TEDDY SWIMS WILL NEVER BE A “PERFECT MAN”
GRAMMY®-nominated, Diamond-certified superstar Teddy Swims announces his highly anticipated second album, UGLY, out January 22 on Warner Records. Swims wrote UGLY over the last 15 months since his son was born and it serves as an outlet for self reflection and growth as both a man and father. Setting the stage for what’s ahead, Swims releases his new single, “Perfect Man”, a soul-baring anthem about the impossible standards we set for ourselves and learning to find strength in our imperfections. Relatable and refreshingly honest, the song builds musically while exploring the pressure to be everything to everyone, while learning to extend himself the same grace he gives to others.
“Perfect Man” manages to be both playful and poignant, sincere and self-aware, as Swims navigates a complex series of emotions and moments. The music begins with the depth of an orchestral piano-ballad before growing into a warm full-band sound with soulful backing vocals. The meaning of the hook evolves too — “There’s no such thing as a perfect man” — as Swims reckons with self-loathing, all-or-nothing thinking, and the excuses we make for falling short. He arrives at a sobering conclusion: She never wanted perfection, just for someone to try harder.
“‘Perfect Man’ is a song about self forgiveness. In my life, I’ve held myself to a standard that is completely unrealistic, I’ve been too hard on myself as a partner, as a father, and in feeling the responsibility that comes with knowing there are people who rely and look up to me. I truly believe our insecurities and our quirks are signs of strength rather than weakness. My hope with this song, and with the work and conversations around it, is that people can find some relief and try to lean into our shortcomings and have an open dialogue about them rather than trying to hide them.”
“The beauty of chasing perfection is knowing we will never reach it” says Swims.
“Perfect Man” unites Swims with frequent collaborators Julian Bunetta, Afterhrs, Matt Zara, Mikky Ekko, Kendrick Nicholls, and Alex Izquierdo, plus Edgar Barrera. The orchestration is unmissable in the song’s accompanying performance video, where Swims is backed by his own band and backup singers, plus a four-piece string section and four-piece horns section. He appears in an artfully tattered classic pinstriped white suit, underscoring the song’s theme of accepting imperfection.
The new track follows Swims’ m ost vulnerable single yet, “Break Up in Reverse,” the song came with a music video that brought its devastating concept to life: Swims sings while a bulldozer moving in reverse puts back together the vision of domestic bliss that had fallen to pieces around him.
Last year was especially monumental for Swims, who wrapped a sold-out global tour, earned his second career GRAMMY® nod, and made history with his Diamond-certified smash “Lose Control,” which set the record for the longest-running Billboard Hot 100 song after spending 112 weeks on the chart (and it only left due to a rule meant to make room for others). In addition to topping the Hot 100 and five radio formats, the hit has surpassed 5 billion global streams.
Swims heads into The UGLY Tour having spent much of 2026 delighting fans on the road. He was also the only artist to play both Stagecoach and Coachella this year, and made news by bringing David Lee Roth, Joe Jonas, and Vanessa Carlton onstage at the latter. He ran a U.S. summer tour that culminated in triumphant returns to BottleRock and Bonnaroo. Most recently, he played a series of overseas festivals to massive crowds, including at Lollapalooza Berlin.
Teddy Swims Tour Dates
September 22 – Kansas City, MO @ T-Mobile Center
September 23 – Saint Louis, MO @ Enterprise Center
September 25 – Chicago, IL @ United Center
September 26 – Saint Paul, MN @ Grand Casino Arena
September 29 – Detroit, MI @ Little Caesars Arena
September 30 – Columbus, OH @ Nationwide Arena
October 2 – Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center
October 5 – Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena
October 7 – Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre
October 9 – Boston, MA @ TD Garden
October 10 – Philadelphia, PA @ Xfinity Mobile Arena
October 13 – Washington, D.C. @ Capital One Arena
October 16 – Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena
October 18 – Charlotte, NC @ Spectrum Center
October 20 – Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena
October 22 – Orlando, FL @ Kia Center
October 23 – Sunrise, FL @ Amerant Bank Arena
October 25 – Tampa, FL @ Benchmark International Arena
October 27 – Houston, TX @ Toyota Center
October 28 – Austin, TX @ Moody Center
October 30 – Fort Worth, TX @ Dickies Arena
November 1 – Denver, CO @ Ball Arena
November 3 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Delta Center
November 5 – Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena
November 6 – Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena
November 8 – Portland, OR @ Moda Center
November 10 – San Francisco, CA @ Chase Center
November 11 – Sacramento, CA @ Golden 1 Center
November 13 – San Diego, CA @ Pechanga Arena San Diego
November 14 – Las Vegas, NV @ T-Mobile Arena
November 16 – Phoenix, AZ @ Mortgage Matchup Center
November 18 – Los Angeles, CA @ Kia Forum
Mar 02 – Unity Arena @ Fornebu, Norway
Mar 04 – Avicci Arena @ Stockholm, Sweden
Mar 05 – Avicci Arena @ Stockholm, Sweden
Mar 07 – Royal Arena @ Copenhagen, Denmark
Mar 08 – Royal Arena @ Copenhagen, Denmark
Mar 10 – Barclays Arena @ Hamburg, Germany
Mar 11 – Uber Arena @ Berlin, Germany
Mar 13 – Lanxess Arena @ Köln, Germany
Mar 14 – Lanxess Arena @ Köln, Germany
Mar 16 – Ziggo Dome @ Amsterdam, Netherlands
Mar 17 – Ziggo Dome @ Amsterdam, Netherlands
Mar 18 – Ziggo Dome @ Amsterdam, Netherlands
Mar 20 – O2 arena @ Praha 9, Czech Republic
Mar 21 – Wiener Stadhalle @ Vienna, Austria
Mar 24 – Halenstadion @ Zürich, Switzerland
Mar 26 – AFAS Dome @ Antwerpen, Belgium
Mar 27 – AFAS Dome @ Antwerpen, Belgium
Mar 30 – Accor Arena @ Paris, France
Apr 04 – Utilia @ Birmingham, United Kingdom
Apr 05 – Utilia @ Birmingham, United Kingdom
Apr 08 – 3Arena @ Dublin, Ireland
Apr 13 – OVO Hydro @ Glasgow, United Kingdom
Apr 16 – Co-op Live @ Manchester, United Kingdom
Apr 17 – Co-op Live @ Manchester, United Kingdom
Apr 18 – Co-op Live @ Manchester, United Kingdom
Apr 21 – The O2 @ London, United Kingdom
Apr 22 – The O2 @ London, United Kingdom
Apr 24 – The O2 @ London, United Kingdom
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