Tedy on Scandalous, Loneliness, Zombies, Radical Honesty & Finding Himself Through Music // #061

heartdea13r Podcast w/ chr1stoph3r g0nda // Episode 61 // Tedy (Musician, Artist, YouTuber)

Episode Summary:

Tedy shares his journey of self-discovery and the importance of authenticity in his music. He reflects on the impact of recognition, the challenges of navigating identity and loneliness, and the cultural roots that shape his resilience. Ted emphasizes the significance of being true to oneself and the role of music in connecting with others. He also discusses his experiences growing up in Miami and finding a sense of home in Canada, highlighting the lessons learned along the way. He encourages viewers/listeners to pursue their passions fearlessly and to find strength in their unique identities.

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Full Episode Transcript:

Chr1stoph3r G0nda (00:00.104)
because I don’t know how like this feels for from the average person perspective the the non-signed or unsigned you’re standing in Eden Center Plaza and there’s this huge billboard of you behind you how does that feel?

Ted (00:05.538)
Mm-hmm.

Ted (00:17.157)
Would it be funny if I just said it felt right? It literally like does the opposite this feels right because it does because the thing is it’s like it’s not necessarily even about the billboard because a lot of the time too I feel like they appear for a couple seconds and like disappear or whatever it’s more for like optics, but to me It just means that like somebody somewhere saw my music heard something about me and was like I want to give this guy a chance or and

That to me matters more than anything. I think a lot of people realize that, but it’s like, I’ve never taken something, even if it’s like very tiny for granted, because it’s so important to me when I see that somebody saw me and they were like, I like this guy. Because I feel like the reason why I started making music was because I felt so alone and I felt so unseen. So any little moment where I feel like someone saw me, especially let’s say just reporting like something where

Chr1stoph3r G0nda (01:07.432)
you

Ted (01:16.214)
let’s say it’s controversial or it’s like, it’s not everybody’s cup of tea or opinion and they’re just like, my God, I’m gonna show you love regardless. To me, that’s like, wow, like I was myself and somebody was like, I like that. And that’s so cool to me, yeah.

Chr1stoph3r G0nda (01:28.709)
Yeah, I love that too. I actually almost forgot. So speaking of you being seen, I wear this chain all the time. I got this from my ex-wife and from my little kids. And for me, it’s such an important part of who I am. But in honor of you and your style, I’m wearing my kids necklace today just to bring a little flair into the conversation.

Ted (01:36.868)
Good.

Ted (01:46.293)
Yes!

Color, yes. Look, I love that because when I was in college, I remember my teacher, my design teacher would always be like, oh, it’s just, the winters are so boring because people just wear black. And it’s like, because it was photography class and he was like, oh, it’s so boring to go take pictures outside because no one wears color or whatever. And I thought about that. was just like, being colorful can be so fun. And it’s just such a mood booster. Like even if I’m down, like for example, like I could be down today and I don’t have this interview and have to put on this like massive jacket and just do whatever. I’m like, instantly I’m like, let’s go, we’re in character.

uplifted you know what mean and I think I don’t know that’s kind of cool like yeah that’s really dope and it looks really awesome with your outfit too and your hat so double win yeah

Chr1stoph3r G0nda (02:27.301)
I it. You said something there that I wanted to ask about. You said like, even if someone doesn’t agree with what I’m saying and they show me support, that feels so good. I love that because I’m a big believer that life is about our character and who we are and how we show up. There’s been such a crazy divide lately about, you know, what you believe in sociopolitically, what side you’re on, of this or that, when at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter.

Ted (02:44.779)
Mm-hmm.

Chr1stoph3r G0nda (02:54.137)
necessarily what side you’re on. It matters who you are and how you show up, right? To someone in need, etc. So give me an idea about what you, like more detail about what you meant when you said like even if someone doesn’t believe with what I’m saying, they give me a shout out.

Ted (02:58.102)
Mm-hmm.

Ted (03:08.262)
Like, for example, it’s funny because I feel like sometimes people don’t realize certain things. Like, I’m a literal fat, black, gay man, immigrant from Haiti. Like, that’s unchangeable. That’s just who I am, public period. My existence can be political, period. You know what I mean? And sometimes even if I don’t necessarily even intend for something to be a big deal, it turns out to be a big deal. And I’m just like, I’m just expressing myself.

exactly the way anybody else would express themselves, you know? And I feel like that can be challenging for me sometimes because I feel like I see the weight of that. And I think with certain songs, especially like Rich, for example, right? Like it was such a moment for me of just being like, okay, I’m aware of my existence. I know what I look like. I know that if I say these words, people are gonna have this reaction. But it was the first time in my life where I was like, but at what point is it that as an artist, I decide to just be myself? At what point that…

Can I be frustrated and just say that to the world? At what point can I just want to, am I not allowed to just vent or whatever? Like this is something that is allowed to me as a human being, permanent period. And sometimes I feel like, you people can have opinions and like, oh, this is elevated. This is not elevated. And I’m like, who are you to say what’s elevated and not elevated? You know what I mean? Cause sometimes I think the best art or not that like I make the best art or anything like that, but the best, the things that relate the most to people are just.

raw moments that are imperfect, where you’re just lashing out sometimes, or you’re just frustrated, or you’re super happy, or you’re super sad, whatever. I was about giving myself that moment. So sometimes when I watch people show some of my songs where I’m just standing on business, I’m just like, yeah, no, I wasn’t born to work. I’m so sorry. I wanna follow my passions and my dreams. That’s the reason why I became a singer. Or you say, to the gym and lose 50 pounds and I might look good and then make it. But here I am with my stomach rumbling, I lost 50 pounds. You know what mean? Stuff like that. I’m like…

Yeah, because that’s, I’ve never addressed these things. feel like I was always living behind metaphors and hiding behind that. Whereas like I finally decided for this project, I was like, I really want to learn about branding. I really want to learn about storytelling. I really want to learn to sing better. I really want to learn to express myself and put my personality in my songs, even if it’s something that not everybody is going to get or like. And doing that, just like, I feel like it opened the world for me. And when I watch people show me love for my project,

Chr1stoph3r G0nda (05:14.535)
Yeah.

