The Breakfast Club - INTERVIEW: Teddy Swims Talks New Album, Toxic Relationships, Name Origin, Being In Love, Stevie Wonder + More

Episode Date: January 27, 2025

The Breakfast Club Sits Down With Teddy Swims To Discuss New Album, Toxic Relationships, Name Origin, Being In Love, Stevie Wonder. Listen For more!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Wake that ass up in the morning. The Breakfast Club. Morning everybody, it's T.E.J., Envy, Jess Hilarious, Charlamagne the guy, we are The Breakfast Club. Jess is out today. Lauren's holding it down. And of course we got our niece Nala here. And we got a special guest in the building,

the brother Teddy Swims. Hey man. How you feeling man? I'm so honored to be here man, I'm pumped. Nah man, happy to have you here. I'm really, really excited dude. We did our album release party last night though, so you know, again, excuse my drinking for. You don't have to excuse yourself for drinking early in the morning. You see that one over there?

Let's cheers to your new release and all of your success and your baby on the way. What? Alright. Why you out here telling my business? Sorry. You are embarrassing. He said you got a baby on the way? I thought you said it. I was like We need to drink right now.

Well congratulations man. You're drinking with a pregnant woman, Teddy. How do you feel? First of all, can y'all stop? I do not have no baby on the way. She ain't got a man yet. How's she gonna get pregnant without a man? Oh, god.

I misread that whole situation. Sorry, let's start over. Can we go back to the top? Congratulations. Congratulations. Thank you, guys. For my baby on the way, yeah. I have one on the way.

Absolutely. Yeah, you're drinking with a pregnant man, necessarily. Tell us about yourself, Teddy. Man, that's so loaded. Not really. Who are you? My daddy's son. There you go.

That's about it, really. From? From Georgia, from about 30 minutes east of Atlanta in Conyers, Georgia, Rockdale County. And I like singing songs and I'm a good boy. You have a very soulful voice. Did you grow up in the church?

Yeah, so my granddad was a Pentecostal pastor. I didn't grow up singing in the church a lot, but I definitely grew up with, I guess, fire and brimstone for sure, man, with the fear of God, yeah, you know what I mean? You afraid to sin? Oh, no, no, not these days, I mean, sure. From here on out.

I'm not kidding, I'm not kidding. I'm just talking about back in the day with a very religious household. Yeah, yeah. You know, like girls don't get haircuts, you know, girls wear skirts, men wear jeans, like that kind of thing. It was real kind of tight. And I mean, I'm very fortunate, I guess.

I feel like I still subscribe to so many of the beliefs. I mean, not the beliefs, but the principles of, you know, even the beliefs are there. I do love that my granddad was, as I was growing up with my granddad, he was like, we wouldn't even go to restaurants that would have a bar in the restaurant, you know? And not that he ever had a problem drinking, but it was just, he stood on his beliefs so much. The thing that I was always with him was that I didn't subscribe to the idea that like telling people that they're wrong and this is the only way to believe something.

I remember he looked at other churches and be like, think that the only way he believed it was right. I remember the first time I sang at his church, I might have been 17 or 16 or something. And I remember him saying like, coming to me and talking to me and going like, you know, I want you to sing at a church bed, but man, all these kids are like, break dancing and carry it on for the Lord. And I was like, yo, Pop, nobody's brokedanced since my mom was a child. You're so- And if they want to breakdance for the Lord, Pop, let them breakdance for the Lord.

He was very stern, just by the book. If it wasn't in the Bible, then it was a sin. You know what I mean? So were you rebellious? Hell yeah. My mom was worse than I was. I remember getting in trouble for all sorts of shit and being like, I'm not doing any of that.

She thought I was doing all sorts of mess, but she was a pastor's kid. My mother was the... Well listen, I wanted to, when you talk about rebellious, you start off playing football, all right? Yes sir. So her family was a big football family. Uh-huh.

So what got you from football to singing? My dear friend Jesse. You're like a No Guard, I can see that. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's what you played? Yeah, and I'm an offensive, offensive guard as well. Oh, wow. Yeah, and I, I mean, I just, five foot seven wasn't really

happening, you know. I just, I'm in high high school middle school at the time. Yeah but I've been 5'7 since I was in eighth grade you know and so I thought they thought I was gonna be big you know and then it just. It didn't happen. I started shooting up to 6'2 and 3 and I think whooped my ass off the line after that. So what got you into arts like acting? So my dear friend Jesse who still plays with me I've known him since I was a little kid. My dear friend Jesse who still plays with me, I've known him since I was a little kid. His dad was always in bands and stuff and so we started trying to experiment and play music and stuff.

His older sister was in musical theater and got us into musical theater and I just kind of fell in love with singing and I was hooked. Singing has changed my life. I wasn't good always but I fell in love with it. You know, and I remember telling my mom that I was gonna not do football anymore, and I was gonna sing, and she was so, so hurt. I brought out all my memorabilia, like,

I can't believe you do this to us. We didn't play football, you know? And I remember my first little, we did this show called Damn Yankees. I did like two lines in it, I think. And after I got done, I come off stage and she was like, I'm so sorry, baby. This is where you belong. Really?

