![]() After signing to Warner Records in early 2020, he released his first original song-the frisky, funked-up “Picky”-and took off on a sold-out cross-country headlining tour. “We figured if we all put our heads together and focused on this, we wouldn’t need anybody else.”īut Teddy knows there’s always room for more under his roof. “I wasn’t willing to give up the people around me who keep me sane and safe,” Teddy says. They live in the same house they share the same dreams. That core team of his have been with him night and day ever since, quite literally. Teddy upgraded his situation, but not in the way most burgeoning stars would. Within a few days, it was going crazy.” As it turns out, that clip was Teddy’s first step in making his way from broke to “Broke.” More covers followed-spanning Marvin Gaye to Billie Eilish-showcasing his talent, humor, style, and ease in the studio, and garnering more and more fans in the process. “It was the 10-year anniversary of his death,” Teddy recalls, “and we just thought we’d pay homage. He unwittingly made one for himself when, on a whim, he shared a video of him singing Michael Jackson’s “Rock With You” on YouTube. By 2018, he was in multiple bands including a progressive jam crew called Elefvnts.īy 2019, Teddy was out of a job and a home, crashing with his dad while hoping for a lifeline. Taking his place behind the mic in a handful of acts, he rapped, screamed, and even cooed cover songs at wedding receptions. Teddy being Teddy though, it was all of the music. He played football and a handful of roles in high school musicals, but it was a particularly active time in Atlanta’s metal, punk, and rap scenes-music called to him. The man born Jaten Dimsdale grew up in Georgia, a preacher’s grandson with a powerful voice of his own. But getting here has been a wild journey. Today, of course, Teddy has a following of millions who’ve gravitated to him on the strength of his funk-laced originals and unexpected covers (like his version of Shania Twain’s “You’re Still the One,” which Twain herself has praised). You gotta have the guy behind you who says, ‘Man, this is great!’ Well, I’ve got 12 of those guys, and they’re the best people I know.” “I’m too hard on myself,” says Teddy, though you wouldn't know it from his bright, boisterous presence in his songs and videos. To Teddy, the concept goes beyond his art, it means empathy, connection, using music to serve a greater good, and staying true to your people-in his case, a core group of about a dozen buds, bandmates, producers, and other various visionaries who knew him well before he became Teddy Swims. But it’s even bigger than the Atlanta singer and songwriter’s rich baritone. There’s the fact that his voice sounds cozy and rich over any of the many genres he loves to mix up, from the pop and soul most have heard, on to gospel, hip-hop, and hard rock. It’s right there in his name- “Swims” is an acronym for “Someone Who Isn’t Me Sometimes,” and it’s a kind of shorthand for everything he stands for. ![]()
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