Following the successful run he had with his debut album, Teddy Swims joining us on #AudacyCheckIn to chat all about it and more 👏
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00:00You really dip a toe in various genres.
00:03My roots are in metal, you know.
00:05My roots are as a screamer before I was a singer.
00:07So just to shout it out for myself,
00:10I did get a writing cut on the new Linkin Park record as well.
00:13So that was, yeah, yeah, you know.
00:18All right, this is your check-in with Teddy Swims.
00:21We are at the Odyssey Soundspace at the Hard Rock Hotel, New York.
00:24Congratulations on everything, my friend.
00:28You know, you really dip a toe in various genres.
00:32Is there one genre you feel the most comfortable in
00:35and then one that you wish you felt more comfortable in?
00:41I feel, it's so strange to say this, but I feel the most comfortable.
00:46My roots are in metal, you know.
00:48My roots are as a screamer before I was a singer.
00:51So I think, like, I'm one of the gnarliest screamers.
00:56This, you know, ever.
00:58Like, I really do.
01:00I don't even think I'm that good of a singer.
01:02I love this vocal.
01:03I love this instrument.
01:04So I think I can do all the acrobats that it takes,
01:08acrobatics that it takes to do a singer.
01:10But I think I'm a really good screamer.
01:12I think my most favorite thing, like,
01:15where I'm most comfortable in is metal.
01:17Will I ever get to, like, scratch that itch again and do it?
01:19I don't know.
01:20But also, I mean, just to shout it out for myself,
01:24I did get a writing cut on the new Linkin Park record as well.
01:28So that was, yeah, yeah, you know.
01:30Yeah, I did.
01:31I wrote with them and did a few records with them
01:34and just saw them in Paris, too.
01:36Again, I have told Mike Shinoda on the next record.
01:39I was like, come on, bro.
01:40You know, you gotta, like, you gotta put me on that record, bro.
01:44Like, I cut a lot of those records.
01:47I don't usually get to say it,
01:48because Emily also is out of this world, like, incredible.
01:53But I was like, bro, come on.
01:54You should have left my voice on one of those songs, man.
01:57Come on.
01:58No way, you know.
01:59But I think the rock, hard rock, like metal, like Linkin,
02:03like Hybrid Theory is one of my first albums I ever got given.
02:07Rock and roll, man.
02:09Metal is my, I'm a screamer at heart.
02:11That's what I do.
02:12It's crazy.
02:12You have such a unique upbringing,
02:14because I know you were born and raised in the South,
02:16and you grew up on soul music.
02:20You know, your dad introduced you,
02:21and you did the football thing.
02:22You were a theater kid.
02:24It's all these different parallels.
02:25And I feel, I wonder if you felt like at any point
02:29you were living in two completely different worlds.
02:33No, I feel like, I don't know, my reality is, you know,
02:37I know I felt, it's weirder to know that other people
02:41have a different perspective or upbringing than you.
02:45You know, you always feel like people are the same.
02:48I don't know, you're the center of your own experience, right?
02:52Like you're the lead role in your own movie, right?
02:55You know, or I guess the supporting role in your movie,
02:59I Am, you know?
03:00So like, I just never, you never realize
03:03other people are different until you get older
03:06to realize other people's expectations.
03:07When you're a kid, you're like, we're all doing this, right?
03:12I thought everybody was,
03:14I remember going to my first Warped Tour in 2007
03:16and thinking that like these bands I was listening to
03:19in the Warped Tour at this time
03:20was the biggest thing in the world, you know?
03:23There was 200 kids at a Circus Revive show
03:27and I'm at a Circus Revive show
03:29and I thought they were the biggest band in the world.
03:30I thought they were as big as Justin Bieber at the time.
03:34I didn't see the difference between 200 kids at a show
03:37versus 20,000 kids at a show.
03:40I just thought that that was the biggest thing in my life.
03:43So that was the biggest thing in the world, you know?
