Teddy Swims on why Australia 'feels like home' | 7.30

Key Concepts

• Australian Hospitality: Perceived as inherently good, hospitable, kind, and less jaded, reminding Teddy Swims of Southern hospitality and home.
• NRL Grand Final Performance: A significant moment for Swims, marking his first time truly being a part of Australia and experiencing the people's excitement.
• Vocal Gift: Swims believes the true gift is not immediate talent but the hunger, drive, and love for pursuing and perfecting one's craft.
• Voice as a Unique Instrument: The voice is seen as a deeply personal instrument, intrinsically linked to an individual's life experiences, pain, and circumstances.
• Pain as a Creative Catalyst: While pain has historically fueled Swims' music, he is learning to access it rather than live in it, enabling him to write happy songs while happy.
• Tattoos as Self-Expression: Swims' tattoos, particularly his face tattoos, are integral to his creative identity and serve as personal commemorations.
• "Home at Last" Tattoo: A tribute to his grandfather, commemorating his death and the profound impact of his grandmother's words during that moment.

Teddy Swims on Australian Connection and Artistic Journey

Teddy Swims expresses a deep appreciation for Australia, describing the connection as feeling like "home" due to the perceived inherent goodness, hospitality, and kindness of its people, which he likens to Southern hospitality. He notes that Australians are "salt of the earth" and have consistently welcomed him with open arms.

Significance of the NRL Grand Final Performance

Swims stated that his performance at the NRL Grand Final "meant the world" to him. He clarified that this sentiment was not mere politeness but stemmed from his touring experience in Australia, which typically involves flying in, performing, and flying out, limiting cultural immersion. The Grand Final provided his "first time being really a part of Australia," allowing him to witness the "rage of like the people and the excitement." He also mentioned watching the game from a box, admitting it was his first time seeing a rugby game and that he was "still a little lost on what the heck's going on," but found the players to be "so tough." He humorously noted the success of Brisbane teams that week, including the men's and women's NRL and the AFL.

The Genesis of a Voice and Artistic Drive

Introduced to great singers like Marvin Gaye and Al Green by his father, Swims' realization of his vocal talent wasn't immediate. He recounts his early days in theater with his friend Jesse, where they "weren't good, but you know, we just kept at it." They would spend their allowance on playing and singing rather than movies, facing discouragement like "Don't quit your day job." Swims emphasizes that the true "gift" was not being amazing instantly, but the "hunger and the drive to pursue it and to become really good at it to fall in love with it." He describes this as a "repetition or a training thing" coupled with an "urgency that like the the I have to do this with my life that that purpose in it."

The Voice: A Unique and Personal Instrument

Swims views the voice as the "only thing that's truly yours." Unlike instruments where identical setups can produce similar sounds, the voice is intrinsically tied to an individual's life journey, decisions, health, and emotional state. He advocates for using one's voice, in whatever form it takes (writing stories, poems, songs, or books), as a means of connecting with others and not wasting personal pain. He believes that if a creation "touches one person, you're going to find your tribe that way and it's going to help somebody."

Pain vs. Happiness in Artistic Creation

When questioned if pain is a better creator of music and lyrics than happiness, Swims acknowledged that pain has often been a "catalyst for like good things." He admitted to a past tendency to "almost like put myself in harm's way to get some sort of fuel for the record or something" and to "always live in this like negative heartbroken space." However, he is now learning to "access that pain versus like living in that darkness all the time" and can write happy songs while happy. He states, "It's definitely easier to write happy songs when you're happy and sad songs when you're sad."

He finds beauty in the ability to "for a quick three minutes every night I can tap back into that pain that I felt and feel it all the way... and on the end of that three minutes snap back into reality." This process allows him to "take ownership of that that trauma and and celebrate it amongst other people who have liked trauma as well." He describes this as a "celebration of that pain now versus like living in it," though he acknowledges it's a balance he's still figuring out.

Face Tattoos: "Home at Last"

Swims' tattoos are a significant part of his creative self. He reveals that he was "never meant to get a face tattoo." His grandfather, a Pentecostal pastor, had made him promise not to tattoo his face. However, the first face tattoo, "Home at Last," was a deeply personal commemoration of his grandfather's death. He recounts being with his grandmother the day his grandfather died, witnessing death for the first time. In his grandfather's room, while sitting at the piano, his grandmother broke down and said, "he's home at last, she's home at last, but you left me behind." This moment profoundly impacted Swims. He got the tattoo to commemorate his grandfather's death and, in a way, to "piss him off one more time," knowing his grandfather would likely be looking down disapprovingly. He describes it as "one last like loving f you to him."

Conclusion

Teddy Swims' conversation highlights his genuine connection with Australia, his evolving artistic process that embraces both pain and happiness, and the profound personal meaning behind his self-expression, particularly his tattoos. He emphasizes the importance of pursuing one's passion with dedication and using one's unique voice and experiences to connect with and impact others.