Ted (05:23.32)
scandalous. I’m like, wow, like, okay, I was myself and I was myself in a way I’ve never been before in a way where like I’m really being like, Hey, this is me. Like it is what it is. Like, I don’t know what you want me to tell you. And you still showed me love that’s I’m like, my God. Like you want to tell me I don’t have to please everyone all the time. Like that’s crazy. Yeah. Like I’m really, that that’s something I’m so passionate. I was just like, now I’m telling everybody to just be yourself. Like go for it. It sounds corny, but like go.

Chr1stoph3r G0nda (05:42.151)
Yeah.

Chr1stoph3r G0nda (05:49.063)
Yeah, well sounds like you had a real awakening going into this album, into this project. And it’s funny because like, it’s so easy to be a hater, it’s so easy to be a criticizer. I mean like, you mentioned the weight thing. I’ve had, you know, fluctuations with my weight. Look at Jelly Roll. I that guy was known for who he was. He drops a couple hundred pounds and all of sudden people are looking at him differently, saying things differently as opposed to, hey man, good for you for doing you. Which is what it should come down to.

Ted (06:17.847)
Yeah, exactly. Because I feel like sometimes like, I mean, I’ve heard everything in my life. And there’s so many times where I feel like I’ve let it get to my head. finally, where I’m like, no. And the thing is, it’s not like, I’m like, oh my God, go be fat, go be the blah, blah, blah. No, it’s like for me, the mentality of to follow your dreams, you have to be skinny. To go for whatever, you have to be skinny. To live life, you have to be skinny. Or you have to wait for somebody’s permission to approve of

the way you live your life and then you can start living it or whatever. That concept to me is so strange and I feel like it was the first time of me trying to find ways to tackle that issue and just be like, hey, am I not valid if I don’t fit a certain box? And what if I say I’m in the box you don’t like and I’m thriving anyways? Does that make you mad? And if it does make you mad, I think there’s a discussion to be had there and there’s something that you need to look at internally because I think people like me,

Deciding to live right now is showing you that hey you yourself don’t have to be perfect to do this and not that I’m like my god, I’m imperfect or whatever. But I think what it is is just like everyone It doesn’t matter what you look like who you are as corny as it sounds the moment you genuinely decide that your life is going to change is going to change period and I feel like With my songs I’ve been so much testing the manifestation thing with them and stuff, right and like really trying to be like hey no, like if you put that energy into the world like

That’s exactly what’s gonna happen. You don’t have to be depressed all the time or wait for somebody’s permission. Be like, no, I’m standing my ground right now and I’m just doing me and it is what it is.

Chr1stoph3r G0nda (07:49.199)
It’s funny, because we as a society, at least for the last 50 to 100 years, have been slowly conditioned into thinking that external is everything that’s important, right? Like how you look, how you appear, what you’re wearing. But you and I know that it’s internal, right? Biggie Smalls and Tupac Shakur were very different. One was ripped and one was not. And both of them were extremely confident, selfish individuals who loved themselves and loved their art and put it out.

Ted (07:58.778)
Mm-hmm.

Ted (08:03.386)
Mm-hmm.

Ted (08:09.177)
Mm-hmm.

Ted (08:16.815)
Mm-hmm.

Chr1stoph3r G0nda (08:16.933)
And it didn’t matter what they look like or who they were rolling with per se. It sounds like you’re entering that phase of your life where you’re loving yourself and you’re more secure with yourself.

Ted (08:26.762)
Yes, like definitely I do, you know, words of information every single day. And I always try to look at like the positives of things. And I look at myself and like, Hey, you’re listened to by millions of people or blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Like, so that way I don’t put myself down if I’m a video doesn’t go viral. I’m like, Hey, those things have happened. Like you’re doing it. You’re, you’re able to do all these things. And at the end of the day, I think one thing I really realized as well too, is that like, we’re here to entertain people. I think that’s something I never really looked at. It was always like, you don’t worry about the music. here to be music, blah, blah. But also like.

There’s a level of entertainment that I want to have now. I people to look at me and be like, hey, I don’t even know him, but I saw his show and it was amazing. Or like, I heard his song and I got his personality from there. Do I agree with what he’s saying? Maybe yes, maybe not. But like, do I see what his personality is or what he stands for or is he pushing something positive out into the world? I feel like that’s how I’m kind of looking at things now. I’m just like, I’m just going to be myself and like try to make the change that I can make, if that makes sense, even if it’s on a small scale or whatever.

And yeah, definitely entering the era of just like, I think it’s just, I don’t know if I can cuss in here. Can I? Can I not? Oh, it’s just really entering the era of like not giving a fuck, like genuinely. And I think that’s such a journey for me. And the more I push myself outside of my comfort zone and I’m just kind of like, wait a minute, I just did this and I didn’t die. What? And I’m like, whoa, let’s keep pushing. Like, so I think that’s my message. Just like be yourself and.

Push your own boundaries in whatever ways healthy for you and see and notice how you can survive whether you do the thing that you were so afraid of for so long. You know what I mean? So yeah.

Chr1stoph3r G0nda (10:01.161)
Absolutely man, I have this on my desk and I’ve referenced it before. If it doesn’t challenge you, it’s not going to change you. Like we don’t change in comfort, we change in discomfort. When you go outside of your box, that’s when the growth and the miracles and all that stuff happens. Let’s put a pin in this though, because I want to know the arc of how we got here. So there’s this amazing guy, he’s born in Haiti, he lives there for 10 years, then he goes to Florida on the way to Montreal. I’ve never been to Haiti.

Ted (10:06.817)
hehe

Ted (10:10.518)
Yep.

Ted (10:17.921)
Yep.

Ted (10:21.611)
Mm-hmm.

Chr1stoph3r G0nda (10:30.727)
What was it like being born and raised for the first decade of your life?

Ted (10:34.068)
my God, it’s so crazy because, I think I went to Miami at nine. I don’t know, I can never remember the very specifics or whatever, but I think my, would travel from Haiti to Miami or Haiti to Canada or wherever we’d go on vacation every single year or whatever. And I just have this vivid memory of ever since I was a kid, I always knew I was supposed to speak English. I don’t know why. Like I was born in Haiti and all of that, but like I was always like.

This was wrong. I thought this is language I’m supposed to speak and I’m not speaking it. Like what? And then Michael Jackson would not being born in Haiti feels like, no, no, no. I’m about like linguistics. Like, but the country itself, absolutely beautiful. will like Haiti is such a beautiful country. So, I’m so much corruption. Yes, but beautiful country. The people are very loving. But also at the same time, there can be a lot of controversies regarding like people just being themselves, which is like a whole other issue that I’m not even gonna like try to tackle, but like.