You're a star. You know, after that, I did like two lines, you know, but it was. What do you mean by you weren't always good at it? Like, how do you, you sound amazing. We were so bad at it. You know, it was in a group. Well, no, just me and my buddy, He still plays guitar writes and he's plays guitar my band still and we we used to just always you know as we were learning And trying to build bands together and do it as kids, you know

We just were really bad, you know, we suck like it. We're just not good. You couldn't still find actually on YouTube It's a senior in high school my first band, Heroic Bear, is still on YouTube, our first little EP, and I was in like a metalcore band at the time, and so you can still hear me like screaming away and like singing, and if you, you definitely don't pull it up now, it'd be a- Too late.

It's too late, we just told the world. Not in front of me, I'm just saying not in front of me, you know, because I love a cringe, but if you wanna hear it- Pull it up, guys, you know the routine. If you hear it, dude, you're gonna be like, love a cringe, but if you want to hear it. You know the routine. If you hear it, dude, you're going to be like, okay, yeah, you got good. Did you get lessons or did you practice or how did you get so good? Well, I think I was so lucky.

I mean, I was in theater, you know, and I had a lot of good friends and they were singing. But I think the biggest thing was growing up in the like when the YouTube era was first kind of starting, you know, and if I had questions or if I wanted to know how to sing, there was always a live version of singers singing, you know? So like I could watch like live videos of how, how are they moving their throat? How are they moving their jaws? How are they?

Oh, God. Yo, that was great. And I could dissect it, you know? I could just sit there and watch YouTube videos and see people singing live, you know? Like I remember I was in credit recovery watching Craig David, and see people singing live, you know, like I remember I was in credit recovery You know like singing Craig David singing like and credit recovery I would pull up like a YouTube proxy and just have it behind the video and just like listen to Craig David just

I'm walking away I can see I could I could listen to my videos and watch their them play, you know and singing it was like Do you think you like? Um, I guess saw somebody like Craig David in Mimic Timmy and that's how you found your voice? Oh, totally. Yeah, yeah. Some of the best, man. Some of the best that ever did it.

Marvin Gaye watching Otis Redding, man, listening to Al Green. I mean, it doesn't get better. Golden. How did you figure out what your warm spot was going to be, even genre-wise? like these are, I mean it doesn't get better. How did you figure out what your like, your warm spot was gonna be even genre wise? Because you're listed as a multi-genre vocalist.

People put you in R&B, country rock, and pop. So how did you, at what point did you know like, okay, it's gonna be a mixture of all this? Or did you try different things? I think I was just, I love this instrument so much. You know, I was so hooked on this instrument. So whatever it felt like it would work, I'd be, I'm such a fan of this instrument.

My instrument's in your throat. Yeah, if I hear a screamer or a singer, anybody doing anything with their mouth that I don't know how to do, I don't mean it like that. You know what you mean. He just can't stop. Teddy, he just can't stop. This is him. Don't do that to me.

We're just getting started. I'm listening. I'm listening. I like it. He likes it. Keep going, Teddy. Okay, so yes. Anybody that can do something with their mouth that you can't do.

I do see how that sounds, now that you said it. I'm laughing, too. No, so I mean, I just fell in love with the instrument and I was like, I want to know how to do, I want to know how to access that, you know, however people do it, whether it's screaming, whether it's opera, whether it's whatever it is, I want to be able to do that. I want to know, I'm so in love with this thing. We're so capable of expressing emotion and lending, you know, life stories that way. And I just fell in love with this thing. We're so capable of expressing emotion and lending life stories that way. And I just fell in love with this.

There's a science to it that I think people don't respect. That's how I know you're a real artist, just the fact that you keep calling your vocal an instrument. Hell yeah, man. It's such a muscle that, and I think it's the only instrument that you can kind of take everywhere with you

and practice at all times, you know? But it's also, it's bound to by your like your decisions or your like travel your sickness or whatever's going on you know it's always it's always ever-changing and bound to what you know what you did last night and wake it up at 930 and sound like shit the next day you know so it's it's always bound to you and I think I think I think I think it's still like one thing in the world that is like your thumbprint on the world you know, your voice is only yours You can you can with a with a guitar you could take the same amp play the same lick with the same exact guitar

And the same pedal and sound the same but with your voice. It's like only you have that you know, and it's such a special thing and your circumstance and your Your heartbreak and all that stuff is all a part of something that makes you so uniquely you. And then you started doing these covers, right? And you started covering songs and then you did one cover that started shooting up crazy. So talk about that a little bit. I think Shania Twain, still the one was our, like that was the one that really kind of

went crazy for us. That was you know, I love my mama and my mama loved Shania Twain when I was coming up. I love Shania Twain too. That was a real life changing one for us. I, our first one we started out with was uh, because June 25th of 2019 was the first time. I didn't even expect to do any you know, online and and we had found like the we found the the stems of Rock With You online. Michael Jackson. Yeah, and so it was it was 10 years right after he passed it was his 10 year anniversary and so I was like man we should just do Rock With You by Michael Jackson just to pay homage to him and for the you know and then and we uploaded it and it

Started doing well and I was like man. We should just keep this I guess this cover train kind of going so we we kept on for you know next few months and I I think I think I think the beautiful thing about starting with with rock with you It started getting you know, like I said the first day we woke up We had like 10,000 views and it was so life changing for us. We're like, boys, we're getting hammered. This is sick. And I think it was such a weird thing because once it hit like this critical mass of like maybe 500,000 views, I think people were looking at it and seeing the way I look and then seeing the rock with you

and saying rock with you by Michael Jackson and me. And I'm looking like an absolute redneck and saying like, either this is hilarious or this is actually really good. And I think for our benefit it was kind of both, because just the fact that I was singing that song but doing it well was just kind of funny and surprisingly good.

