In 2019, Teddy Swims posted a live cover on YouTube that’s still stunning fans today. For this chilled-out vid, Teddy took an unexpected move, covering Mario’s 2004 hit “Let Me Love You” with a live band, amassing over 137 million views on the site and 1.1M likes to date!
With Teddy’s warm and dusky voice taking center stage, this cover almost sounds like an original as the Georgia-born star glazes soulful blues across the R&B hit, making the track entirely his own. Teddy’s session band even calms down Mario’s original beat to the pace of a jam, breathing fresh air into this 20-year-old hit as Teddy masters the original lyrics with a brand new feel.
Fans can’t get over how flawless this cover is, with one viewer commenting, “It’s crazy how the music industry destroyed this type of music. Music that had soul in it. This is worth gold,” and another pointing out how phenomenal the band is.
However, most viewers have been left awestruck by Teddy’s effortless voice alone, noticing that “the soul and richness in his voice is truly hard to find,” with some long-time Mario fans realizing “this is the only cover I have heard that does the original justice.”
Teddy Swims dropped his debut album, “I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy” in 2023 at 31 years old, more mature than most debuting pop stars, despite releasing his first single in 2019 and posting music covers on YouTube from that same year on. It wasn’t until the release of his summer #1 single, “Lose Control,” taken from his debut album, that the world was formally introduced to Teddy’s majestic voice; thick with the flavors of blues and soul, topped with a genius sense of finesse.
It’s a whirlwind looking back at this vid — one of the most viewed uploads of Teddy’s early era, thrusting him into the internet spotlight as he crept from obscurity to the top of the charts. Even today, after the release of his global hit single and current world tour, this cover remains Teddy’s third most viewed video on his official YouTube channel, outranked only by “Lose Control”’s official music vid and an astounding cover of Shania Twain’s “You’re Still The One” which Teddy dedicated to his mum (check out the second vid above!).
Any Music Man readers only acquainted with Teddy through his radio sensation “Lose Control” will be stunned at his early work; the rawest examples of his incredible vocal versatility as he crosses the genres, conquering male and female songs with his own impeccable twists while keeping bright levels of respect for the original tracks. This star possesses a rare talent for making songs sound timeless, and we can’t wait to see what his upcoming 2025 record “I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy (Part 2)” has to say.
If you would like to hear more from this talented artist, you can subscribe to Teddy Swims’ YouTube Channel for more incredible music. Follow Teddy Swims on Facebook and Instagram, or visit his official website for the latest updates.