''Where I've Been, Isn't Where I'm Going'' is the third studio album by American musician

Shaboozey Collins Obinna Chibueze (born May 9, 1995), known professionally as Shaboozey, is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, and record producer. Shaboozey's music combines hip-hop, country, and Americana. His stage name originated from the mispron ...

, released on May 31, 2024, through American Dogwood and

Empire Distribution Empire Distribution, Records and Publishing Inc. (stylized as EMPIRE) is an independent American record label, distribution and publishing company founded in 2010 by Ghazi Shami. Based in San Francisco, EMPIRE has offices in New York, London, ...

. It was preceded by five singles, including the US number-one hit "

A Bar Song (Tipsy) "A Bar Song (Tipsy)" is a song by American country musician Shaboozey. The song was released April 12, 2024, as the fourth single from his third album '' Where I've Been, Isn't Where I'm Going''. "A Bar Song (Tipsy)" tied " Old Town Road" by Lil ...

"; while not being released as a single, the

BigXthaPlug Xavier Landum (born May 12, 1998), better known by his stage name BigXthaPlug, is an American rapper, songwriter and record producer. He is currently signed to UnitedMasters and is best known for his songs "Texas", "Mmhmm", "Climate", "Levels" ...

collaboration "Drink Don't Need No Mix" reached the top 10 of the Rhythmic Airplay charts. The album also includes collaborations with Paul Cauthen and

Noah Cyrus Noah Lindsey Cyrus (born January 8, 2000) is an American singer and actress. As a child actress, she voiced the titular character in the English dub of the film ''Ponyo'' (2008), and appeared in minor roles on shows including ''Hannah Montana'' ...

. The album debuted at number five on the US ''Billboard'' 200. The deluxe edition, titled ''Where I've Been, Isn't Where I'm Going: The Complete Edition'', was released on April 25, 2025.

Critical reception

Grayson Haver Currin of ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

'' wrote that the album "does not feel like a mere receptacle for one of the year's most unlikely hits", calling it "remarkably assured" and "a sophisticated self-help journey that only occasionally masquerades as a good time. He has spent a long while trying to find some space where the sounds of

hip-hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hi ...

and

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

could overlap, where the defiant swagger, nostalgic circumspection, and quivering heartbreak of both genres could fuse together". David Browne of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' felt that Shaboozey "comes across like someone raised on country who also appreciates hip hop. In doing so, he's effectively changed the game", describing it as "a full-on barrage of post-genre possibilities". ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

''s Kyle Denis commented that "at a tight 12 tracks, there's no real filler on ''Where I've Been, Isn't Where I'm Going''. Shaboozey assembled his strongest hooks and smartest arrangements to craft a record that embraces both country music tradition and modernity". A staff review from ''

Taste of Country Townsquare Media, Inc. (formerly Regent Communications until 2010) is an American radio network and media company based in Purchase, New York. The company started in radio and expanded into digital media toward the end of the 2000s, starting wit ...

'' opined that the album "deals with subjects such as heartbreak, depression and even suicide. While the project does feature some more light-hearted tracks, Shaboozey chooses to let us all in on his journey of authenticity and humility". ''Holler''s Soda Canter said that "Shaboozey oozes with ignitable star power as he expertly mixes his hip hop, country and

Americana Americana may refer to: *Americana music, a genre or style of American music * Americana (culture), artifacts of the culture of the United States Film, radio and television * ''Americana'' (1981 film), an American drama film * ''Americana'' (20 ...

musical influences along with his past experience as a filmmaker", calling it a "creatively diverse cocktail".

Chart performance

''Where I've Been, Isn't Where I'm Going'' debuted at number five on the US ''Billboard'' 200 and at number two on the US

Top Country Albums Top Country Albums is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The 50-position chart lists the most popular country music albums in the country, calculated weekly by Broadcast Data Systems based on physical sales ...

chart week dated June 15, 2024, earning 50,000

album-equivalent unit The album-equivalent unit, or album equivalent, often shortened to just unit, is a sales metric in the music industry that defines the number of streaming media, songs streamed and music download, songs downloaded equal to one Record sales, tradi ...

Track listing

Personnel

– vocals *

Colin Leonard Colin Leonard is an American mastering engineer. In 2024, he won a Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album (Victoria Monét) and in 2025 for Album of the Year (Beyoncé), as well as receiving 14 nominations. He has also received 13 Latin Grammy ...

– mastering (tracks 1–3, 5, 6, 8–12) * Dave Huffman – mastering (track 4) *

Chris Athens Chris Athens is an American mastering engineer from Stony Point, New York. He began his career at Sony Music Studios in New York in the mid-90s, where he worked until 1998, when he moved to Sterling Sound, where he worked for 13 years. He founded ...

– mastering (track 7) * Raul Lopez – mixing (tracks 1–8, 10–12) * Ryan Dulude – mixing (track 9) * Skyler Gibbons –

engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...

* Stef Moro – engineering (track 4) * Sean Cook – recording (tracks 1–3, 5–8, 10–12); acoustic guitar, electric guitar (2) * Nevin Sastry – recording (tracks 4, 9) * Trey Pearce – recording (track 8) * Lily Honigberg –

fiddle A fiddle is a Bow (music), bowed String instrument, string musical instrument, most often a violin or a bass. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including European classical music, classical music. Althou ...

Critical reception

Chart performance

Track listing

Personnel

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Accolades

References