Live, Teddy's music is far more triumphant than melancholy. "It's so rewarding to have an outlet where I can get out my feelings but also repurpose them [into something joyous]," he says. "We can all come together and celebrate working through that pain. I want to create a safe place for all the people who create a safe place for me every night."

What's helped ground Teddy (real name Jaten Dimsdale) as the venues have gotten bigger is being surrounded by the same friends he started out with. "Six years we were in my bassist Christian's attic playing music, and now we're doing the same thing on the biggest stages in the world. We've just kept that same homegrown, grassroots energy."

When Teddy first started writing 'I've Tried Everything But Therapy (Part One)', it was a tool of self-expression. "I was this little bitch boy crying about some girl that had hurt my feelings, and trying to find healing in that." But as he began releasing the surprisingly tender, vulnerable tracks, he was told how much his openness was helping others come to terms with their own heartache.

"Being vulnerable has been the greatest gift in my life. A lot of men are told to hold things in and be tough, but I never had that experience growing up – my father is an emotional man. I was super fortunate to be able to talk about my big, old feelings," which has inspired conversations about masculinity and men's mental health. "I never saw that part of the journey when I started, but it feels like I have this purpose. It's just so much bigger than me now."

After releasing the slightly more hopeful 'I've Tried Everything But Therapy (Part Two)' last year, 2026 has seen Teddy release 'Break Up in Reverse' and 'Mr. Know It All' – two very different but equally devastating songs. Both tracks are about his recent split from his partner, with whom he shares a 13-month-old son. "We're working through it," says Teddy. "She's a wonderful person, and we'll find balance, but we're just in different places. Heartbreak is still… at least it's fuel for the record." The album is due to be finished up next month, ahead of an early 2027 release and The UGLY Tour. "A lot of it is about that break-up," he says.

As for the sound of the record, Teddy has been really inspired by all the good music released recently, but has also been diving back into his teenage record collection. "When I was coming out of high school, I was always in metal bands. I'm getting back into my punk roots with the look and the feel [of the record]. The music doesn't quite reflect that, but there's a bit of a punk edge to it. It's more rock'n'roll, with just as much soul."

He's also found a lot of inspiration in fatherhood. "My son is teaching me so much, and he's not even self-aware." Seeing his growth every day has made Teddy want to keep bettering himself, even if that's just practising piano or guitar a little more.

"He also started walking a couple of weeks ago. I was equally proud but also sad because I wasn't there to see it," says Teddy, who's spent the past six weeks in Europe. "That duality of joy and grief, there's so much in my life now. It's proof that two experiences can be true at once, though." All of that's being poured into the new album. "I don't know what the lesson of the record is going to be because I'm still learning it, whatever it is," he says. "Maybe that's the takeaway, though; we're always learning."

Despite the two-part 'I've Tried Everything But Therapy' turning Teddy Swims into a global star, he's approaching the follow-up with a sense of liberation. "You're always comparing yourself to other people. Now I have that with myself," says Teddy, who isn't trying to live up to any expectations. "The biggest thing is that we know what works – and my brain is geared towards doing everything but that." Every time he's back in the studio, the first question is 'what haven't we done yet?'. "You never learn from success, so I always want to be as close to failure as I can."