Teddy Swims

Jaten Collin Dimsdale, known by his stage name Teddy Swims, is an American singer-songwriter, known for blending genres including R&B, soul, country, and pop. Originally attracting fans through his cover performances on his YouTube channel, Swims released his debut major label single in January 2020. He has since released four EPs as well as a debut album I've Tried Everything but Therapy (Part 1) in 2023. Early life Swims grew up in Conyers, Georgia. His father introduced him to soul music at an early age by way of artists like Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, and Al Green. Swims' family were football enthusiasts; he had been playing football for ten years when 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. It was his second year at Salem High School. At first his mother, Glenna Fox, was unconvinced he should be in the class. Swims noted his height and said he was more likely to get a theater scholarship than to get one in football. Swims discovered his passion for performance through his high school theater experience, where he performed in musicals including Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat as well as Shakespeare plays. He began playing instruments including piano and ukulele, and watched YouTube videos of singers to help develop his vocal technique. Career 2019: Early career 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. In early 2019 Swims' 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. On this tour he began performing under the name Teddy Swims–referring to a nickname from his childhood referencing his size, and an internet-speak acronym for "someone who isn't me sometimes," referring to the idea of integrating different parts of his personality. In June, Swims posted his first cover performance on YouTube, Michael Jackson's "Rock With You", and continued posting additional covers of artists from a mix of genres regularly including Lewis Capaldi, Chris Stapleton, Amy Winehouse, and H.E.R. His cover of Shania Twain's "You're Still the One" posted in October went on to become his most viewed video, with 86 million views as of 2022.