Shaboozey Responds to Viral 2025 AMAs Megan Moroney Side-Eye Moment with Insight on Country Music's 'True History'

Shaboozey is responding to that viral infinitesimal during nan 2025 American Music Awards.

During nan 2025 AMAs connected Monday, May 26, nan "A Bar Song (Tipsy)" vocalist and Megan Moroney took nan shape astatine nan Fontainebleau Las Vegas to announce nan Favorite Country Duo aliases Group grant winner.

"Country euphony has been an important portion of AMA history," Shaboozey, 30, began. "The very first twelvemonth of this show, nan grant for Favorite Male Country Artist went to nan awesome Charley Pride." Pride, who died successful 2020, is considered a pioneer for Black musicians successful state music.

"That aforesaid year, Favorite Female Artist went to Lynn Anderson. And this grant went to nan Carter family, who fundamentally invented state music," Moroney, 27, publication disconnected nan teleprompter, which prompted Shaboozey to respond by side-eyeing nan comment.

Check retired each of PEOPLE's afloat AMAs sum here.

He fto retired a little laughter earlier introducing nan "very impressive" nominees for nan Favorite Country Duo aliases Group category.

The adjacent day, Shaboozey, whose existent sanction is Collins Obinna Chibueze, alluded to nan viral moment.

"When you uncover nan existent history of state music, you find a communicative truthful powerful that it cannot beryllium erased…" nan vocalist posted connected X, referring to Black artists' power connected state music. "The existent history of state euphony is astir group coming together contempt their differences, and embracing and celebrating nan things that make america alike."

The Carter family, made up of A. P. Carter, Sara Dougherty Carter and Maybelle Addington Carter, are considered nan first family successful state music, per nan Country Music Hall of Fame.

They "essentially invented nan benignant of harmony singing utilized for years successful nan music, and popularized galore songs that became state standards," per nan website.

Shaboozey's remark refers to nan truth that nan Carter Family was influenced by Lesley Riddle, a Black guitar subordinate who assisted A.P. successful gathering "song material" almost 100 years ago. Country euphony is "indebted to African and African-American traditions," per TIME.

However, "commercial decisions by achromatic manufacture executives led to their removal from nan genre for decades."

The PEOPLE App is now disposable successful nan Apple App Store! Download it now for nan astir binge-worthy celeb content, exclusive video clips, astrology updates and more!

Riddle isn't nan only Black musician who contributed to nan genre. Country musician Hank Williams was mentored by Black guitar subordinate Rufus “Tee Tot” Payne. Gus Cannon, who played banjo, trombone, fiddle, piano, guitar, and different instruments, served arsenic a mentor for Johnny Cash.

DeFord Bailey, a Black harmonica subordinate whose power dispersed to state and blues genres, was nan first creator to execute astatine nan Grand Ole Opry, which became instrumental successful mounting Nashville up arsenic a awesome state euphony hub.

Black musicians proceed to beryllium an integral portion of nan genre. Beyoncé's state medium COWBOY CARTER won nan Album of nan Year prize astatine nan 2025 Grammys, wherever she besides took location Best Country Album. She dedicated nan triumph to Linda Martell, nan first Black female state vocalist who worked pinch her connected nan record-breaking album.

"I dream we conscionable support pushing forward," Beyoncé, 43, said astatine nan time.