Jaten Collin Dimsdale, known to the world as Teddy Swims, is an American singer and songwriter. Swims has captivated audiences with his genre-blending music, incorporating elements of pop, R&B, soul, hip-hop, rock, and country. He initially garnered attention through his YouTube covers in 2019 and 2020. His journey is one marked by musical exploration, self-discovery, and a commitment to personal growth, including a notable weight loss transformation.
From Covers to Chart-Topping Success
Swims' rise to prominence began with posting song covers on YouTube during 2019 and 2020. His third extended play, Tough Love (2022), marked his first entry on the Billboard 200. His breakthrough came in 2023 with the release of "Lose Control," a hit single that topped the Billboard Hot 100 and reached the top ten in several countries. This success paved the way for his debut studio album, I've Tried Everything but Therapy (Part 1) (2023), released by Warner Records, which achieved top ten status in Australia and the Netherlands.
Early Life and Musical Beginnings
Born in Conyers, Georgia, on September 25, 1992, Swims' musical journey began early. His father introduced him to soul music through artists like Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, and Al Green. High school musical theater provided him an avenue into performing. Offstage, he would review YouTube videos of his favorite singers with a couple of supportive teachers to help develop his vocal technique and presentation. Swims's family were American football enthusiasts; he had been playing football for ten years when, during his second year at Salem High School, one of his teachers suggested he and a few of his teammates sign up for a musical theater class.
Swims began his music career joining a variety of Atlanta area bands, including alternative rock band WildHeart and post-hardcore band Eris, as well as soul and hair metal cover bands. He was also the lead singer of progressive rock/R&B/soul band Elefvnts.
Embracing Authenticity and Overcoming Challenges
Amidst his rise, Teddy Swims remains grounded. There’s no hint of ego; instead, there’s an unadulterated joy in embracing this growth. Authenticity is a cornerstone of his appeal. He acknowledges the challenges of maintaining a certain image while navigating the demands of his career.
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The "Unlearning" Process
"Unlearning" became a mantra for Swims during quarantine. He explains, “I had all this whole year for writing and writing and writing. And I’m thankful in lot of ways for the pandemic because it sat me on my ass and made me do a lot of introspection… I think everybody experienced that in some way." Teddy’s own battle to unlearn meant getting out of his own way. Though he boasts a YouTube channel with millions of views, which he amassed performing widely acclaimed covers, he still felt himself lacking.
“I was more sure of myself and what I was doing in my music before anybody bought in, when I was just a guy in a bunch of bands nobody gave a shit about,” he admits. “Then all of a sudden Teddy Swims works and I’m in front of people’s screens. Maybe millions of people have screens now and I’m more terrified and more thoughtful and more scared and more unsure of myself and I’ve ever been.”
As many venture into the world again, we can taste the fruits of those efforts. Teddy cut his teeth on YouTube covers spanning the genre spectrum from George Strait to the Weeknd, and Mario to Amy Winehouse. That versatility carries over into Unlearning. “I guess I wanted my music to feel like the human experience,” he explains. “We all go to certain artists and certain people for certain feelings that we want. I might turn on Adele if I feel like I want to cry today.
Instead of allowing himself to be pigeonholed as a ballad singer, a country artist, or a pop star, he bakes a little of everything into Unlearning’s brisk 22 minutes. “L.I.F.E.” swells with the wistful melancholy of Bieber at his best. “Blowing Smoke” revives blue-eyed soul with punchy modern production. Girl, what you want? I came up in metal band, so I still want people to punch each other. I want people to cry. I want them to laugh. I want people to turn up. I want people to drink. In other hands, this eclecticism might come off as disjointed, but Unlearning ebbs and flows with the steady rhythm of a tide, easing the listener from one realm to the next. It’s a showcase for Teddy’s versatility and a forum for him to prove his talent in original pieces.
