Sombr was my second favorite musician of 2025. Olivia Dean was my first. I recently snuck into her play a Super Bowl party at Pier 48 with Shaboozey opening. So I had to see Sombr next. Sombr played just before The Backstreet Boys on the main stage at BottleRock 2026. His set was a lot better than expected.
I have many issues with Sombr’s social media strategy–listen to Billboard’s On The Record with Chaotic “Good” to get a hint–but besides that seeing clips of him perform live, he didn’t sound that good. His voice sounded better behind a great producer in a studio. I didn’t even think his Coachella performances live on YouTube were all that good. However, hearing him actually live at BottleRock changed that.
First off, focus on the audience. When the entire crowd is singing his song, any song will sound amazing. It’s always remarkable to hear, especially when the people get loud. Second, every track he played, Sombr surprised me with what he did with his voice, and how well the live production crew worked it. Sombr’s got a lot of smart & talented people behind him, aside from his already extreme talent alone. He’s still no Olivia Dean ;)
Sombr’s going to be rocking far beyond The Backstreet Boys in decades to come, and not just because of his age.
Note: The title of this post is a bit hyperbolic. And maybe the last line too. He’s got the potential.
