If you walked into the Crypto.com Arena in February 2025 expecting just another awards show, you clearly weren't ready for Jaten Dimsdale. Most of us know him as Teddy Swims. He’s the guy with the face tattoos and the voice that sounds like it was marinated in 40 years of bourbon and heartbreak. By the time the Teddy Swims Grammys 2025 cycle kicked off, he wasn't just a "YouTube cover artist" anymore. He was a titan.
But here’s the thing: people keep focusing on the trophy he didn't take home. That’s a mistake. Honestly, looking at the "wins" and "losses" of that night tells only half the story. The 67th Annual Grammy Awards weren't about a gold megaphone for Teddy; they were about a total cultural shift for a guy from Conyers, Georgia, who spent years playing to empty rooms.
The Best New Artist "Snub" That Wasn't
Let's address the elephant in the room. Teddy Swims was nominated for Best New Artist. It was a bloodbath of a category. You had Benson Boone, Sabrina Carpenter, Doechii, and Chappell Roan. When Chappell Roan eventually took the stage to claim the award, the internet did what the internet does—it started screaming about "snubs."
But was it a snub? Not really.
Teddy himself was surprisingly chill about the whole thing. Before the ceremony, he told Today.com that he was just "terrified" they wouldn't even call his name for the nomination. When they finally got to the 'S' names in the announcement, he practically collapsed with relief. He called his dad immediately. For a guy like Teddy, the nomination was the finish line. Winning would have just been the cherry on top.
He didn't lose; he just shared the stage with the biggest pop explosion of the decade.
That Pearl Suit: Fashion Statement or Family First?
The red carpet was... a lot. Teddy showed up in a champagne-colored suit literally dripping in pearls. He had a massive pearl-encrusted hat to match. He looked like a soul-singing pirate, and honestly, it worked.
But there was a deeper reason for the "gaudy girl" energy.
Teddy and his partner, Raiche Wright, had recently announced they were expecting. The baby was due in June. The birthstone for June? Pearls. Every single strand on that suit was a nod to his kid. He told People on the carpet that he wanted to put the Grammy—if he won—right by the crib so the baby would think he was cool.
The Windowsen Controversy
Of course, you can't have a major red carpet moment without some drama. Shortly after the show, a Chinese fashion brand called Windowsen called out Teddy’s team. Apparently, his stylist had reached out to them in January 2025 asking for a specific "pearl suit" design made for another artist, Silence Wang.
Windowsen told them no. It was a custom piece.
Then, Teddy shows up in a suit that looked remarkably similar. The brand wasn't happy. They posted side-by-side shots on Instagram demanding an explanation. It was a messy moment for a guy who usually stays out of the headlines. It reminds you that the "big machine" of the Grammys has a lot of moving parts—and sometimes those parts grind against each other.
The Performance: Making the Room "Lose Control"
If the award went to someone else, the night still belonged to Teddy the second he touched the mic. He performed "Lose Control," the song that basically lived in the Billboard Top 10 for a year.
It wasn't a "pop" performance. There were no backup dancers doing backflips. It was just Teddy and his band, Freak Freely. He sang like his life depended on it. You could hear the grit. The 2025 Grammys stage is huge, but he made it feel like a smoky dive bar in Atlanta. That’s his superpower. He makes 20,000 people feel like he's whispering a secret to them.
Why 2025 Was Just the Beginning
You might think the Teddy Swims Grammys 2025 story ends with him going home empty-handed. It doesn't.
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Shortly after the ceremony, "Lose Control" officially went Diamond. That is a massive, rare feat. He also dropped the Complete Edition of his debut album, I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy, which featured 32 tracks of pure raw emotion.
By late 2025, he was already looking at the 68th Annual Grammys. He secured a nomination for Best Pop Vocal Album for Part 2. He’s not a "one-hit wonder." He’s a career artist.
What You Should Do Next
If you’re a fan or a casual listener trying to keep up with the trajectory of soul music, there are a few things worth doing right now to see why Teddy is such a big deal:
- Listen to "The Door" and "Bad Dreams": Everyone knows "Lose Control," but these tracks show the range he’s bringing to his newer work.
- Watch the Live at the BRITs 2025 Medley: If you think his Grammy performance was good, his UK performance a month later was even more polished.
- Check out the Windowsen "Pearl Suit" photos: It’s a fascinating look into the world of high-fashion plagiarism and how stylists navigate (or fail to navigate) custom designs.
- Follow his "Freak Freely" tour dates: He’s spending most of 2026 in Japan, South Korea, and Dubai, proving that his "southern soul" has massive international legs.
Teddy Swims didn't need a trophy in 2025 to validate what he's doing. He’s already redefined what a "pop star" looks and sounds like in the mid-2020s. The tattoos, the pearls, and that "rough around the edges" spirit are exactly what the industry was missing.