It was a good time, but was I fearful? And like, if I was myself, even at a very young age, I could tell like, if I was myself, would I be in danger? Sometimes I would feel that way. So when it was time to pack up and go to Miami and stuff like that, I can’t lie, part of me almost like felt relieved. was like, my God, like, cause I’ll never forget being young and watching out the window. It was like.

Chr1stoph3r G0nda (11:51.378)
Yeah.

Ted (11:56.821)
watching a guy jump from roof to roof and people are chasing him with pitchforks and fires and all of that. And then the next morning, walking to school and I’m hearing the merchants say, oh, did you know they found him sleeping with a guy the other day and they’re trying to find him and we couldn’t find him. So essentially, I don’t know what the consequences would have been if they captured that guy. You know what I mean? And just thinking like, oh my God, what if that was me? That would be, and then I’m thinking that as an eight-year-old, a seven-year-old. You know what I mean? And I’m like, what am I going to do?

And that leads to like, I’m in the States now and then like we’re in Miami and I’m going to school for the first time. I don’t know the language. I don’t know anything. It’s like starting over for the first time. I’m in a tangent right now, but I’ll keep it short. it’s like realizing that hey, I can be more of myself. And I feel like that’s where the journey kind of starts, right? Like you’re like, maybe I can, I can have more freedom. But at the same time, I was always like in the closet or whatever, whatever. And then fast forward to like, I to say like 2020, I’m like, you know what? At some point you just have to let your guard down and just do you.

Chr1stoph3r G0nda (12:45.607)
Yeah.

Ted (12:51.921)
And I feel like that’s what that arc has been. It’s always been a journey of like finding myself. I think I’m still on that journey, but more and more the little wins for me are realizing like, Teddy likes doing this. Teddy doesn’t like doing this. That’s so fun. Yeah.

Chr1stoph3r G0nda (13:03.454)
Yeah.

Yeah, that’s fascinating. mean, you know, I’ve seen tons of video and footage of Haiti because of the disaster that had happened there. But you said something so amazing. it before the age of 10, you already knew kind of more about who you were than a lot of people do. So you realized that you were, I guess, different.

than the other kids in school and you were attracted to men and you already also had the awareness to say, yo, I got to maybe not talk about this because I’m fearful of how people are going to see me. Is that accurate?

Ted (13:41.512)
yeah, 100%. I feel like for me, this was a realization that happened, my God, right when I entered kindergarten. I still remember the day before I went to kindergarten, which is so insane. I went to school and I was like, my God, I think I’m having crushes on the other boys or whatever. listening to people around me, and I knew right away not to say anything, right? Because I feel like it’s so common.

whether you’re aware of anything or not, or even knowing or whatever or not. It’s just so easy and passing to hear people have opinions, you know? Like you hear something and based on what people are saying, like, shit, am I wrong? Like you already have this instinct that like something with you is off, whether that’s like who you like or like is my way of thinking wrong? Because I feel like ever since I was a kid, my thinking was pretty progressive or like I wouldn’t really understand some of the…

conservative views that people would have because to me I just be like, well, I don’t really see how this is a problem. Let people be them or whatever, right? But like, yeah, like I’ve always known and it’s always been about navigating and finding a way to be myself. And within that, I remember just how lonely that was. And I made a promise to myself where I was like, whatever it is that I do with my life, it needs to be something where…

somebody can see me live my life and they’re like, wait, maybe I can be myself too. And that’s so important to me. like, yeah.

Chr1stoph3r G0nda (15:09.075)
So you mentioned this concept of loneliness twice now. How long did it last? Where did the loneliness start to end for you? Was it after you left Haiti or did it continue on?

Ted (15:21.76)
think the loneliness has ever, well, I don’t wanna manifest that towards myself in the sense that I don’t think the loneliness has ever ended, but I think I’ve always had this thing where I just feel like, and this is why music became so important for me, I was just kind of like, don’t, what does this human experience happening all around me? And a lot of the times I feel like I’m not part of that experience or I’m always trying to find a way to insert myself into that experience. Cause sometimes I can feel very robotic.

And I felt like that way ever since I was a kid. Like I’ve always felt like sore body, but every time I would sing, like I’m like, wow, like, wow, like this is, this has to be what being human is like, because like, wow, like this feeling, I don’t feel it on a regular basis, but it’s there when I opened my mouth and I, and I do things and watching people react to me, I’m like, my God, so that means they get it. Like, but the issue of that is like, it’s so tied to like money or tied to success with streaming and stuff like that.

That’s a conversation I have for myself at the time. Like if I make a song because it genuinely made me feel something and it didn’t get a reaction, does that mean like I didn’t do a good job enough or like I wasn’t human enough or whatever, you know what mean? So I don’t know if the loneliness has ever disappeared, but it’s definitely something that I feel like I’m actively working on where I’m like, I just want to find a way to freely express who I am as a person and…

If I watch people come to me and they’re like, no, you’re valid for that. think it kind of erases bit by bit that loneliness. If that makes sense for you. Yeah.

Chr1stoph3r G0nda (16:51.463)
Yeah, it makes sense. mean, I’m not a psychologist, but when you look at the bigger picture of your career and creating a successful YouTube channel and million of followers and now with the art, it’s almost like you’re trying to capture that. You’re trying to capture the anti loneliness through the connection with fans and other people. So.

Ted (17:08.717)
Yeah, yeah, 100 % yeah.

Chr1stoph3r G0nda (17:14.333)
Born in Haiti, America, US, mean Miami, Florida gets a lot of flack as a state. I’ve been there many times. I grew up like kind of going to Florida, but Miami is pretty progressive and there’s a lot of amazing culture and color and different groups and ethnicities there. It was kind of lucky that you landed in Miami as opposed to somewhere else.

