Sombr, whose real name is Shane Boose, grew up in New York City with parents Bennah Serfaty and Andy Boose and sister Amelie. After he left high school at 17 to pursue music, his mother, initially unhappy with the decision, came to support his career.
Serfaty and Boose met in 1999 while working at amfAR, where he was director of special events and she was director of publicity. They married in 2003. Boose later built event-management company AAB Productions, while Serfaty is amfAR’s senior director of communications.
Sombr began making music at 10 after discovering GarageBand in middle school. He has said he is proud of his parents’ work fighting HIV/AIDS and rejected suggestions that his father’s work or connections helped him get signed or become a major artist.
