Teddy Swims Releases “Perfect Man” and Announces Highly Anticipated Album UGLY
Teddy Swims “Perfect Man” arrives as the GRAMMY-nominated, Diamond-certified singer-songwriter announces his highly anticipated second album, UGLY, due January 22 via Warner Records.
The GRAMMY-nominated, Diamond-certified singer-songwriter’s latest release explores the impossible standards people can set for themselves, particularly when trying to balance relationships, parenthood and the expectations that come with being someone others depend on.
Listen to “Perfect Man”
Listen to “Perfect Man”: [Listen Here]
Watch the performance video: [Watch Here]
Pre-order/save UGLY: [Pre-order / Save Here]
Written during the 15 months following the birth of his son, UGLY serves as an outlet for Swims’ reflections on personal growth and his experiences as a man and father.
“Perfect Man” sets the tone for the album with a message centred on self-forgiveness and learning to accept that perfection is impossible.
Teddy Swims “Perfect Man” Explores the Pressure to Be Perfect
On “Perfect Man”, Swims turns the spotlight inward, exploring the pressure to be everything to everyone while learning to offer himself the same grace he extends to others.
The track begins as an orchestral piano ballad before building into a warmer full-band arrangement, complete with soulful backing vocals.
Its central message develops alongside the music, with the repeated idea that there is no such thing as a perfect man becoming a reflection on self-doubt, unrealistic expectations and the excuses people can make when they fall short.
By the end, the song arrives at a more sobering realisation: perfection was never the expectation. What mattered was making the effort to do better.
“Perfect Man” is a song about self forgiveness. In my life, I’ve held myself to a standard that is completely unrealistic.
Swims says the song reflects the standards he has placed on himself as a partner and father, as well as the responsibility he feels towards people who look up to him.
He also hopes the song can encourage more open conversations around insecurity, imperfections and the parts of ourselves people often try to hide.
“The beauty of chasing perfection is knowing we will never reach it,” Swims says.
A Full-Band Performance Brings the Song to Life
The accompanying performance video puts the song’s orchestration front and centre.
Swims performs alongside his band and backing singers, joined by a four-piece string section and a four-piece horn section.
Visually, he appears in an artfully distressed classic white pinstriped suit, a look that mirrors the song’s themes of embracing imperfections rather than attempting to disguise them.
The performance gives “Perfect Man” a stripped-back emotional quality while allowing the arrangement’s orchestral and soul influences to shine.
Who Worked on “Perfect Man”?
The single brings Swims together with a group of frequent collaborators, including Julian Bunetta, Afterhrs, Matt Zara, Mikky Ekko, Kendrick Nicholls and Alex Izquierdo, alongside Edgar Barrera.
Their combined work gives the track a layered arrangement that moves from intimate piano-led passages into a fuller, soulful production.
UGLY Arrives January 22
“Perfect Man” is the latest preview of UGLY, Teddy Swims’ forthcoming second album.
The project was written over a 15-month period following the birth of his son, giving Swims an opportunity to reflect on fatherhood, relationships, personal growth and the expectations he places on himself.
The album follows his breakthrough success with his debut project and the global impact of his Diamond-certified hit “Lose Control.”
“Break Up in Reverse” Set the Tone
The new single follows Swims’ previous release, “Break Up in Reverse,” another emotionally vulnerable track.
Its accompanying video visualised the song’s breakup concept through a surreal sequence in which a bulldozer moving in reverse appears to rebuild a vision of domestic happiness that had previously fallen apart.
Watch “Break Up in Reverse”: [Watch Here]
Together, the two singles offer glimpses into the more introspective themes surrounding Swims’ next chapter.
From “Lose Control” to a New Chapter
The past year has been significant for Swims.
He completed a sold-out global tour, received his second career GRAMMY nomination and continued the extraordinary run of his Diamond-certified hit “Lose Control.”
The song spent 112 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, setting a record for the longest-running song on the chart before leaving under a rule designed to make room for newer releases.
“Lose Control” also topped the Billboard Hot 100 and five radio formats and has surpassed 5 billion global streams.
Now, with “Perfect Man” and UGLY, Swims is turning from one of his biggest commercial successes towards a more personal exploration of identity, fatherhood and self-acceptance.
Listen to Teddy Swims’ “Perfect Man”
“Perfect Man” is out now.
Listen to “Perfect Man”: [Stream Here]
Watch the performance video: [Watch Here]
UGLY is scheduled for release January 22 via Warner Records.
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