Teddy is currently working on an EP and a longer album project.
Teddy James. Picture: Supplied
Rising star Teddy James is looking to carve out his place in the mainstream music scene with his latest single, Blessed.
Released on 1 October through Tony Duardo Presents, the song reflects on faith, family, love and the people who have supported him throughout his journey.
Teddy said he wants to reach a wider audience without simply following existing trends.
“I hear a lot of similarities in music today, particularly in South Africa. Similar sounds, similar approaches, similar formulas. I want to disrupt that comfort,” he said.
Finding his sound
His musical influences include Drake, Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole.
“I believe in my talent. Vocally, creatively and in terms of versatility, I genuinely believe I can compete at the highest level,” he said.
Teddy also wants his music to have longevity.
“I don’t just want people playing my music today. I want somebody’s kid singing a Teddy James record years from now because they grew up hearing their parents play it,” he said.
“I’m not interested in making disposable music. I’m trying to build records that live longer than the moment they were released in.”
From an eight-year-old in a studio to ‘Blessed’
Teddy’s relationship with music began when he was eight years old.
He recorded his first song in a studio as a birthday gift for his mother, who was turning 50.
“The engineer told me to get behind the microphone, test it, try a few things and get comfortable. Then the beat started playing,” he recalled.
“I remember thinking, ‘This is the life I want.'”
“It was the first glimpse I had of what I wanted forever to look like.”
Now, years after that first studio experience, Teddy said he is more comfortable with his identity as an artist.
“My earlier music was me figuring myself out. Now I’m much more comfortable being Teddy James,” he said.
‘I want it to mean something’
Blessed was made with Teddy’s friend and frequent collaborator Elizee.
The pair spent about seven to eight hours working on the song, discussing its meaning, writing lyrics and developing melodies.
Teddy said they did not want to rush the process.
“We allowed the song to breathe and become what it needed to become,” he said.
“I want it to mean something.”
The song also reflects Teddy’s faith.
“I genuinely believe God watches over every step I take. Even when I put myself in a situation I probably shouldn’t be in, somehow He finds a way to pull me out of it and put me where I’m supposed to be,” he said.
He also credits his family and the woman in his life for supporting him.
“Those things mean more to me than anything material,” he said.
For Teddy, being blessed is not necessarily about money or fame.
“Every day I walk, I’m blessed. Every morning I wake up, I’m blessed. This record is me stopping for a moment and saying, ‘Thank You, God. I see what You’re doing in my life,'” he said.
“If I can wake up, have somewhere safe to sleep and have a meal in front of me, that is already a win. Sometimes the smallest wins are actually the biggest blessings.”
Building beyond ‘Blessed’
Teddy is currently working on an EP and a longer album project called The Parks.
“I’m not interested in making disposable music. I’m trying to build records that live longer than the moment they were released in,” he said.