Ted (17:36.076)
I mean, it’s the only experience I’ve had, so I’m gonna say yes because the only reason I’m gonna say yes is like, saw the good in the uglies, like the good in the sense of like, you know, I didn’t know how to speak English, didn’t know how to do anything, and I would watch some people go out of their way to try to form that connection, and I thought that was so cool because it’s like, hey, here I am, this stranger that…

this alien essentially and you’re trying to make contact and trying to understand me and I thought that was really cool but also I could I saw the other side of that where people make fun of you for an accent or how you act or whatever and blah blah blah blah but definitely I Miami is like so fun so crazy oh my god like I always compare it’s not until I left Florida that I was like oh my god like it was really a zoo like it’s insane like like I wake up in the morning I’m calling in 911 like literally calling 911

because I saw a yellow frog in my house. I’m like, my God, colored frogs are poisonous and I’m yelling. And I’m like, guys, call the cops. I can’t do this. Or leaving, going every day, you’re going to school. And sometimes you’re seeing a police drag a crocodile, alligator, whatever the hell it is, out of the road. And that’s so normal when you’re on bat’s eye. Or somebody from a sheddie pulling out the most ginormous snake you’ve ever seen in your life, so casual after they killed it. It’s insane.

Eagles fighting iguanas, iguanas falling off the trees and you hear the top and you’re like, oh, it’s cold outside. Iguanas are falling off the trees. I’m just like, or torrentialized making nicks in your, it’s just insane. Insanity, insanity. But I think living and surviving in that insanity just like, taught me so much on how to like adapt. So I will say it was a really, it was, was definitely a positive. It taught me how to be a chameleon for sure, for sure. Yeah.

Chr1stoph3r G0nda (19:17.705)
Nice. So do you consider anything other than Canada home? Do you have like roots still in Haiti? How do you feel about it?

Ted (19:26.379)
It’s funny because right now would say Canada is my home. Like I’ve been, of view, period. I’ve been here for, my God, I don’t even know, me see. I mean, is it about to be 20 years? There’s no way. Close to that now probably. Like, so it’s like, no, like maybe like 15, 16 years, something like that. And I don’t really think of Haiti much in that sense, because like a lot of it I don’t remember, because I was too young.

I can remember some things here and there. Florida, I feel like an instinct every time someone asks me where I’m from, I guess it was because of my formative years. I’m always like, I’m from Florida. Just an instinct. And I’m always like, wait, no. I was born in Haiti, blah, blah, blah, and I have to go through the whole thing. But now it’s like, I’m in Toronto and I’m like, oh my God, like, yeah, like, it just feels right. Like, I don’t know how to explain it. It feels nice. Like, I can go visit other places, but at end of the day, I feel like I will always come back here, maybe in the winter. I’ll be like, oh, let me go somewhere warm. But yeah, Canada’s definitely home.

Chr1stoph3r G0nda (19:52.955)
Mm-hmm.

Ted (20:20.841)
And it just feels so accepting because it was, remember the sigh of relief I felt when we went to that courtroom and we had to do the citizenship test, which I aced by the way, period. But like, and then we got, no, like it was crazy because I studied for like, was insane. So, and then we got to the thing and we had to pledge allegiance to the queen, which a lot of people don’t want that. Like you go to the courtroom after you pass the test, you have to pledge allegiance to the queen. And then afterwards you’re you’re Canadian. And that, the sigh of relief I had where I was like, oh my God. like.

Chr1stoph3r G0nda (20:30.023)
Yeah.

Ted (20:50.706)
This is home? Like, wow, like this is, like I cried. Like it was so crazy. Like I was like, this is home and I don’t have to worry about being deported tomorrow or whatever. Like I can call it. And I felt like it was nice because it was like, here’s, here I am somewhere where I can actually fully be myself and I can go for my dreams and all of that. And it accepted me and I can be here. So like definitely like if I, if in my brain now as an adult, I’m like, yeah, Canada is home, like permanent period. I feel like I’m going to be here for like the rest of my life. You know what I mean? So yeah.

Chr1stoph3r G0nda (21:20.649)
You’re probably more Canadian than me, because even though was born here, I never pledged allegiance to the Queen, so maybe I’m gonna be kicked out.

Ted (21:27.079)
No, that’s crazy I talk about that all the time I’m like no like literally and I pledge allegiance to the whatever whatever it was I was like, okay period I didn’t know that but let’s go .

Chr1stoph3r G0nda (21:39.315)
So let me ask you more about this culture, because I am born and raised in Toronto, I’ve spent most of my life in Canada, but my parents are Czech and they emigrated here and that’s why I was born here. And as much as I am a Canadian boy, I grew up with their beliefs and their encouragement and their lessons. So how much of maybe Haitian culture from your mom, from family, like…

motivates you or is in you and is in your music.

Ted (22:12.253)
I feel like the main thing I’ll probably say is resilience. Even though I feel like in a lot of ways Haitians can be very conservative and

Chr1stoph3r G0nda (22:16.521)
Hmm.

Ted (22:21.668)
I mean, I can clash even with my own family members about like, it’s like, no, this is my life. I’m gonna do what I want. I’m sorry, but that’s the whole point of coming to a country where your child can have options is that they do have the option now to live their lives according to whatever the hell they want. You know what I mean? But the one thing that I feel like at the core of it all, I grew up watching my mother work really hard, my father work really hard. Do we agree on everything? No, but like…

I’ve seen that, I grew up with that. So I feel like that has seeped into me no matter what. And I know I have a song that’s like, I don’t wanna contribute nothing to society and I don’t struggle with it, but I’m a workaholic. Like you don’t understand, I do not know what to do with myself if I’m not working and it’s a genuine problem, which is the reason why I wrote Rich in the first place, because I was like, I need to manifest a life for myself where it’s about joy and like…

rest and following my dreams and whatever and not just like feeling like you have to work 24 7. So definitely I will say like hard work, resilience and just like I feel like I have a high tolerance for BS like it’s insane. It’s really like bad but also like I feel like it keeps me going too because I feel like if anyone thinks they would even have the capability of breaking me down or making me bend like I’m telling you right now it’s not possible like it’s just not. yeah.

Chr1stoph3r G0nda (23:42.863)
I’m going somewhere with this. It’s not like an infomercial for Visit Haiti. But when I was in university, I did a course. I went to Glendon College, which was like the bilingual campus of York University. And I did a course called Women in Religion. And I just so happened to do my main essay on Haitian Voodoo. And

Ted (23:57.348)
Mm-hmm.

Ted (24:06.157)
oooh

Chr1stoph3r G0nda (24:07.165)
The thing that I liked the most or that stuck with me the most about the culture and about that whole thing was the grief process was how they were like hardcore into when someone dies, you had like wailing parties almost where you just like let everything out, full send, let the emotion, there wasn’t any of this like, know, let’s cry later. Are you like that? Does it?