The first time I got put on you, it was actually in the barbershop. My barber time had you play, because it was on YouTube and he had you playing and I'm like that is coming out of that I mean it is I don't want to say it's a novelty thing, but it is one of those things that gets your attention It does yeah I think I think there I think there's been a I think there's been something that we have been able to lean in that that It doesn't look like what it you know art doesn't look like what it, you know, or it doesn't look like

what it sounds like, right? And I think that's been something that's been so beautiful for me is to be able to have such an emotive, expressive voice and look like I make fart jokes, you know? And I do. And I do, you know? Fart jokes of entertainment. Yeah, you know, because I know,

we all know what heartbreak is like and we all think farts are funny, you know? And that's just kind of my MO About what comes out Just curious. A lot of throat jokes. Boob jokes. Boob by the man. They all worried about Shana man. That's why I ain't got no man. Because they all worried about you. Knock it off. Now tell me why have you tried everything but therapy?

Well I've tried therapy now sir. So I've, you know, even as we're getting ready to have our kid, me and my girls have been doing even couples therapy too. Which has been so wonderful and making sure we're coming in and having this child in the most healed communicative, communicative, what is the word? I'm looking for, you know what I'm saying? Yeah and we're trying to make sure we're doing it separately and couples therapy and bringing

this baby in the right way and hopefully, I mean we're still going to have baggage of course but most healed, safest environment possible. But I think naming the album that was kind of to have that conversation and with myself to get myself to go, I think there's just like been, in generations past and even still, there's this like connotation on therapy that we're like so, I know we're not allowed to,

we're not allowed to go to that or we're not allowed to share our feelings or emotions. Especially men. Yeah, you know, and I just, it's been life changing for me. And I did have even this in my brain that I was like, I'm not crazy, I don't need that shit. You know, I had this for so long that I was like, I know myself, I don't need nobody to tell me

what's wrong with me. You know, and I feel like once I got it too, it was so much different than I thought it would be too, and I feel like I feel like once I got it to it, it was so much different than I thought it would be to and I feel like there was something beautiful about having that first album and not trying it and being in a place of turmoil and heartbreak with somebody that was made me feel like my feelings were invalid or are not allowed to have and and having this part two coming out and being this thing of I've tried therapy.

I'm back in love, I'm having a child, I've got some level of success in this. And you know, on the back of heartbreak, it does get better on the other side, you know? And I'm just so grateful for her. Was it, was you going to therapy? Was that pushed on you? Not pushed on you, but did your girlfriend kind of like influence you to do that or something you wanted to do?

No, no. I've been, you know, again, I was, I was, I was, the plan was to have tried therapy after I put out the record. It was like kind of my promise to myself. I did the first one, like, I'm going to go to therapy and I did push it off for a long time. Um, but I think, I think when we first found out we were kind of pregnant, she was like, you know what we should do?

We should do, it was never to push on a therapy like to me to have my own therapy, but I think she's such a wonderful person. I think she was just like, we should do therapy together as like a couple's therapy so we make sure we bring our kid in. And it kind of, once I felt how that was, I was like, I should do some therapy by myself too. And she's like, I think that's a great idea.

So it was never kind of pushed, it was kind of like, I think she planted a little seeds for me to Man strong ass woman. Yeah Strong ass woman now I think she just kind of knew how to like plant the little seed for me to find it on my own Which is what it should be like, you know One of the things I read you talked about is you want to your are you already back down south and left LA from the fire? No, no, we're we're in LA still. We're in the valley. And I mean, also, I think we're doing OK.

We haven't seen like, you know, it was, we had seen a little bit of smoke in our area, but we haven't been home because of, I don't want her breathing that thing, you know. But I think, I will say, though, what's been so beautiful about that situation and my prayers and prayers and prayers and so much prayers has gone into that.

