“Every day I try to cry a little”

When Teddy Swims appeared at the MTV Awards last September, he was nominated for four awards, including Best New Artist.

In this case, the combined forces of Chappell Roan and Sabrina Carpenter denied him a single Moon Man trophy – but the singer walked away with something much more valuable.

“I didn't realize until a few weeks later, but me and my partner conceived that night,” he beams.

“We're coming up in June and things are great. I think we're going to crush it.''

Domestic bliss is not a quality that fans can associate with Teddy Swims.

His huge breakthrough single Lose Control and hit album I've Tried Everything But Therapy are rooted in dysfunction, addiction and heartbreak.

They were inspired by a toxic, mutually destructive relationship that he had escaped. In the past, he described it as a “really codependent lifestyle” that went from “leaner to leaner” as both sides “used their shame against each other.”

As he sings in a recent single, “I saved my life when I showed you the door.”

But that was just one chapter in the story of 32-year-old Jayton Dimmesdale, a native of Georgia.

This Friday, he releases a second album, I've Tried Everything But Therapy Part 2, which explains what happened next.

“I've learned that love doesn't have to be this thing of high highs and low lows – fighting and pulling teeth just to stay together,” he says.

“The first album was very stormy and not very finished. So I wanted to come back and say, “Here I am on the other side of this and I'm doing better.”

“I feel like as a listener, I'd like to hear that there's a way out.”

His new partner is also singer-songwriter Rachel Wright, whom he met “a few Thanksgivings ago” when she came to one of his shows – and the new album lives in a kind of confused bliss.

“Are you something from a dream or something I made up?' he marvels over the smooth R&B groove of Are You Real.

Later, on the acoustic guitar ballad If You Ever Change Your Mind, he sings, “i love you i love you” with a quiet sincerity rarely seen on pop records.

Musically, the album draws from the same palette as before – a 1960s brand of soul where dusty piano rhythms and guitar lines are enhanced with a modern pop sheen and a pinch of rock 'n' roll flair.

But it's not all hearts and flowers. The gorgeous soul of Black and White makes a plea for tolerance inspired by the prejudice faced by Dimmesdale and his partner – who is of mixed black and white heritage.

“I see people look disgusted because we're different colors — especially in the South,” he says.

“But it's okay to be happy in love with someone who's a different skin color or a different size or shape or the same gender or whatever.

“Why would you hate that? It's such a backwards thing.”

Dimmesdale learned about acceptance the hard way. Born in Conyers, an eastern suburb of Atlanta, his grandfather was a Pentecostal preacher with certain worldviews and family life was difficult to navigate.

His parents divorced when he was three, and although they both remarried, their new relationships were troubled. His live-in mother married an alcoholic who left suddenly when Dinsdale was 18 and never spoke to the family again.

His father, whom he saw at weekends, married a woman who developed serious mental health problems, including schizophrenia, and spent long periods in hospital. His father ended up raising the Dimmesdale step-brothers almost single-handedly.

“He would work 18-hour days and still do his homework and still make it to practices, all by himself,” he says.

“I just can't say enough about how amazing this guy is.”

Dimsdale was a late bloomer when it came to music. As a youth, he was a committed football player until a friend convinced him to audition for a school production of The Damned Yankees.

The musical sparked a love affair with singing. He explored vocal techniques on YouTube, immersing himself in performances by Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson and Aretha Franklin.

After graduation, he began playing with local metal bands, adopting the stage name “Swims” from the Internet forum for Someone Who Isn't Me Sometimes. Teddy, meanwhile, is a childhood nickname based on his friendly and cuddly personality.

But it was a cover of Shania Twain's country ballad You're Still The One that earned him his big break.

It has been viewed 197 million times on YouTube. One of those viewers was a talent scout for Warner Bros. Records, who signed Dimsdale to a record deal on Christmas Eve 2019.

They partnered the musician with professional writers such as Julianne Bunetta (Sabrina Carpenter, One Direction) and Miki Eko (Rihanna, Drake) – but he also kept his high school band Freak Feely, who still plays with him today.

After three EPs and hundreds of sessions, they wrote Lose Control and Dinsdale instantly “knew it was going to change my life”.

He was right. With 2.2 billion global streams, it's one of the most successful songs in recent chart history – but it took time to find an audience.

There was no viral moment or trend on TikTok related to Lose Control. Instead, Dimmesdale “did it the old-fashioned way”.

“We showed up and did every damn interview possible,” he says. “We went to every office and radio station and shook hands with everyone individually.

He believes that personal touch beats everything, hands down.

“People love to see their friend win, so if you go out there and make time for them, that goes a lot further than a playlist coming to your desk or a little file coming to your email saying, 'Hey, you can do i press this song?'

“And that's the old way you work with a recording before you stream.”

Coyly, he admits that the song made him a millionaire (“so I can't be mad at that girl anymore, right?”), but he learns that making money means spending money.

“A million dollars goes so fast,” he says. “Once you send 66 people on a tour, with all the gear and all the lights, it's out the door as fast as you can get it.

“Twenty dollars still means what $20 used to mean to me, but the amount that goes in and out is so scary to watch sometimes.”

As we speak, he's rehearsing in Pennsylvania ahead of his first European arena tour, which includes two nights at Wembley this March.

The stage has just been built for the first time and he can't wait to get to know all the ramps and video walls. The music… not so much.

“I wouldn't say I'm sick of the songs yet, but we've been playing them non-stop for two weeks now,” he says. “I can't wait for people to sing along so I can fall in love with them all over again.”

If you've been to a Teddy Swims show, you'll know that he bets his heart out.

there is countless videos of him, hiccuping, while he performs Some Things I'll Never Knowa song about abandonment and grief. For the upcoming tour, he'll be playing it alongside a new dirge, Northern Lights, which dives even deeper into heartbreak.

He'll be a mess – but Dimmesdale insists that's a good thing.

“Every day I try to cry a little bit,” he says. “It's just pain leaving the body.

“And it's a constant reminder that no matter what you've been through, there's happiness on the other side.”

With his bearded and tattooed face, you might not expect such emotional intelligence – but Dimmesdale's model of masculinity wasn't afraid to share his feelings.

“I am my father's son,” he says. “He's just a sensitive man. He will tell you that he loves you, he will tell you that he is proud of you. Man, I'll still be sitting there laying in his arms while we're watching TV on the couch.''

“He is the most beautiful, humble human being I have ever met. Second only to Jesus Christ.”

So, the obvious question: Is dad excited to be a grandpa?

“Doing backflips,” the singer laughs.

“I'm almost scared to have him as a grandpa because I want my kids to think I'm cool too.”