Jaten Collin Dimsdale (born September 25, 1992), known professionally as Teddy Swims, is an American singer and songwriter. Known for creating genre-blending music, which include elements of

soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

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, ...

, and pop, Swims originally began to attract fans by posting song covers on

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

during 2019 and 2020. Swims's third extended play, ''Tough Love'' (2022), became his first entry on the ''Billboard'' 200. Swims rose to prominence in 2023 with the release of the hit single " Lose Control", which peaked within the top ten of the charts in several countries and topped the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 the next year. The song preceded the release of Swims's debut studio album, '' I've Tried Everything but Therapy (Part 1)'' (2023), which was released by

Warner Records Warner Records Inc. (known as Warner Bros. Records Inc. until 2019) is an American record label. A subsidiary of Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division ...

and entered the top ten of the album charts in Australia and the Netherlands. In 2024,

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

named Swims its "Push Artist of February".

Early life

Swims was born on September 25, 1992, and grew up in

Conyers, Georgia Conyers is a city and the county seat of Rockdale County, Georgia, United States. The city is 24 miles (38.6 km) east of downtown Atlanta and is a part of the Metro Atlanta, Atlanta metropolitan area. As of 2020 United States census, 202 ...

. His maternal grandfather was a

Pentecostal Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a movement within the broader Evangelical wing of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes direct personal experience of God in Christianity, God through Baptism with the Holy Spirit#Cl ...

minister. His father introduced him to soul music at an early age by way of artists such as

Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gaye Jr. (; April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984) was an American Rhythm and blues, R&B and soul singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He helped shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player an ...

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...

, and

Al Green Albert Leornes Greene (born April 13, 1946), known professionally as Al Green, is an American singer, songwriter, pastor and record producer. He is best known for recording a series of soul hit singles in the early 1970s, including " Tired of ...

. 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 American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

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. The teacher also said he should join the chorus. Swims discovered his passion for performance through his experience in high-school theater, where he performed in musicals such as '' Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'' and '' Rent'', as well as

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

plays. He began playing instruments including piano and

ukulele The ukulele ( ; ); also called a uke (informally), is a member of the lute (ancient guitar) family of instruments. The ukulele is of Portuguese origin and was popularized in Hawaii. The tone and volume of the instrument vary with size and con ...

, and watched YouTube videos of singers to help develop his vocal technique.

Career

2011–2018: Early career

Swims began his music career joining a variety of

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

area bands, including

alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...

band WildHeart and

post-hardcore Post-hardcore is a punk rock music genre that maintains the aggression and intensity of hardcore punk but emphasizes a greater degree of creative expression. Like the term " post-punk", the term "post-hardcore" has been applied to a broad conste ...

band Eris, as well as soul and

hair metal Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals. The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and fi ...

cover bands. He was also the lead singer of progressive rock/R&B/soul band Elefvnts.

2019: Tyler Carter tour and cover performances

In 2019, Swims's friend Addy Maxwell invited him to rap over some beats he had made, which earned the pair an opening slot on a U.S. tour with Tyler Carter. He adopted the stage name "Swims" from internet forum-speak—an acronym for "Someone Who Isn't Me Sometimes"—as a way to perform in character. In June, Swims posted his first cover performance on YouTube,

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

's "

Rock with You "Rock with You" is a song by American singer Michael Jackson, written by Rod Temperton and produced by Quincy Jones. It was first offered to Karen Carpenter, while she was working on her first solo album, but she turned it down. It was release ...

", and continued posting additional covers of artists from a mix of genres, including

Lewis Capaldi Lewis Marc Capaldi (born 7 October 1996) is a Scottish singer-songwriter and musician. In March 2019, his single "Someone You Loved" (2018) topped the UK Singles Chart where it remained for seven weeks, and in November 2019, it reached number ...

, Chris Stapleton,

Amy Winehouse Amy Jade Winehouse (14 September 1983 – 23 July 2011) was an English singer, songwriter, musician, and businesswoman. With over 30 million records sold worldwide, she was known for her deep, expressive contralto vocals and her eclectic mix ...

, and H.E.R. His cover of

Shania Twain Eilleen Regina "Shania" Twain ( ; born August 28, 1965) is a Canadian singer-songwriter. She has sold over 100 million records, making her one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling music artists of all time and the best-sel ...