And what makes me feel like, I think us as a society, I feel like we can all be so jaded and so like tough and hardcore, but when a tragedy happens, you see how like quick people are to come together and love each other and be, that community in LA is like coming together and everybody's donating their time and money and food and I know I just I haven't seen I

haven't seen a place be that you know look we really we we unite when everybody's going through something together you know it shouldn't be that way yeah I should like that all the time I'm glad I'm glad that that's happening you know it makes me it reinstills my faith in humanity that I know when shit hits the fan, we all do love each other. At the core of it all, we're all like, we love each other. Because I think regardless of if you're black, white,

gay, straight, rich, poor, when Mother Nature hits, none of us. None of that matters. We're just all at the mercy of Mother Nature. But at least we look out for each other at the end of the day. And I think that's what's so beautiful, man. This is like instilled my faith again in like in society. I'm like god I love that we all have just pulled together. So are you going to stay in LA with the baby because you

were going to move down south? You said you were going to move to LA with the baby. Yeah I mean of course I'm probably still going to have to like rent in LA. I think I might still just rent but I was going to buy and I might still just rent, but I was gonna buy and it did spook me. I wanna be able to like, I might move back, maybe to Nashville where I can work and still be like four hours from the parents if they wanna drive up and see a baby. But I still want my little boy to have like a little, or girl, I don't know.

But I- Keep that money in the South, man. Yeah, you know. And your money goes farther. I want my baby to have a little Southern accent. You know what I'm saying? I want him like, I want him open doors and you know. That what I'm saying? I want him to open doors and, you know. That charm.

All right, good afternoon. How about it, bud? We open doors in New York now. We open doors in New York. No, no. First of all, for who? We open doors in New York a little bit. For the gang gang that's walking in behind y'all at the spot.

Y'all don't open doors for nobody. You know, Donnell Rollins thinks that he's the reason that you're having a baby. He said that y'all, I saw y'all on, he was on his podcast. He said, yeah. And you said you wanted to have a kid. And he told you that you was having a baby. He said that y'all I saw y'all on he was on his podcast He said yeah, and you said you wanted to have a kid and he told you that you was gonna have one but he man and this I can't tell you enough how much like Man when they say don't meet your heroes

They was right. Don't know wrong. It's a piece of shit Nicest person He's the nicest human being. He's the nicest person. Can I tell you Rod? Anything good you say about him. I agree with you with your initial statement. Well no, keep the rest of it. I don't want him to hear that. And be like, damn bro, I fucking love you.

That's been one of the nicest. He sings me all the time, man. He sends me... We just talked yesterday and he's my fucking hero, man. Dude, he's such a nice little man. He grew up in a small town you grew up in. Did you see when he came up here last time?

Don-El Rollins. Did you see when he was up here last time? No but he was just doing what was radio. Radio City. Radio City. I just missed him, we came in, I just missed him too. And he sent me, he was on Shaysay yesterday, day four or something like that and he just sent me him.

He was singing your song. Ah yesterday, the day before or something like that and he just sent me him singing Ah, loose! Yeah, but man, my, he's... So why you don't have Don L tattooed near your cock? What? He has Dave Chappelle tattooed near his cock, y'all didn't? You think? You had to preface that conversation. I have Dave right here, man, actually... What made you put Dave right there though?

I was just, I don't have that much room left. Oh. Inner thighs on. It's nothing to do with my car. Okay. Do you show him? Like, hey, look at my tattoo. No, no.

I did get to meet him like last year. He had like this gravy party and he was doing this open jam thing and it was cool and I got to meet him and I was like, hey, look, Dave, I got a tattoo of you. He was like, hell yeah, you know, we dapped up about it and then I was like, Hey, look, uh, Dave, I, I got a tattoo of you. Uh, he was like, hell yeah. You know, we dapped up about it. And then I was like, I'm not gonna drop trial, you know, and show you my tattoo. Of course I, I don't also know what I'm like. You can show a picture. Yeah. Yeah. I don't know. I just also, then I don't want him, I don't want him to think what he thinks. And then it's like too close. I'm not hanging that bad anyway. So it's really not that serious.

How long you had it? A couple of years. When a woman's down there. Why are you so infatuated with this damn tattoo? Because of man's face, man. Cock. I mean, he has a bunch of tattoos. What I'm saying is it's not that close, dude.

I'm not working with that much, my man. So it's fine. You sound like you wanna see so bad over there. It's a lot's not that close dude. I'm not working with that much You said it was the night of the MTV Awards that you found that you figured you backtracked it and thought that that was The night that you conceived your kid? Yeah, yeah the the VMAs is when we conceived. Yeah, so I had nothing to do with Daniel for real No I didn't after I I would I was in I was in Europe when I talked to Don L and We were talking about it. That was before we knew we were pregnant Yeah, yeah, so I guess we might have been already pregnant at that time

You know we were pregnant at that time, but I didn't find out until way later. We're playing Austin City Limits, which was I don't know when Do you guys know when we played October when we found out so The name Teddy Swims we got it we have to do that. We got it, we got you, we got you, we got you to guess. Well, I just handed that to her and then looked back this way. No, no, no, we got you. I was like, my mama would have whooped my ass. No, no, no, we can't. I was just like, yes, ma'am, thank you. You grew up on a dirt road?

No, not on a dirt road, but I mean, it was paved. Yeah, I grew up on a dirt road. I'm from the South Tumans. We had chickens, but it was paved, though. We had chickens, we had chickens. Now, the name Teddy Swims, where did the name come from? I've been called Teddy forever. My real name's Jaten, and I think as I was like, I'm from South Tumans.

