American singer-songwriter Teddy Swims stunned onlookers in London when he stepped up to perform with busker Victor Ray in Piccadilly Circus. The British-Ugandan singer-songwriter, who regularly live-streams performances across the capital on social media, was joined by a man hiding behind shades and a woolly hat as he sang Gnarls Barkley's Crazy.
Surprise duet in the capital
"The cold didn’t even matter," Victor exclaimed as he introduced the star, who stood casually with his hands in his pockets, belting out the number. Revealing the identity of his mystery singing partner, Victor added: "I'll never forget the day Teddy Swims joined me on the mic."
Teddy, born Jaten Collin Dimsdale, began his career posting covers on YouTube in 2019 before rising to stardom within three years and appearing on the Billboard 200. Amazed Londoners recognised Teddy's tones and pulled out their camera phones to get a snap of him in action.
Fans react to the performance
Writing in response to the clip, one fan commented: "When you’re the main character and you meet another main character. You’re both incredible." A second person gushed: "I love how happy he is listening to you! Swaying like a happy toddler!"
A third, who was present at the time, shared: "When I saw that dude walking in the back I thought it was security coming to shut it down and I was like noooooo!" While a fourth Instagram user declared: "Imagine walking by and not knowing its Teddy Swims. Couldn't be me! I love the guy."
Teddy's current tour and family moment
Teddy, who has 9.1 million followers on Instagram, is currently on an extensive tour of the United States. Last week he shared a sweet video of himself performing on stage as he duetted with his young son on his 2023 hit, Some Things I'll Never Know.
"Some people are just born with it!" he joked in a caption. One fan gushed in reply: "Sweetest moment between dad and son. Happy tears flowing." While another posted: "I hope you paid them for this feature." To which Teddy joked: "This kid got too much money already."