Ted (24:33.507)
I’ve never heard it out in my life. What the hell? That’s crazy. I was like, I mean, I know that like, as a child, when I went to the very few funerals I’ve ever been to in my life, I was like, yeah, no, I’m never going to a funeral again. People definitely like, I was gonna say do the most, but I get it. You’re grieving and.

If you’re really, you really love someone so much, you don’t know what to do with yourself, you’re gonna like scream and do all that. But as a child, like five year old, six year old, I’m like, I was traumatized. was like, my God, this is crazy. But, and people just cry when they’re grieving, that’s about it. I don’t think there’s really like a ceremony to like, I’m not joking, I’ve never heard that in my life. Like go and like put, be together and yell and scream and all of that. No, like voodoo too, it’s definitely something where.

Well, I grew up in the capital and sometimes I would go in the countryside to visit my grandparents and stuff like that. But voodoo is definitely something that like even my parents, like it’s something that my parents do. It’s like the old, hear rumors of the older generations and these stories of voodoo’s and mermaids and people disappearing when they decide they want to die. They’ll just poof disappear out of thin air. Or like my experiences watching like, like old and I generally mean like older, like seventies, eighties, nineties, the years old. And I was like 20 something years ago. Right.

doing their rituals and stuff and I would feel like I’m seeing something paranormal and stuff. But also I feel like this is where my fascination with zombies and like my goal in life is to have a zombie show you don’t understand. Like that’s literally like a goal. And like, because like that came from Haiti with Voodoo and stuff like that and you find out the stories of that, like how it would be people that would be made to work in the fields and they would drug them and all of that, that whole fascination of that.

So those are the haste and the rudeness that I know. I don’t know about the other one, but like, it’s definitely interesting and fun. And when you get into it for sure. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Chr1stoph3r G0nda (26:26.227)
Yeah, I mean, so the thing, like where I was going with this is that that ritual, it struck me as so cool because it was people being so authentic and so in the moment and raw and real. And the irony is like talking to you, you’re all about authenticity. And then you have this like term radical honesty with this new album. So it sounds like this is in your DNA as well. This connection to your emotions and feelings.

Ted (26:52.735)
I feel like 100 % like we definitely are not a group of people afraid of like calling things out or like fighting for ourselves or whatever for sure. So I’ll definitely say in that sense I’m probably really Haitian. Like if I really believe in something, whether it is myself or an idea or something like I will go above and beyond to, you know, make that thing happen. And I think

For me right now, it was very much about I need to find out who I am as a person, who I am as an artist, what are the limits of my capabilities in a way, like what are different emotions that I have access to that I have no idea because I’ve never tried. And I think this project is not even that at its full potential, was the beginnings of that. It was my trial run. It was me being like, let’s see what we could try here.

And let’s see where that leads us in the future and future projects and stuff like that. So like, definitely radical, I can’t remember the word right now, radical, what did you say? Sorry. Honest, your authenticity, 100%. Cause I think it’s just like, if you’re yourself and people are mad, what can you do about it? So yeah.

Chr1stoph3r G0nda (27:59.399)
Honesty, radical honesty.

Chr1stoph3r G0nda (28:08.573)
Yeah. I always said that I had a Canadian heart but check blood in a global mind. So maybe you have Canadian heart, Haitian blood global mind.

Ted (28:17.672)
Period, yeah, 100%. Because I think we’re all connected to some degree. I feel like there’s some sort of hive mind going on. everybody, I’ve traveled to so many different countries around the world now, right? So it’s like, I always notice how we’re all literally the same people in just different languages, or whatever. Which is why I feel like social media tells us this as well, because you’ll watch an African person make a video about, this is how my parents grew up, raised me, and here’s this little specific.

thing that we used to do it in every room from all around. was like, so it’s not just me? Oh my God, I this was a Haitian thing or this was like a, I don’t know, a Russian thing or whatever. But it’s like, no, like we’re all connected. like a hundred percent, I think when I make music and stuff like that, always think, especially social media, like can this be something that reaches the whole world and that like literally the world can relate to? You know I mean? So yeah, for sure.

Chr1stoph3r G0nda (29:10.131)
I’m with you, man. The more we travel, the more we meet different cultures, different people, the more we realize we’re all the same. We all have the same problems, same strife, and it’s different, obviously. But we’re all humans and we’re all humaning together. Let’s go back again for a second. I want to know that like, aha moment for you with music. Because I do know that you’re like 17, 18, there’s a YouTube channel, you’re doing really well, but you know that you

Ted (29:23.602)
Yep.

Chr1stoph3r G0nda (29:39.557)
musics you’re calling ultimately and you did mention earlier like being in Haiti and Michael Jackson, how did you know that you were a musician? How did you know that this is what you had to do?

Ted (29:50.252)
You know what the

The whole, is what you have to do, almost like you don’t have a choice and whatever, blah, blah, blah. Because to me, that almost feels so limiting. Because I don’t know. But the thing is that I will never forget singing the song, Song by Cisco to try and impress other people when I was a child. Singing Pocahontas’ Wind Song to the Wind and singing songs to the wind as a kid. like when I was doing YouTube and yeah, you’re making…

Chr1stoph3r G0nda (30:03.379)
Mm-hmm.

Ted (30:24.027)
I’m making a living off of YouTube, but all I kept thinking in the back of my mind was like, I’m learning to get rid of my anxiety through YouTube because I didn’t know at the time that I was having panic attacks before every single last one of these recordings. And later on I was like, so that’s what was happening. I was having panic attacks because I was so afraid of human interaction almost. then like being like, but I want to try to like sing and I would do covers and.

and stuff like that and I released my first song in 2014 where I don’t consider that really like when I started making music. I always say I making music in 2016 where like I just released a song just to do it like YOLO and I was like and I watched some reactions to that and then I was like okay you know what I’m just gonna I’m just like I don’t want to live with regrets I don’t care I’m just gonna take this low and I’m just gonna go and my mother took a loan for me because I quit YouTube I was like I’m just gonna stop I don’t care like

the way I was living too, was like being so irresponsible and like when you close all your videos, you don’t make money from the ads anymore. So it’s like starting fresh, like from scratch. And then like my mother literally, which is insane because like you don’t understand Haitian parents want you to be doctors and lawyers. That’s it. So for my mother to go and take a loan for me to do music, like that’s, to me looking back on it, that’s like crazy. That’s insanity, right? And then I did my very first project, Warning, which is like just celebrated its 10th year anniversary.

is back, February 19th, and it worked out. And then it worked out until like a whole year after because at first I dropped it and then I was like, yo, I’m gonna pull Beyonce and I’m gonna put all the songs on my page and I’m be like, wow, he disappeared for little while, but he came back with something so amazing, because I thought I was pouring my soul out into these songs, which is what I was doing, right? And I lost like 12,000 followers in an hour. Like it was something crazy, like it was insane, yeah. And everyone was like, stick to…

Chr1stoph3r G0nda (32:03.922)
Yeah.