I'm from South Tumans. I'm from South Tumans. I'm from South Tumans. I'm from South Tumans. I'm from South Tumans. I'm from South Tumans. I'm from South Tumans. I'm from South Tum though. We had chickens, we had chickens. Now the name Teddy Swims, where did the name come from? I've been called Teddy forever. My real name is Jaden. And I think as I was like going up to church and waiting tables and stuff. For old ladies, that was tough. Jaden was real tough on them.

They were just Jamie, James, you know. Jaden? What type of old ladies? You know, black names. Everybody say they're old ladies because for us, Jaden is raggling. Well, I appreciate that. I don't really know how to respond to that. What type of old ladies? You know, black names. Everybody say they're old ladies, because for us, like, Jane is raggling. I appreciate that. I don't really know how to respond to that. Yeah.

No. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You want to get in no trouble. Really? You want to get in no trouble. Everybody say normal to me.

It's all good. Yeah. Yeah. Well, I'm going to. It is. It is. You know what? It's not that hard to chew.

But I think. It's not that hard to say. It's not that hard to say. See, that can get me in trouble. But Teddy Swing's gay. He heard somebody say, what kind of lady? He's like, ah, shit, let me try to avoid that question. Teddy, which is, you know, that coin is, you know, I've just been Teddy, you know.

It's our little Teddy. I've just looked like this without a beard for most of my life. But Swing's is an acronym, though, right? Yeah, yeah. For someone who I massage sexually. Huh? No, I don't massage.

Someone who I massage. Yo. Someone I massage. Hey y'all, this is Reed from the God's Country podcast. We had the one and only Bobby Bones in the studio this week and we cover everything from his upbringing to his outdoor experiences with the stepdad, Arkansas Keith, to the state of country music.

We may even end the episode with a little jam session led by Bobby himself. Y'all be sure to listen to this episode of God's Country with Bobby Bones on the iHeart radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. Don't go shopping to Target. With cacupeds and a red shirt on. Don't go shopping to Target with khaki pants and a red polo shirt on. Switch up songwriting. Oh, that's good.

That's, that's, that's, that's, yeah. An old lady came up to me. She said, how much for this cream of wheat? Can you hear it? It's the whisper of two wolves inside you. One says, you're not enough. The other says, keep going. You can do this. They're always talking. The one you listen to shapes your life.

I'm Eric Zimmer, host of The One You Feed. On my podcast, we explore how to hear the voice that matters, the one that leads you to courage, wisdom, and love. It's not about perfection. It's about direction. Millions of listeners have fed their good wolf. Now it's your turn. Listen to the one you feed on the iHeart radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. John Stewart is back at The Daily Show and he's bringing his signature wit and insight straight to your ears with the Daily Show Ears Edition podcast. Dive into John's unique take on the biggest topics in politics, entertainment, sports and more.

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It's for the voters to decide. Follow the Big Take podcast on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you listen. Someone who isn't me sometimes. Okay. I've just been switching it up lately, trying to think of new ones, like Softwinter in my shorts. I've been thinking of new ones.

You're turning him on right now. He loves this. No, he said New York's Nicole. He writes DM, you hate big head. What does that mean for someone who isn't me sometimes? It's like I've been thinking of doing Sometimes like you mean like so you turn into this character what you say? No, I don't know It was I first originally found it on like this this this forum which it was like It was like a every time swim does this swim becomes like, you know It was like it was like a a drug form I found it on. I was like, people were saying someone who isn't me. So it was like kind of like an asking for a friend thing. I guess we just like added an S on it with Swim's like the plural form.

And it was like my entire kind of group at the time. And then Teddy kind of slapped in front of it. And it just eventually became Teddy Swim's like itself. Like it was, I don't know, it just kind of stuck, you know, it was like Sw like it was I know it just kind of stuck you know it was like Swims was our unit and then it was like Teddy Swims from like like Teddy from Swims kind of situation and it was like you know just like you would maybe have like a yeah like ASAP Rocky and ASAP Ferg that Swims was kind of our like unit so it was like Teddy swans and then they just stuck and you actually swim. No I'm blushing. It got red the first time. I don't know why I'm blushing either. It's the tequila. It's the tequila. I don't know, I don't know. Does the horseshoe around your neck

like mean something, represent something? No, this is just a cute necklace. It's fly. Okay. Yeah, it's like a, yeah, I don't know. I feel like, like he was saying, your outside looks so much different than what I thought you would look like

from when I first heard you. I'm just curious as to like, what are some of your interests outside of music? I'm gonna have to get back to you that because I don't know. I've really been in this place where we've been discussing like hobbies, you know, and I think I would like to have some of them. I think it would be cool to have something outside this. I think being a father is going to be the best thing that I would like to have some of them. You know, I think it would be cool to have something outside of this. I think being a father is gonna be the best thing that's ever happened to me because of that.

I feel like I'm gonna learn how to be like present in a different way. I feel currently there's, I say this all the time, there's like a nine-year-old on TikTok who's better at our job than any of us are. They can do all of our job, you know? And so I just always feel like I'm in this place of like, go get it, go get it.

