I think it was right after my cover of “I Can’t Make You Love Me.” That song started to go viral on YouTube. Here’s the video of Teddy Swims’ song “Broke” (feat. Did Warner find out about when you became big on YouTube? So I realized that genre really doesn’t matter to fans anymore.ĭK: You’ve signed a label deal with Warner Records. They fall in love with a character or a person a lot more than they fall in love with a style of singing. And we found out that it’s more today about what people see in the person. We did everything from Shania Twain to R&B and hip-hop songs, and it seemed like it was going well. We could try everything and see what would work. So we figured maybe doing some covers online as Teddy Swims, and doing a bunch of different genres, that maybe somebody would point us in the direction of which way Teddy Swims should go.
Let’s figure out who Teddy Swims is.” Up until that point, I was in a bunch of different bands. Swims: My manager at the time, at one of my shows in L.A., he pulled me aside and said, “Look man, I think there’s really something special about Teddy Swims the solo artist. When did you start posting your covers on YouTube? I wanted to be able to do all sorts of genres, and I also did rapping.ĭK: You’ve become famous for singing covers of classic songs. At one time, I was the lead singer in four or five bands. One was called WildHeart and another was Elephants. Those were some of the first songs I wrote and recorded.
I really got the hunger and the drive from that, so me and Jesse would sit around and try to write songs on the acoustic guitar. His dad was the first person I saw play guitar and sing in front of me. And my buddy Jesse was always playing guitar he still plays guitar in my band. Teddy Swims: I got involved with musical theatre when I was in 10 th grade. How did you get started with music, and singing and writing songs? He also tells how his success singing covers on YouTube led to his signing with Warner Records.ĭK: I read that you’re from Atlanta. He talks about his new single “Simple Things,” his EP Unlearning, and his songwriting. We are pleased to do this new Q&A interview with Teddy Swims. Here’s a video of Teddy Swims performing his single, Then in late March, he begins his North American tour in Florida, and he’ll play over 30 shows throughout the U.S. He starts his tour in Ireland in early February, and plays shows in several European countries. In addition, he’s launching a major headlining tour of both Europe and the U.S. His video standouts include Shania Twain’s “You’re Still The One (71 million views), Mario’s “Let Me Love You” (58 million), “I Can’t Make You Love Me” (23 million) and “Tennessee Whiskey” (23 million).Ĭurrently, Swims is writing & recording songs for his next EP, which he’ll release in early 2022.
His compelling vocal performances have drawn praise from the original artists who created these songs. Prior to his recent releases of original songs, Swims was known for his impressive cover renditions on YouTube (he now has almost two million subscribers). Other key songs on the Unlearning EP are “L.I.F.E.” (written by John Ryan & Poo Bear), the thoughtful ballad “Will It Find Me” (written with Wrabel & Ian Kirkpatrick) and “Til I Change Your Mind” (written with John Ryan, Ian Pollack, Ian Franzino & Andrew Haas). He has worked closely with L.A.-based writer/producer Julian Bunetta on songs, including the passionate “Bed on Fire,” the funky R&B “Broke” (featuring vocals by country star Thomas Rhett) and the uptempo “Blowin’ Smoke.” Swims & Bunetta also wrote the new single, “Simple Things.” Here’s an excerpt of our interview with Teddy Swims, who tells what inspired him to write his single, “Simple Things.”įor his EP Unlearning, Swims teamed up with several top songwriters & producers to write songs for this project.