Teddy Swims let Rolling Stone into his hotel room as he got ready for the 2026 Grammy Awards, chatting about being nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album, his favorite hype-up music, his fashion preferences, and more.
For Swims, this year felt like his first chance to really experience the entirety of Grammys week. While he was nominated for Best New Artist last year, the Los Angeles wildfires put a damper on many of the events leading up to the big night.
Admitting he was a tad hungover at the start of the clip, Swims quipped, “This is my first time being able to do the whole hustle of the week of the Grammys bit, which I overindulged in. I think I had to catch up from what got robbed of me last year.”
Swims also spoke about securing a nomination for Best Pop Vocal Album for I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy (Part 2). The singer admitted he didn’t think he was “in the conversation at all,” and compared receiving the news to waking up on his birthday.
Explaining why being nominated in this particular category felt so special, Swims added, “It’s for the album, and for the vocals. Being honored for the whole group of work, but also being honored for the craft itself of the vocal. As somebody who’s such a big fan of the voice, who’s such a big fan of this craft, and somebody who’s been doing this for 20 years now — vocally, I put everything, I put my whole life into this.”
Elsewhere, as Swims got his hair and nails done, he described his styling preferences as “punk rock, but still like baby girl,” before adding with a laugh, “Tough, but sweet, like me. Tough guy, but girly.” He also revealed the music he always turns to when he needs to get hyped for a social gauntlet like the Grammys: Phil Collins’ Tarzan soundtrack.
“If I throw on Tarzan, that’s usually the thing that makes me feel like, ‘Let’s go!’” Swims said. “Phil Collins is ripping in that! He’s the best ever dude, come on.”