03:46It's not until you get, becoming, I guess, older
03:49that you're like, oh, people are having different experiences
03:51than I am, you know?
03:52Right, right, right.
03:53So I don't know, it all felt natural to be who I was.
03:58I don't know, I didn't know that people
04:00were living different lives, you know?
04:01I love that, man.
04:02When you were on The Come Up,
04:03you were doing a lot of covers
04:04on like YouTube and stuff like that.
04:06I wanted to know, is there a song
04:08that you feel like the cover is better than the original?
04:11Because I got a couple that I get roasted for all the time,
04:13but I want to know.
04:14Of mine?
04:15Yeah, well, no, just a cover in general.
04:17Okay, because if it's of mine, none of them, you know?
04:20Everybody hates themselves a little bit,
04:22like none of mine are as good as that.
04:25So I love Whitney, Higher Love,
04:27but that's just because I'm so in love with Whitney.
04:30The original's great, but I mean, that one gives me chills.
04:34There's even like, you know,
04:35all along The Watchtower, Bob Dylan was like,
04:38yo, Bob Dylan even retired that song, Jimmy.
04:42Like, you know, Jimmy Hendrix, he was like,
04:44that's Jimmy's song.
04:45Jimmy Hendrix did that song, you know?
04:47So I will say the same thing about Bob Dylan again.
04:50What a songwriter, what an artist,
04:52but also Tank and Body Rates, I Can't Make You Love Me.
04:58Tank, Tank shut that thing down, bro.
05:01Yes.
05:01And made it so R&B.
05:03I don't know, Tanks, I Can't Make You Love Me
05:05is the greatest.
05:06I don't know, it's just something that's so,
05:08and it's so special that time too
05:09when you listen to Tanks, I Can't Make You Love Me.
05:12It's so special.
05:13And then also, that song is the best song ever,
05:17probably ever written of all time.
05:21Bon Iver did a version of I Can't Make You Love Me,
05:23like live to salmon and piano.
05:25Yes.
05:25I think that might be the greatest version yet too.
05:28Bon Iver's version of I Can't Make You Love Me
05:30is like probably the, arguably the greatest cover
05:34or greatest song recorded in music ever.
05:37Such good answer.
05:38Nobody's going to roast you over that.
05:39Those were very good answers.
05:41Before we wrap, I know we were talking about this
05:43a little off camera,
05:45daddy to be the coolest thing in the world.
05:48Is there anything you are scared of?
05:54Yeah, I'm scared of my dad being a granddaddy
05:57because he's the best guy I've ever met.
06:01And I want how I'm having this conversation with you
06:05about my daddy being the greatest dad in the world.
06:07I want my son or daughter to say that.
06:11And I hope my kid says that I'm the greatest daddy ever,
06:15but it's just going to be impossible as long as my dad,
06:19of course, I want my dad to be alive to be the granddaddy,
06:21but it's just like living in his shadow
06:25and watching him be a granddad.
06:26It's like the scariest thing is I'm not cool enough
06:29because he's the best guy on the planet.
06:32My dad is the coolest guy in the world.
06:34Living in his shadow and being a dad
06:36and then watching him be a granddad,
06:39it's gonna be one of the most proudest things I could ever do
06:41and making him a granddad is one of the most proudest things
06:44he will be of me.
06:45But damn, dude, living in that shadow,
06:48it's the scariest thing I'll ever do.
06:50You know why you're going to be amazing?
06:52Because of the, I heard it just while you've been here talking
06:56off camera and everything,
06:58the work you're doing on yourself
07:00is why you're going to be amazing.
07:02Thank you, sir.
07:03That means a lot, man.
07:05Coming from five-year-old daddy, man, that means a lot, man.
07:09You got some skin in the game, bro, so that means a lot.
07:11Man, you're gonna be awesome.
07:12I'm so excited for everything you have going on, brother.
07:15Thank you for taking out the time.