt-where-im-going.php)
9. [Where I've Been Isn't Where I'm Going – Shaboozey, Official Charts](https://www.officialcharts.com/albums/shaboozey-where-ive-been-isnt-where-im-going/)
10. [Shaboozey – Where I've Been, Isn't Where I'm Going, Rough Trade](https://www.roughtrade.com/en-gb/product/shaboozey/where-ive-been-isnt-where-im-going)
11. [Shaboozey On His New Album, Beyoncé & Why He'll Never Be A "Stereotypical" Artist, Grammy.com](https://www.grammy.com/news/shaboozey-new-album-where-ive-been-isnt-where-im-going-interview-beyonce-cowboy-carter/)
12. [Billboard Country Update, August 25, 2025](https://bulletins.billboard.com/country/country_update_2025_0825.pdf)
13. [Shaboozey's "A Bar Song (Tipsy)" makes Billboard Chart history, Axios](https://www.axios.com/local/richmond/2024/07/09/shaboozey-billboard-hot-100-country-charts-virginia)
14. [New Music Friday, Grammy.com](https://www.grammy.com/news/new-music-friday-renee-rapp-katseye-bigxthaplug-shaboozey-songs-albums/)
15. [The Next Great American Mega-Genre, The Atlantic](https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2024/06/hip-hop-country-billboard-charts-shaboozey/678652/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musical works and recordings › Albums and recorded releases › Studio albums › Country and folk albums › Country albums*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license