Chr1stoph3r G0nda (32:09.128)
Wow.

Ted (32:12.152)
your like, um, to your day jobs and say like do challenges with cinnamon in your mouth and blah blah blah blah. And I remember that affected me so much. I privated all those, um, uh, videos and, uh, started going back to making like, uh, like funny videos or whatever over again. But then a whole year later, uh, I went on Amazon and not Amazon, Spotify, and I saw that there was like 30,000 monthly listeners. I don’t even think it was 30,000 less than that. And then like,

one song at 30,000 streams. And I know that’s not a big deal whatsoever, but that did something to my brain. I was like, I have to keep going. This is crazy. And the rest is history, I guess. So then like, it just picked up from that. And then like, I make music to this day. But even now I’m still kind of like, no, like at end of the day, the goal is to try and find myself. And so as long as I’m doing that, I always feel like I’m on the right track. Cause I feel like I am finding.

Chr1stoph3r G0nda (33:03.578)
Yeah.

Ted (33:09.259)
little pieces of myself every day.

Chr1stoph3r G0nda (33:11.325)
That’s beautiful. it’s not necessarily that it’s music is the final answer. This is just another part of the self discovery and who knows where it leads.

Ted (33:18.967)
100 % it has to be that. I feel like the thing is was before this project too, I feel like sometimes when you get signed too, not to like, cause I don’t think this is like anybody’s fault in general per se. It just becomes kind of like, you almost want to always be successful. Like every song needs to be a song that can have a billion streams. Every song needs to be something because I feel like it’s almost like a pressure because like now you’re like in the big leagues essentially, right? And you have to prove your worth and prove whatever.

And I feel like that can cloud the judgment and the way of like, at the end of the day, the most successful songs I’ve come to realize are just like moments where you really truly genuinely find yourself. And I almost felt like I forgot that for a moment. And I was like, no, but like at the end of the day, remember like you’re trying to find who Teddy is. And if you’re only focusing on like, oh my God, am I doing this because it can get like a billion streams or like this is gonna make me famous or.

build an audience and make money. Like how are you ever going to find what Teddy is? And that’s when I, I feel like that kind of made me realize, I was like, well, you know, if I don’t ever become famous, it is what it is. What, like, what can I do about it? But if I do somehow keep making music and it actually, like I wake up one day and I’m like, wow, like this is me. Like, wow, this is crazy. Like I really feel like, like I’ve won. Pointblink period, I’ve won. And I think I will win in other ways too, once I learn to do that. That’s just pointblink period. Like, you know what I mean? So.

Yeah, yeah, that’s what they, yeah.

Chr1stoph3r G0nda (34:46.851)
We work a lot of artists and that’s the hardest thing to remind them about. I even have to do that for myself, know, like with this podcast. Would I love to have, you know, views like crazy? Absolutely, but the point of it.

is to have this conversation with the teddies of the world and to appreciate this and to learn and grow and better myself and hopefully you know that will transfer to people listening and watching as well. So be authentic with your art, be authentic with your creation and hopefully it leads to a zombie tv show.

Ted (35:19.276)
no, that is happening here. You know, like my thing is, is it’s like, I’m like, I don’t care if I just make it a book when they’re like a comic book or something. Like I have so many ideas, cause like my whole life I’ve been watching zombie shows and I’m just kind of like, why don’t people do this? I’ll talk about this. And I’m like, one day I will and it’s going to be so fun. Like, so let’s see what happens. But I, that’s such a dream of mine alongside with music. I’m just kind of like this, there’s so many dreams I have and I refuse to.

to limit myself to just one. And also I’m just a firm believer that you always need something to like dream about. Like it doesn’t matter, like always give yourself a little something to look forward to five years from now, 10 years from now. And I don’t think I’ll ever really let that go, you know? So I think that’s just a part of me. That’s just like, no, I always want to dream about something and that’s one of them. You know what I mean? Yeah.

Chr1stoph3r G0nda (36:07.38)
Good for you. I dig horror and zombie culture as well and I want to talk about your music but two things. One stupid, one about your mom. When I was in university and I did that essay on Haitian voodoo I discovered that there was a drink called voodoo like a booze drink, a mixed drink and

I was drinking that non-stop until one day I woke up and realized, Jesus, this thing is so sweet and it’s giving me horrible hangovers. I don’t know if you’ve had one yet, but you should try it. Or not the voodoo, the zombie, the zombie, the zombie.

Ted (36:38.546)
Oh, I thought you were gonna… The drink called Zombie, you mean? Oh, I’ve never tried that. Okay, I thought you were gonna talk about cremas. I don’t know if you know what that is. It’s almost like an eggnoggy coconut drink that we drink for celebrations in Haiti. If you’ve never tried that, I’m telling you, you’ll it. It’ll be so good. Yeah.

Chr1stoph3r G0nda (36:45.076)
Yeah.

Chr1stoph3r G0nda (36:58.762)
So we both have drinks to try. Let’s talk. I want to ask about your mom, because that’s so inspiring. And I’ve talked to a lot of different artists so far. And their support comes from.

Ted (37:00.612)
Mm-hmm.

Chr1stoph3r G0nda (37:14.824)
so many different places and it’s funny because more often than not you think you’re gonna get this story about this artist who’s super successful and they were down on their luck and everything was horrible but most of them come from really good households and they’ve got a lot of support from their family. Was it just your mom? Did other people support you? Did you like, how did it go?