Somebody else is getting it if I'm not getting it. And even when I sit down and watch a TV show, I'm like, I should be going, I should be going, I should be going. And I think what I'm really looking for of that baby teaching me is that when I'm watching TV or sitting there, I know that being present with that child is gonna be the most productive thing

I could be doing it doing nothing at all with that child. And so I think I'm gonna make my home balance and my work balance all matter more in that way and so I I've been thinking about hobbies, but I think like I'm gonna be I'm gonna I'm gonna pick up hobbies that that baby likes. Like, that baby wants to play football, we gonna be out there, fucking hit somebody! You know what I'm saying? I'm gonna be a damn coach, baby. You gonna see me like with my Netflix special,

like how Snoop Dogg had the whole league going. That's what I'm trying, we gonna be in that bitch. That's what we gonna do like that. I wanna be football coach, you know, or whatever it is. You know, whatever happens. Cheerleading coach, I don't care. I was about to say, you really think it's a boy. Yeah, I hope so. But you didn't mention cheerleading.

What was cheerleading, too? Yeah, I just got two little brothers who are eight and 10 years younger. So I don't have to wipe poop off of balls, you know what I'm saying? I think the first time around, I'd like a boy. Yeah. I'd like a girl right now, like disciplines

out the window for me. I'm like, yes, ma'am, yes, ma'am. Nothing better than a girl right now, like disciplines out the window for me. I'm like, yes ma'am, yes ma'am. Nothing better than a girl. Yeah, I got four girls, man. I wanted boys too, but I ended up with all four girls. I can't wait, man. Yeah, my dad is four, I'm one of four boys and so he wants a girl, you know?

Were you a hoe in a past life? I was literally about the same. Were you a hoe? Like did you get a lot of hoes? Did you swim a lot? Oh, I thought you was saying a past life. I was like, shit, maybe. Not a past life, but before you got with your woman now.

He asked me if I was a hucker. No, no, no. No, like, before you got with your woman now, were you, you know? No, I was always, I mean, I had my fun. Like, after my last relationship before this one, it was the first time I was like single and famous, and I was like, this is cool. I had my little, I swam down a little bit you know what I mean. Groupies. Yeah it was cool.

Love you though baby. But I never, I wasn't, I was a, I was like a serial dater for a long time in my life you know what I mean. Like being loved and and doing the same thing for a long time. But I did have my fun before, you know. Cause they say if you're a hoe, you can't have any boys. You can only have a girl, that's why he has four girls. You was a hoe? You got girls too, Emory. I got two boys though too. I got six.

I got six kids. You was mid hoe, all right. I was a. Don't start with one, Charlie. I was very, very sweet. How did you know that your girlfriend right now was the one? Because you met her at a show, right? She came to one of your shows?

She's an absolute babe. Are you kidding me? She's the one. You seen that girl? No, I've seen her. She's gorgeous. She's gracious. What an angel.

If you're dating, what was the thing? Was it like you saw her and you just knew? Was it a conversation? Well, I had been listening to her music for a while too. So my dear friend Arsenio Archer, he's a producer. We went to high school together and he's like, man, he came to my studio a couple years ago and was like, hey man, I wanna show you this girl I've been working with. I listened to her song they made.

I don't think the song ever came out. And I looked her up and I was like, whoa. Got bricked up. So she wasn't like a random person at a shot. Come on, brick up, bro. I thought she was like in the crowd and you saw her. No, so I messaged her, I was in the crowd and you saw her. No, so I messaged her, I was like, I love you.

And then a couple years later, going back to Atlanta, she was living in Atlanta at the time. Her roommate was a fan, she was like, hey, my roommate wants to come to the show. We'd love to come to the show, come see you. I was like, please come to the show. I would love to have you. I'll put you on the guest list. And she came to the show and I said, you know, hold up a Play-Doh snake and fucking. That's right. The birdie man. Play-Doh snake.

Yeah, what's the point? Like, turn his swag on. What's your riz like? Tell me what the riz was like. What'd you say? What'd you say, Teddy? I tried to shoot my shot. Hi, how are you?

And it worked. That was the shot? That was it. It really came like that. Yeah. Hi, I love you. Immediately off the rip. You was it. It worked. It worked. Yeah. Hi, I love you. Immediately off the roof.

That's I love you already? Yeah. That's the first thing I messaged a couple years before that. I said, girl, I'm gonna shoot my shot. What's going on? I don't know. You knew. You knew when you saw her.

I think it's so important to, in relationships with anybody, navigating relationships, I'm just not the person to waste time with relationships. I think it's like, even with like, even if it's me and this person and we're both single, I'm just like, okay, let's just clear the air out. Do you find me attractive? I find you attractive. Do we do anything about that? Are we gonna be friends?

You know, like, let's just navigate this before we both thinking about it and I'm going home and I'm beating off and then I'm thinking about you, but we're supposed to be best friends. You know what I'm saying? Let's not do all this. Let's not navigate this before we both thinking about it and I'm going home and I'm beating off and then I'm thinking about you But we're both three best friends I think women appreciate the I mean, I don't I don't know if it was that straightforward But I think I'm gonna go home and be I didn't do that I didn't tell her I was gonna go home and beat her. I didn't do that. But you guys are gonna blow it out.

