Sombr says it’s “incredibly insane” that people would consider him a child of nepotism.
The Grammy nominee addressed nepotism claims in a Tuesday profile with Elle, where he pointed out both of his mother’s and father’s professional history with amFAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research. He said he’s proud of his parents’ work, and doesn’t think that specifically his father, Andy Boose, boosted his career.
“Every time I see an artist blow up, I’m like, ‘OK, this artist is great. I love them so much. They’re so talented.’ Three months later, somehow they’re a nepo baby,” Sombr said. “I will forever respect my dad and my mom. I’m so fucking proud of them, because to devote your life to something like that is so incredible and important. To think that that could help me get signed or become a big artist because my dad devotes his life to fight AIDS is just incredibly insane.”
Boose worked at amFAR for a decade and became the director of special events, he told The World’s Best Events in a 2018 interview. He was also a musician, and now serves as the president of AAB Productions, a single-source event management company that has managed and developed charity dinners for amFAR, The Elton John AIDS Foundation, The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, Madonna’s Raising Malawi and more, per its website. Bennah Serfaty, the singer’s mother, works at the nonprofit as the senior director of public relations.
Boose explained to The World’s Best Events, after 2018’s UNICEF Summer Gala, how he books talent, citing Ricky Martin’s participation in the event as an example.
“He’s a UNICEF ambassador, so the cause is close to his heart. I happen to have known his publicist for many years,” Boose said of Martin. “We have a lot of relationships because we have been doing this for a while, and we are constantly building new bridges to help connect actors and musicians and the fashion elite with new causes.”
The “Back to Friends” singer also opened up about criticism he’s seen of his body online. He said, “Women get the worst of it. So who am I to complain? But no, it’s real. People fucking body-shame me.”
Somber said he has seen people “mak[ing] fun of how skinny I am, which is why I’m in the fucking gym now.” He also spoke about why it was important for him to release the song “My Body Isn’t Ready,” which touches on body image.
“I feel like it’s so important to have this message for the kid who’s growing up and going through this,” he said. “Everything you see on the internet is these sexy people with perfect bodies. I want there to be a song for the kid who is growing up and doesn’t always love the way he looks, and I want him to know that Sombr feels the same thing.”