's " You're Still the One" posted in October became his most viewed video, with 167 million views as of January 2024. His videos accumulated millions of views quickly and after releasing one single "Night Off" independently in July, he signed a record deal with

in December.

2020–2021: ''Unlearning'' EP

Swims released his debut major-label single, "Picky", in January 2020 and embarked on his first headline tour that month. He released several covers in the following months, including " Blinding Lights" in May, "What's Going On" in June (the royalties from which he donated to the

NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (NAACP LDF, the Legal Defense Fund, or LDF) is an American civil rights organization and law firm based in New York City. LDF is wholly independent and separate from the NAACP. Although LDF ca ...

), and "You're Still the One" (which he had previously posted on YouTube) in July. Swims released his next single, "Broke", in August, and an additional version with

Thomas Rhett Thomas Rhett Akins Jr. (born March 30, 1990) is an American country music, country singer-songwriter. He is the oldest son of singer Rhett Akins. Rhett has released seven studio albums for Big Machine Records' Valory Music imprint: ''It Goes ...

in October. In February 2021, Swims released his single "My Bad", which he performed on ''

The Kelly Clarkson Show ''The Kelly Clarkson Show'' is an American daytime television variety talk show hosted by Kelly Clarkson. It is produced and distributed by NBCUniversal Syndication Studios and features Clarkson interviewing celebrities and segments about "ev ...

'', and was named an "Artist You Need to Know" by ''

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 ...

'' magazine. In March he released his single "Till I Change Your Mind", followed by "Bed On Fire" in April, which he performed on ''

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert ''The Late Show with Stephen Colbert'' is an American late-night talk show, late-night news satire, news and liberal political satire talk show hosted by Stephen Colbert, which premiered on September 8, 2015. Produced by Stephen Colbert, Spartin ...

'' and later re-released as a collaboration with Ingrid Andress. In May, Swims released his debut seven-track EP ''Unlearning'', followed by a tour supporting Zac Brown Band that summer.

2021–2022: ''Tough Love'' EP

In August 2021, Swims released his single "Simple Things", which he performed on ''

The Late Late Show with James Corden ''The Late Late Show with James Corden'' (also known simply as ''Late Late'') is an American late-night talk show that aired on CBS from 2015 to 2023. It is the fourth and final iteration of '' The Late Late Show'', and aired in the United Sta ...

'' in September and '' Today'' in November. After releasing his single "911", Swims released his six-track EP ''Tough Love'' in January 2022. He performed "Love for a Minute" on ''

Late Night with Seth Meyers ''Late Night with Seth Meyers'' is an American late-night news and political satire variety talk show hosted by Seth Meyers on NBC. The show premiered on February 24, 2014, and is produced by Broadway Video and Universal Television. Airing w ...

'' in January and "911" on ''

The Ellen DeGeneres Show ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' is an American first-run syndicated talk show that was hosted by Ellen DeGeneres. The show ran for nineteen seasons from September 8, 2003, to May 26, 2022, in which it broadcast 3,339 episodes. It was produced by ...

'' in February. Swims supported the EP with a three-month headline tour of Europe and North America beginning in February, followed by a United Kingdom and

mainland Europe Continental Europe or mainland Europe is the contiguous mainland of Europe, excluding its surrounding islands. It can also be referred to ambiguously as the European continent, – which can conversely mean the whole of Europe – and, by so ...

tour in May and June. He collaborated with

Meghan Trainor Meghan Elizabeth Trainor (born December 22, 1993) is an American singer-songwriter and television personality. She rose to prominence after signing with Epic Records in 2014 and releasing her debut single "All About That Bass", which reached ...

on " Bad for Me", released on June 24 as the lead single for her album '' Takin' It Back''. Swims and Trainor performed the song on ''

Jimmy Kimmel Live! ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'', sometimes shortened to ''JKL'', is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, and broadcast on ABC. The nightly hour-long show tapes and is based out of the Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywo ...

'' in June and ''The Late Late Show with James Corden'' in August. Swims also collaborated on singles with Mitchell Tenpenny,

Illenium Nicholas Daniel "Nick" Miller (born December 26, 1990), professionally known as Illenium (stylized in all caps), is an American musician, DJ, music producer, and songwriter. He has released five studio albums, his most recent being ''Illenium'', ...