I didn't say that. I'm just saying you gotta go. Wow. If you think about it as you go. I didn't say that. I'm just saying that's, I'm just saying, as an example of not something I would say, but as a thought process.

As a thought process. It's a thought process. Thank you, sir. Laying down intentions early is definitely appreciated. I think we're gonna appreciate that. And if not, then that's cool. We could both acknowledge that we're attractive and also be pals, you know?

We're adults here. We can navigate relationships with beautiful women, you know? Can we talk about some of this music on this new album? Sure, I'd love to. By the way, you gotta leave in about four minutes. Shut up. They said 9.45. No, no, no.

Check your texts. I'm having fun, dude. Don't check your texts. You should shut up. Not Your Man is a very vulnerable record. Thank you, sir. Have you ever really felt like you gave everything to a woman and it wasn't enough? Yeah, hell yeah, man. I mean, I was in a place where I think it was important to start this one out like that because I wrote this forever ago. I was in a place with somebody where

my I don't know. It's hard. I don't want to talk about her in a way that because I now as I've grown and healed and moved on it's I thank her for for what we went through, you know, I'm grateful for that time and space that we had together that pain. But I was at a place here where I felt like I was given everything and and my my feelings and my I was not validated or it was not enough or I was crazy to feel in this my, I was not validated or it was not enough or I was crazy or feeling this way or I was, it was an abusive situation. I don't wanna say it loud.

Emotionally abusive? Oh, both, man. Physically, she was just not good. She was not a good person. And I don't, you know, I'll never say it, I hope the best for her now and I don't wanna say that, you know, it'll never say, I hope the best for her now, and I don't want to say that, you know, it's a tough thing to talk about, like,

I want the best for her, but yeah, it was a very tough thing to try to heal somebody, try to make space for someone to heal, try to give somebody everything, and them to not, you would think, you would think if you had a passion, I'll just make it like this, you had a passion in your life

and you had somebody in your life that says, you can quit your job and just focus on your passion, I'll take care of the rest, you got it. And you don't do anything with your life, but you just go on, just eat Xanax all day and lay around and blame somebody for your shortcomings when you had the opportunity to follow your dream, and somebody that would support you in your dreams.

And you'd be like so surprised to see if somebody had the opportunity to follow their dreams and they had everything taken care of, how many people would be like, if everything's taken care of, I'm not going to do shit anymore. And you can't put ambition and drive into somebody. You can't heal nobody. you can't save nobody. And I've started to go on that tangent, but. I like that, Luba. From that situation, do you feel like

you no longer enable? Because it's like, though you wanna do something out of love to better somebody, sometimes it's to their own detriment. Yeah, I think it was an enabling at the end of the day. I was doing something think it's an it was an enabling at the end of the day, you know, I was doing something to help someone become. But I think at the end of the day, I was enabling somebody to do nothing. And if that was inside of them, I was enabling that. And I think it's a common pattern, you know, but I guess I'm trying to heal and learn to

not see somebody wants to be this and or to see what somebody for who see somebody for who they are not who I want them to be or think they should be. That's even outside of relationships like how are you handling just those type of boundaries now? You know we're working on boundaries at all. I'm learning those you know that's a huge step for me. Just boundaries in general. It's a full-time job, just navigating having them, you know. So I'm- Do you feel guilty when you're like, no, I can't do this?

Yes, yeah. I mean, but- I can tell you got a big heart, but people will take advantage of this. Hell yeah, and I'm so grateful to be, I don't wanna say I'm grateful to be taking advantage of it. I'm grateful to be available, you it, I'm grateful to be available. Everybody's gonna use you, but don't let people misuse you.

Amen, yeah, yeah. I heard this advice from this, we was meeting Greta one time and this beautiful, this lady, she says, she's a therapist, she said, the way people treat you is a reflection of the way they see you. The way people treat you is a reflection of the way they see you. The way you let people treat you is a reflection of the way they see you, you know? The way people treat you is a reflection of the way they see you. The way you let people treat you is a reflection of the way you see yourself.

Isn't that beautiful? And it stuck with me, man. It's such a... I'm learning boundaries. I have a last question for you. In meeting you and just hearing you talk about... First of all, you're just such a nice person. I'm my daddy's son. Yes, ma'am. Thank you. I was reading this interview you talked about, cause your girlfriend's black,

and you talked about when you guys are in the south, you get looks from people, and it bothers you because love should be love. How do you guys now, you're about to bring a baby into the world, you're so positive, she seems so amazing, but the world is not always like that. How do you defeat that?

Cause you're really a really nice person. It breaks my heart thinking about that. I hate how much she's go throughs and and she's, you know, so her dad's black and her mom's white. So she's she's gone through this like tells me stuff all the time about like, you know, how she felt. Not wide enough or not black enough and how much her like world and her life has been such a I guess like juxtaposition in both sides you know feeling like she wasn't quite accepted

by either side you know and so this is not a story I won't I won't tell you her story because she's better at saying it than I will I'll never tell you her story but I I see how like how beautiful she is and and and and how, I guess, how elegant she navigates being who she is. I love the way you talk about her. She's the most incredible human being I've ever met, man. I got a good counselor for y'all to talk to. Okay, I would love that, yeah. Dr. Umar Johnson.

