Teddy Swims is pouring his emotions into his art.
The two-time Grammy nominee, 33, released his powerful new single, “Break Up in Reverse,” on Friday, July 10, after revealing his split from his girlfriend, Raiche Wright.
The lyrics find Swims wishing to undo a failed relationship. “Every night would get better instead of getting worse / I’d watch you slowly slip back into my hands,” he sings during the song’s chorus. “Say goodbye to me in the beginning / And love me in the end.”
The “Lose Control” singer even references Wright’s home state, crooning in the track’s second verse, “You’d be on your way back from Massachusetts / Bet it breaks the hearts of stars when we use ’em as excuses.”
Swims confirmed on Friday that “Break Up in Reverse,” which follows the April release of “Mr. Know It All,” is autobiographical.
“‘Break Up in Reverse’ really hits home for me right now and where I am in my life. Upon writing this song and my next album, I’ve been going through it with my relationship with my baby’s mother coming to an end,” he said in a statement, referencing Wright, with whom he shares a 12-month-old son.
The “Bad Dreams” singer went on to share that “Break Up in Reverse” is also inspired by rapper Nas‘ 2001 song “Rewind.”
“We loved how the whole song takes place in reverse,” he explained. “So we thought, ‘How beautiful would it be if we took the same idea but wrote it about my relationship’ with the punchline being ‘Say goodbye to me in the beginning and love me in the end.’”
Swims first confirmed his breakup from Wright, 30, during a Q&A at Stagecoach in April.
“I’m going through a bit of a situation with my baby mother, a little heartbreak going on,” he said at the time before assuring the crowd that he was still “in a good place” in his life. “I got a 10-month-old … and he’s the sweetest kid in the world. Trying to make [music] not about being a dad is the hard part because nobody wants to hear just nothing but dad tunes.”
Wright has also publicly addressed her separation from the musician, most recently sharing that the exes are still adjusting to being coparents.
“The thought of having to split time with my baby 50/50 has been the hardest reality I’ve ever had to face,” she wrote on her Instagram Story on Tuesday, July 7. “When I dreamed of becoming a mother and having children, I never imagined this would be my reality. My heart hurts, and my stomach is in constant knots. My heart goes out to anyone who is going through this, or who has ever had to.”