, MK and

BURNS Burns may refer to: Astronomy * 2708 Burns, an asteroid * Burns (crater), on Mercury People * Burns (surname), list of people and characters named Burns ** Burns (musician), Scottish record producer Places in the United States * Burns, ...

, and Telykast. After releasing a short performance clip in May, Swims released a cover of Journey's " Don't Stop Believin'" in August. He performed the song on ''

America's Got Talent ''America's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated as ''AGT'') is an American talent show competition, and is part of the global ''Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. The program is produced by Fremantle (as well as distributed by) and ...

'' alongside season 14 winner Kodi Lee and Journey guitarist

Neal Schon Neal Joseph Schon (born February 27, 1954) is an American musician and songwriter, best known as the co-founder and lead guitarist for the rock band Journey. He is the last original member to remain throughout the group's history. He was a memb ...

. In September Swims embarked on a seven-week US headline tour.

2022–present: ''I've Tried Everything but Therapy''

After releasing the singles "Dose", "2 Moods", "Someone Who Loved You", and "Devil in a Dress", Swims released his EP ''Sleep Is Exhausting'' on November 4, 2022. He first appeared on the

Billboard Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the Hot 100, is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), ...

in June 2023 with the release of his single " Lose Control". The single is from his 2023 debut album, '' I've Tried Everything but Therapy (Part 1)''. In 2023, Swims collaborated with Armin van Buuren &

Matoma Tom Stræte Lagergren (born 29 May 1991), professionally known as Matoma, is a Norwegian Disc jockey, DJ and record producer. Early life Lagergren was born in Åsnes Municipality, Norway. He started playing the piano as a child. During that p ...

X Ambassadors X Ambassadors (also stylized XA) are an American pop rock band from Ithaca, New York, that consists of lead vocalist Sam Harris, keyboardist Casey Harris, and drummer Adam Levin. Russ Flynn is a touring member who plays guitar and bass. Their m ...

, Maren Morris,

, and Elley Duhé. In March, he announced his I've Tried Everything but Therapy international headline tour, including shows in the UK,

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

, and

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

in July and August. He also performed at BottleRock, Bamboozle, Boston Calling, TRNSMT, and

Latitude In geography, latitude is a geographic coordinate system, geographic coordinate that specifies the north-south position of a point on the surface of the Earth or another celestial body. Latitude is given as an angle that ranges from −90° at t ...

music festivals the same year. Teddy also opened for the rock band Greta Van Fleet on the tour to support their new album Starcatcher. On December 6, 2023, Swims performed at

Avicii Arena Avicii Arena, originally known as the Stockholm Globe Arena and previously as the Ericsson Globe, but commonly referred to in Swedish simply as Globen (; ), is an indoor arena located in Stockholm Globe City, Johanneshov district of Stockho ...

for the Together for a Better Day concert. The concert promoted mental health awareness and was sponsored by the Tim Bergling Foundation to honor the memory of the Swedish DJ

Avicii Tim Bergling (8 September 1989 – 20 April 2018), known professionally as Avicii, was a Swedish DJ, remixer, and record producer. At age 16, he began posting his remixes on electronic music forums, which led to his first record deal. He rose ...

. At the concert, Swims performed his song "Lose Control" and

Coldplay Coldplay are a British Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer and percussionist Will Champion, and manager Phil Harvey (band m ...

's " A Sky Full of Stars", which Avicii produced.

Personal life

On January 8, 2025, Swims and his girlfriend Raiche Wright announced they were expecting their first child.

Discography

Studio albums

* '' I've Tried Everything but Therapy (Part 1)'' (2023) * '' I've Tried Everything but Therapy (Part 2)'' (2025)

Tours

Headline

* Tough Love World Tour (2022) * US Fall Tour (2022) * Summer International Tour (2023) * I've Tried Everything but Therapy (2023–2025)

Supporting act

* Zac Brown (2021) * Greta Van Fleet's Starcatcher Tour (2023)

Awards and nominations

References

External links

*
Songs written by Teddy Swims
{{DEFAULTSORT:Swims, Teddy 1992 births Living people 21st-century American male singers 21st-century American pianists 21st-century American singer-songwriters American contemporary R&B singers American male pianists American male pop singers American male singer-songwriters American rock pianists American rock singers American soul singers American ukulele players People from Conyers, Georgia Singer-songwriters from Georgia (U.S. state) Singers from Atlanta Warner Records artists