Ted (37:34.32)
Because at the end of the day a lot of it is like Haitian people or I just feel like I didn’t like people just want their family members or Loved ones to just have good lives and a lot of that it’s like well You know if you just become a doctor and a lawyer you’re just gonna have a better life and you just look a more stable job and you know what are the chances of you ever succeeding at the arts or whatever blah blah blah and I was always a firm believer like I don’t really care what anybody got to say if I think I can do something I can do it

And I’ve proven that over and over in my life. And it was the same thing with YouTube, made YouTube happen. And I stopped being a YouTuber. And at that point she saw I definitely had success with like a form of entertainment or whatever. And then even though she was like, think you should just go to school or blah, blah, blah, I was like very adamant. I’m like, no, like I stopped YouTube because I want to explore making music. It was making me no money. I was making me no money whatsoever. But I was like, if I have this money, I’m going to invest it in myself and it’s going to make me the money back. And I’m going to have a whole nother life with music. And then

She was very like, she saw, I guess, how passionate I was about it. And she’s like, you know what? I’m just going to do this and you’re going to pay me back. And I was like, period. And so I went to move in with her and then I released the song and a year later it made me enough money to pay her back and everything. And I was like, I’ve succeeded, let’s go. And I don’t know, like sometimes I think also it’s important to remind loved ones that you’re also your own person and that you also have your

your own limitations and it doesn’t have to be just like what they see because they cannot see something for you but like you see it so clearly for yourself that you can make it happen and I think that’s what it is for me it’s like I feel like I have such a strong vision of myself like to me in my mind like like another dream of mine is like and I feel like that’s what I’m seeking with music more than anything I’ll never forget watching I can never remember what it is but it was the Freddie Mercury

doing the, I think, We Are the Champion, I think it was, for like this Medicaid or something, I don’t remember, where it was like them performing on this thing. And it was just like, the audience was so big that it looked like ants. And that altered my brain chemistry as a kid, even though this is not my era, I’m not that old, my God. But it was, was like, I remember seeing footage of that and being like, whoa, like what? Like this is crazy. And it’s just been my dream to one day be able to do a show.

Ted (39:56.652)
where I look into the ground and everyone looks like ants, but they’re there to see me. And I hold onto that for dear life because that means that whatever I did made me more human and I became more part of the hive, if that makes sense. To some degree, that would mean I would have to have had connected with somebody. You know I mean? Because there’s no way you would achieve something like that without other people realizing that, hey, you’re just like us. There would have to be a level of relatability or whatever there. You know what I mean? So yeah.

Chr1stoph3r G0nda (40:12.04)
Yeah.

Chr1stoph3r G0nda (40:17.226)
Yeah.

Chr1stoph3r G0nda (40:27.626)
It’s fascinating. I find that motivation, self motivation, tenacity, like sticking to a routine, believing in yourself, those are things that are, that not everyone can do. know, in fact, probably fewer people can do that than can do. Where does that drive come from in you? You you mentioned that you were this kind of shy kid in Haiti and you were like kind of

taking care of yourself to not get into trouble, but like, tell me about that.

Ted (41:00.973)
See, but the thing is it’s like, now I look back on it and I’m looking at myself and I’m like, no, like I’m gonna do anything no matter what. You don’t understand. I don’t really care what anyone says. I don’t care who I get mad at. I don’t care whatever. I’m getting shit done because this what I do, right? But the thing is it’s like, I am terrified 24 seven. I am.

Chr1stoph3r G0nda (41:21.085)
you

Ted (41:21.802)
Like, I don’t wanna be, no, like, this is not, you don’t understand it. I’m really understating it. I feel like at all times, like, this level of anxiety that is both good and bad and also, like, this, I do not want to live with regrets type of energy that is in me or, this thing that is calling to me telling me, yo, you can do this point blank period and the only person that can stop you from doing this is you. So I don’t care if you’re shaking on that fucking stage.

Get your ass out there. I don’t care if you think people are gonna laugh at you for dancing on stage. Get some choreography lessons and you’re gonna perform on that fucking stage with dancers and you’re gonna do what you need to do, period. I don’t care if you think people are gonna judge you for these lyrics. Write the lyrics because that’s how you feel, period. It’s almost like, like I am bullying myself into being like, you need to stand up for yourself. You need to not be the little boy that feels like he’s invisible or has to be afraid of the world 24 seven.

Or sometimes I would imagine myself as the guy running up on the roof and then the next morning people are talking about him like, just try to find him like, you’re not him. You can be yourself now, you’re allowed. And it’s like the world is moving and it’s evolving and if you stay the little boy forever that is terrified, then like your life is gonna pass you by and you’re gonna become one those people that are 80 and all they’re filled with is like regret. And so that I feel like to me is the thing that keeps me like, no.

Honestly, I don’t care who it is. I don’t care how much power you have. I don’t care about anything. If I firmly believe that I can do something, I’m just going to do it, period. And that doesn’t mean I’m the most confident slash cocky person in the world. It means that I care enough about myself ever so this much to be like, I don’t want to regret this five years from now. You know what I mean? And also, I’m such a firm believer now in that there’s no time limit. Now more than ever, at like 34, I’m like, I feel like I can do whatever the hell I want. I could-

Chr1stoph3r G0nda (43:07.871)
Yeah.

Ted (43:16.36)
Start over tomorrow if I want to. You know I mean? And letting go of this time limit thing that gave me so much anxiety in my 20s and gave so much of these kids and these students and whatever anxiety. And now I’m like, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Look at me. Look at me. Look at me, literally. If I’m able to just wake up and just be like, no, this is what I want and this is what I’m gonna do. And I don’t care if you think like, if you’re an.

18, can’t be a possibility or whatever. I’m like, no, I decided that it is a possibility and I’m proving it every single day by being able to do things like this with you or live my life the way I want or be on the radio or do things that I didn’t even choose, but people decided to be like, hey, I think I see it in you and I’m gonna give you this platform or this opportunity or whatever. If I didn’t fight for myself just that little bit much, like five years ago or 10 years ago or yesterday, it would have never happened. Do know what I mean?

Chr1stoph3r G0nda (43:51.561)
Thank

Ted (44:11.612)
So I think definitely there’s just a regret that I don’t have that gives me this like unconditional strength to like really stand up to anybody and I really don’t care who it is. I’m like, nope, I said I’m gonna do this. So therefore I’m gonna do it because you’re not gonna be the reason why I regret something tomorrow. And that’s just on like point link period. You know what I mean? So like, yeah.