The Meaning Behind the Name
Teddy Swims: Jayten is a bit of a difficult name for some people growing up. I would be waiting tables and bartending, and if I said my name was JT, they would be like, Jay? Jay-Z? I got Teddy when I was younger, and it really stuck. I was a bear, you know? Like, the little chunky kid running around the church. And Swims? I found it on a drug forum, believe it or not. “SWIM” stands for “someone who isn’t me.” It’s like asking for a friend. So I had originally started out by making Swims our whole collective unit that I had back here in Georgia, my whole team. I was just Teddy from Swims. And I guess it just kind of slapped itself together somehow and became what it is.
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Musical Influences and Versatility
Teddy Swims' musical foundation is a blend of gospel, soul, and R&B. He grew up on a lot of different music. His mom’s dad was a Pentecostal pastor, so I was raised on a lot of Southern gospel music and quartets that would come through the church. Then we would go see my dad on the weekend and he’d let us listen to whatever we wanted and eat junk food and whatever. So the weekend was my safe haven at my dad’s house because he would turn us all into everything that mom didn’t approve of. Boys 2 Men, Keith Sweat, you know?
Teddy Swims: I grew up on a lot of different music. And I’m my own worst critic. Growing up, I knew that I may never be the best at anything. There’s always going to be some 11-year-old on YouTube that’s better than you at anything you’d ever want to be. And so I always tell myself, “Well, if I can just do what this person did half as good as them, maybe I could bridge a gap some way for somebody to be exposed to something that they wouldn’t otherwise be exposed to. I guess I wanted my music to feel like the human experience.
We all go to certain artists and certain people for certain feelings that we want. I might turn on Adele if I feel like I want to cry today. But I also might turn on Future to turn up and dance. I’m getting pumped tonight. I feel like for me personally, that’s who I am as a human. And as an artist, I should be able to embody my experience instead of just somebody coming to me for one particular thing. I would hate for someone to be like, “Oh, that’s Teddy. He’s just a ballad singer. So when you go see him live, everybody dresses up and sits down and watches and claps quietly.” You know, I came up in metal band, so I still want people to punch each other. I want people to cry. I want them to laugh. I want people to turn up. I want people to drink.
"Lose Control": A Breakthrough Hit
Fronting heavy metal bands and posting a viral Shania Twain cover on YouTube were just two of the detours on Teddy Swims’ long, winding road to the top. Now, the 31-year-old is sitting pretty. “Lose Control” became his first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 in late 2023, and currently sits at its peak of No. 4 after 25 weeks on the chart. “There’s a hundred thousand songs that come out every day on Spotify,” says Swims.
Penned during a four-day writing camp in Palm Springs, the session looms large for Swims, who worked on the track with Julian Bunetta, Ammo, Infamous and Mikky Ekko. The pitch was as simple as it was ambitious: to concoct a vocally challenging tune that builds and builds until a lung-busting chorus. Something along the lines of, say, “Tennessee Whiskey.” “With that song, it’s all about the run,” he says. So, they set out to write their own future karaoke go-to, a song “catchy enough for everyone to want to sing, but not everyone can.” Bunetta and Ekko crafted the first two verses and then Swims stepped into the booth to pull the vocal trigger. By the time they played it back, he knew they had come up with something special. “For the first time in my career, I thought, ‘God, this is going to change my life,'” he says.
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Though its ascent was steady, there’s perhaps another reason why Swims’ breakthrough took a little longer than expected. Dabbling in everything from hard rock to club music and country made it harder to distill his sound, and his first four EP releases dating back to 2021 didn’t exactly connect. “A lot of times in the past I was very close to hitting the mark, but I was still defining what I wanted to be,” he says. Swims takes a moment to clarify. “I’ve actually been making-or trying to make-this kind of music for the last four years,” he says. “‘Lose Control’ is just the first time I really hit the mark.”