Oh my God. You don't want to talk to him? No. Come back this way. Focus over here. Nope. Speaking of black and white, the song with Money Loan. Yes, sir.

That title's a little on the nose, don't you think? Yeah, yeah. I think the point of it was kind of the, I think to the core of love in itself is black and white. Like it's a black and white issue. Love is love and not love is not love. And loving, whether it's a person of a different color, shape, size, sexuality, same sex, whatever it is,

I think that the thing was trying to say that we, no matter what, we could come from different worlds. It's a true, I guess, Romeo and Juliet story, kind of is the basis of it, is that like, we come from different places, we come from different cultures, we have different things, but when you're in love, man, love is love, and that should be enough, and that's really,

there ain't nothing great about that, man, that's just love, love is love, baby. I love that record, and it's a good stamp, because Money Long recently went viral for saying she's not writing soulful songs for white artists. Did you see that? I did not. I'm glad I got that one before she sang it.

Exactly. Yeah. I'm glad I got the last one. Yeah. You got the last one. Yeah. Now, they're talking about the, whoo. We just missed the cutoff. But that shows how much she respects you. Yeah, it does it, um, it's gotta be a few months ago now.

Um, but dear friend, Jeff Kitty and Mickey Echo was a part of it with us too. We did it, it had to be a few months ago now. My dear friend, Jeff Kitty and Mickey Echo was a part of it with us too. And we started working on it and I remember Jeff Kitty has been working with Money for long years and years and he's like, man, should we see if Money wants to do this song with us? And I was like, I mean yeah,

we'd kinda like to do a record like this, we would kind of need that, you know, I would be so stoked that she'd be willing to because I knew what I kind of wanted to say but also I can't say that, you know, without having money help me say that, you know, but also without like relying too much, I think I needed to, we needed to say that with, you know, together and so I'm just grateful she took that opportunity to say, I see what you're trying to say, I'll have you say that. And said it with me. And I think I'm so grateful for her because Monty's just a legend, man.

What a bad ass bitch, man. Now you also said you wanted to meet one of your musical idols, Stevie Wonder. Yeah. Did you ever get an opportunity to meet him? Yeah, we haven't met in person, but I- You FaceTimed him. Yeah, yeah.

And I got a chance to do a record with him too, so I think he's gonna put out on his next record, I hope so. I hope it's gonna come out. I'm really excited. It's a good record. It's called, um, Politic Player. Wow. Yeah, which is such an honor to be on our Stevie Wonder record.

But yeah, he did FaceTime,. I'll tell you about it. It's so funny, man. He he FaceTime. He hold the camera up himself. Yeah. And here's the thing. Here's the thing. He is actually blind, you know, he this is true life. He was blind. I can I can I'm saying people say people. There's a conspiracy that he's not. And he's in his pick up the mic that fell.

Look, look, I'm telling you, I I'm telling you I was on the phone with this I was facetiming this man, and he said he turned his head put the camera around He said this is my son over here And then he said I'm over here days pulled over here And he said and this is my niece and then he had his phone facing her and for the next 10 minutes of the conversation As far as you are I looked at his knees. And he was holding the camera like he was holding it like he thought I was seeing him. And I did not have the heart to say.

He's blind. Confirmation that Stevie Wonder is blind. She was sitting there and texting on her phone. I didn't have the heart to say hey I can't see you. Well you know my dumb ass man my dumbass, man, my dumbass, the reason he called me, because I was in Tokyo, right? I was in Tokyo and I had found my favorite album all the time, best album ever, Songs in the Key of Life. I found a CD of it, it was a Tokyo version of it,

like the Japanese version of it. And my dumbass texted him a picture of it. Oh my goodness. Like an idiot, like he was gonna see it, right? Japanese version of it and my dumbass you showed him a picture of it like an idiot like he was gonna see it right like I just found me so I was like I see my fucking dumbass too was like you give a text he's definitely he didn't see it Just to put all those things to rest All these years black people been trying to figure this out and you are the one that saw the problem You know, I just know I was looking at his knees about Meditated I gotta go for it. Yeah. Because you gotta go do Elvis, right?

Yeah, you gotta go do Elvis. You gotta go to Pop Station. Well, you gotta come back, man. I got more questions. I can't wait. Let's play a record, too. Let's play the... What you wanna hit?

Even Real? You wanna play that one? Yeah, man. I'd love to. He got joints. Does she got it with Coco Jones and Glorilla? I like Funeral. Funeral is really dope.

Thank you, man. What you wanna hit? Hammer to the heart is my joint, though. Oh, yeah. No way. Thank you. I mean, yeah, put it on for Givion, man. My dog, brother. Fucking best in the business, man. All right. Well, there you have it.

Teddy Swims, y'all. We appreciate you for joining us. Thank you so much. Thank y'all so much for having me. I'm honored to be here, truly. Thank you. Let's get into the record. Are you even real featuring Givion?

It's The Breakfast Club. Good morning. Wake that ass up. In the morning. The Breakfast Club. Breakfast Club. Good morning. Wake that ass up in the morning. Breakfast Club.

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