Teddy Beats is “Too EDM For Pop and Too Pop For EDM”

Teddy Beats is an outstanding name to look out for in the “chill-dance” genre. According to Teddy Beats’ Instagram bio, he is “too EDM for pop and too pop for EDM”. This unique style of music production allows the Washington D.C.-born and raised DJ/producer to produce music that allows electronic music and pop music fans to equally dance to their hearts’ delight and not think about the little things (particularly when it comes to noticing the differences in pop and electronic music sounds).

Teddy Beats have performed at prestigious music festivals such as Moonrise and Firefly. The young DJ/producer have also accumulated 15 million streams on Spotify and have seen his music charted internationally on SiriusXM Chill and Virgin Radio. Additionally, he have signed onto top labels like Armada, Soave, Smash The House, and Knightvision/Warner. Here is One EDM’s exclusive interview with Teddy Beats as he discussed his career’s beginnings, his latest music and also any upcoming plans in 2022.

Kenny Ngo: How are you doing, Teddy? How are the first couple months of 2022 for you so far?

Teddy Beats: What’s up dude? All is Gucci on my end! The first couple months of 2022 have been great. I took somewhat of a creative sabbatical at the end of December to recharge my batteries. Now, I’m back with a vengeance!

What has been your most memorable achievement in 2021?

There were so many great ones. 2021 was a hell of a year but my most memorable achievement was probably playing one of the main stages at Firefly Festival this year.

According to your IG bio, your slogan is “Too pop for EDM, too EDM for pop”. May you explain to the readers the meaning behind this eye-catching slogan?

My musical style sits somewhere between pop and EDM. So when I tell people I make pop music, they often say it sounds more like EDM and vice versa. Because of that, I have embraced it. It is so hard to please everyone!

Your reputation as a dance music DJ/producer has grown exponentially, especially since your tracks have frequently gone on rotation on Virgin Radio and SiriusXM Chill. What do you think of your constant rise as a DJ/producer from your beginnings after graduating from college?

It’s pretty unreal. The music scene is a tough one to crack so I’m always super thankful and grateful for my continued growth in this industry. I have been making music for a long time. Even in college, I could not have imagined my music playing on the radio.

Speaking of beginnings, you trained to be a certified audio engineer at Omega Recording Studios after university graduation. What made you decide to become an audio engineer?

Before audio school, everything I knew about music production and mixing was self-taught. Because of that, I wanted to perfect my craft and learn how to polish my songs.

When you started your music production career, you actually started off producing hip-hop beats when you were signed to a production deal with Bad Boy Entertainment “Hitmen” producer Chucky Thompson. Are there any significant differences and similarities when it comes to producing hip-hop music and electronic music?

I think one of the biggest differences between producing hip-hop beats versus dance beats is the amount of instrument layering. There’s a beautiful simplicity to hip-hop beats. If the drums are good and the bass is banging, that’s all you need sometimes. I feel like dance music tends to need extra layers to help build energy and anticipation, especially going into the drop.

As a talented, up-and-coming DJ/producer from the U.S. capital making super fantastic moves in the industry, you released one of your latest singles, “Home (Whoop Daddy)” with Jacob Browne in December. What is this exciting track about and what separates it from your other notable tracks?

This song is super special to me for two reasons. The first being that it was released on Sony Music, which has been my dream for a long time. The second reason being that a popular dance music group offered to buy the song from me for their upcoming album, which was a huge compliment. Writing and producing songs for bigger artists is definitely a goal I have for myself this year.

Just a couple weeks ago, you released your remix of Oliver Tree’s “Life Goes On”. What are the unique sounds of this remix that you should recommend the readers to notice for?

Them horns! I started it off with a live horn. Then, I layered a bunch of other virtual horns on top of it to beef it up. I think it adds some great energy to the song.

You have been featured on SiriusXM Chill’s top program “House of Chill” before. What other programs have you been featured on and which programs will you be on in the near future?

I did a guest mix on Seattle’s C89.5 radio station (shout out Harmony!) which was a lot of fun. I’ve also been on a few college radio stations recently doing interviews and promoting my current tour.

You have performed at popular festivals like Firefly and Moonrise. Which festivals and/or events are you planning to perform at very soon? That is, if things won’t get postponed again like almost all of 2020 and a quarter of 2021 because of the still-ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

There are many awesome festivals I would love to play this year. However, one that instantly comes to mind is Electric Forest. I was suppose to play it in 2020 and 2021 but the festival got canceled due to COVID concerns both times.

Bonus Track:

Teddy Beats also released a new remix of “You Need Love”. This track is sung by an amazing singer named Eklo. According to Teddy, Eklo’s vocals and lyrics brought tears to his eyes when listening to the track. Because of that, Teddy asked Eklo if he can remix “You Need Love” and the singer agreed. Check out Teddy Beats’ remix of Eklo’s “You Need Love” below.