A large part of the song’s appeal is that it evokes an era when voices were big and instruments trumped computers. “You don’t hear a lot of songs like ‘Lose Control’ anymore,” he says. “It’s got roots in country, rock, Motown, and R&B - and it was made to be sung live.” He drives that home in the performance-based video. “We’ve put money into doing regular videos before, but for us that always ends up being a waste of time. For Swims, the live arena is another chance to showcase his biggest gift: a formidable set of pipes. “Good singers are hard to come by these days,” he says. “People want real music with real feelings and real instruments.” Those fundamentals are more important than ever with AI and other technologies. “Nothing beats the human experience,” he says.
Weight Loss Journey
Teddy Swims' journey of self-improvement extends beyond music. He has openly discussed his weight loss journey, attributing his success to the support and guidance of Diamond Dallas Page (DDP). He hang out with Diamond Dallas Page a lot. I don’t know if you’re wrestling at all, but he’s helped me a lot over this pandemic. Man, he’s a childhood hero of mine. I’m actually down almost 50 pounds right now over the last four or five months, because he’s been helping me get in shape, take care of myself, and take myself seriously. One thing DDP has taught me that delaying gratification right now leads to better rewards in the future. Don’t have that hamburger right now, fat boy. Maybe you wait till Sunday for a cheat day and you’re five pounds down this week.
The Importance of Consistency
Teddy Swims: Man, stay consistent. I think that’s the only thing that I’ve learned and what’s been good for me. Because eventually you’ll have one thing that works. That’s how it happened for us on YouTube when we first started doing covers. If we did one every Tuesday at 10:30am and we stayed consistent, eventually we’d start building something. There’s no way to really make it. There’s no way of knowing what you’re doing. But if you just stay consistent, there’s room for everybody. Everyone can be an entertainer. There are people that are going to see you and love you for who you are what you are. There are going to be some people in this life that you meet, that you can touch and really change their lives and you’ll never really know who they are. It’s conversations like this that help me get closer to understanding those people that I can’t reach.
Connecting with Fans
Teddy Swims values his connection with his fans. After we got to be together BTS shooting these very special photos of you with Sophie Elgort you were pumped because 100 fans were coming to meet you prior to the show for a meet and greet. I wanted to get out of your hair before the show but you seemed to be pumped to have 100 fans come before. Do these fans keep you moving every single day?
Teddy Swims: Absolutely - I think it makes my pain seem necessary and like it’s justified.
"I've Tried Everything But Therapy"
The last four years Teddy has been writing his way towards an album that would tell this story - his story - to the people who were ready to receive it. An emotionally walloping and deeply resonant body of work to be released in multiple parts - much like Teddy’s own journey of self-discovery - I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy (Part 1) is an album about diving headfirst into healing without any floatation devices. “Now I’m watching people connect with the messages and stories and realizing not only are the songs helping me, but they’re also helping them too,” he says.
Teddy Swims has just released I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy (Part 1.5), an extension of his album (out now via Warner Records)! “I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy (1.5) is an extension to Part 1 of the album - this whole album is just me being honest,” Swims shares. “You know, I’ve been touring, writing, and continuing to work on myself over the past 8 months and wanted to share something like a real-life check-in.
Looking Ahead
Swims is focused on continued growth and connection with his audience. He will start by giving “The Door”-another standout cut from his 2023 debut album, “I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy (Part 1)”-a little push. “We’re going to let that grow organically,” Swims says. “I can’t wait to release it, but ‘Lose Control’ is still growing and I’m going to ride that train until the wheels fall off,” he says with a laugh. Ultimately, it’s buying him time to keep writing and, hopefully, conjure another future standard. “Now I know what it feels like to write a great song,” he says with confidence.
“If I could go back to a younger me, I would tell myself to shut up and get out of my own way,” he says. “There were so many signs pointing me in the right direction, but I just burned right past them. I was forcing a square peg into a round hole.” However, as he swaps the troubadour life for that of a rising hitmaker, Swims is grateful for every not-quite-perfect decision. “I truly could not be more grateful,” he says. And Swims is still only getting started: “‘Lose Control’ has given me a taste of what’s possible and now I’m so hungry for more.