Chr1stoph3r G0nda (44:32.806)
I love a fired up Teddy. That was good. Preach. So I agree with you. Like on our tombstone, it doesn’t say here lies person. This is what he didn’t do or she didn’t do. It says this is what was accomplished. So I’m a big believer that the more you do, the better. I had this rule in university that as soon as I was high out of my mind one night and I was like, wait a second, as soon as I’m scared,

Ted (44:48.145)
Mm-hmm.

Chr1stoph3r G0nda (44:59.504)
lazy, bored, in my pajamas, broke to do something, that means I need to do it. And so I would immediately go into those things because my body was saying no, my mind was saying no. It sounds like you had that experience as a young kid in Haiti and you now are saying to that child like, yo, you need to get over it. You need to live like this. It’s okay. And you’re almost motivating yourself by saying it’s worse.

have the regrets and so your choice is only to say yes because you’ll feel worse if you say no.

Ted (45:29.168)
Mm-hmm.

Ted (45:33.838)
Exactly, like literally exactly because I think for me and this goes back to what I was saying earlier where it’s like I have songs like talk about me I’m like you said go to the gym and I’ll be successful and here I am like I’m so successful regardless was like I think me when I was always actively trying to be skinny or like starving myself or whatever like it would only just destroy my body and keep me keep me bigger or like I would lose a hundred pounds and then gain a hundred and twenty you know I mean like it would always be so crazy

when I was so desperately trying to fit a box, whereas like now I’ve lost so much weight and I’m maintaining it because I fixed my relationship with food. I said, no, like I’m gonna eat more protein to build muscle and I wanna run more so I have more stamina so on stage I can do this performance and like give people a good show. And that makes it feel less about trying to prove something, but rather functionality and just being able to like, no, this is just the purpose of this body that I’m trying to create or I’m creating from now on or whatever, right? And I feel like it’s the same thing. It’s just kind of like,

instead of worrying so much about what other people have to say or their perspective on things, think sometimes you just have to be like, what is it that I want? What is that makes me the happiest and build something around that? Because I think a lot of people is the complete opposite. It’s like, I don’t care what makes me happy. I need to do this to survive. But what you’re doing is teaching your brain to only see the environment in a way where like I’m in survival mode until the day I die. Whereas like if you choose your own crisis, like for example, like if I’m like

I don’t care. I’m not gonna have money for the next three months because I’m gonna put all my money into Like this performance or whatever right if I have no money for those next three months I’m gonna have a smile on my face because I was a choice that I made and It made me happy and I have zero regrets so I was like if not I had no money for those three months And I didn’t do what I wanted to do anyways it just be like I just be you know like I didn’t do what I want I mean like you get to choose how you view the world if you and even something that can

be seen as bad to somebody else you can fully live with because it was your choice. And literally, everybody has a choice, period. Yeah.

Chr1stoph3r G0nda (47:31.689)
Yeah.

Chr1stoph3r G0nda (47:37.066)
I love that you are so real and honest and raw and authentic and I love it. That’s exactly what these conversations are about. You we’ve talked about your motivation, your mindset, mental wellness. Let’s talk a little bit about the music and not just your music, but like, I love taking away advice for other artists. And sometimes it’s big and sometimes it’s small. This next one is gonna be a little bit of both. I am so passionate about.

Ted (47:50.937)
Mm-hmm.

Chr1stoph3r G0nda (48:06.1)
brand and representation and marketing and things being clean. I think it’s because I was as a kid like collecting baseball cards and I loved completing things. I hated when something was missing, even spreadsheets. You know, I love filling it out and if things are not complete, I hate it. When an artist says I’m going to start to like get stuff online, I say the first thing you need to do is take stock of your ecosystem and make sure everything is clean and consistent.

I hate when someone’s like artist one on X and artist two, three on this platform and on Instagram it’s artist, you know, wood. You have the same thing everywhere. It looks really slick, but I love that it’s I am Teddy with an How did you decide on that?

Ted (48:52.849)
Because I am said he wasn’t available. Because I wanted to spell it regularly and I was like, oh, this is what I want. And then like everything was taken and I was like, you know, I’m just going to spell it with an E, YOLO. And it’s like, and that was it. yeah, like the uniformity of things I feel like matters too. But I mean, but like some of the biggest artists in the world sometimes like it doesn’t match. Like Taylor Swift, example, she’s like different and different. I think at the end of the day, what matters the most is the connection.

that you build. I think that’s something that even for myself, because that can’t be the end, I’ll be all of this conversation, because it’s not like I’m the biggest artist in the world or anything. But like, I think what I’m starting to realize for myself is to let people in. Don’t ever think, this is so embarrassing, people wouldn’t show it. Or like, I need to show myself when I’m my best 24 seven, or when the big things are happening is what you need to show and that’s it. And I’ve really come to realize and I feel like this, I’m realizing this like 10 years into making music, it’s like, show them the little things, show them the good.

Chr1stoph3r G0nda (49:33.663)
Yeah.

Ted (49:50.995)
show them the ugly because then they’re gonna feel like they’ve actually watched your journey unfold. And I felt there’s a deeper connection that’s gonna happen that way and I’m really going to start testing that out and I’ve already started it where I’m I’m showing them my rehearsals now. I’m showing them the rehearsals where I think I just, I’m literally flopping so hard but it’s new, I’ve never done this before. Of course it’s not gonna be perfect right away but then when that show comes you best believe you’ll see improvement. When five more shows from now you’re gonna see even more improvement like.

and they’re gonna get to see that entire journey with me and be like, wow, I remember when he posted his first video saying, I’m really gonna believe in myself and just start doing choreo, stuff like that. Believe in yourself, try to understand how you wanna position yourself, I guess in the industry, you will. All these little things that I’ve literally been realizing in the past couple months. I’m just like, who am I? I don’t want the industry to perceive me. How do I want to be…

seen as and I feel like the thing that comes to me I’m like if I really think of like my ideal artist that I want to be is like somebody that can entertain. I want to entertain people and also at the same time I want to be able to belt like Adele if I need to and then be like I don’t want no country like because sometimes it’s that’s the note I would have I would watch certain artists I’m like but I wish sometimes she would just let loose why are you just doing ballads all the time or like another artist like I’d be like oh she just raps all the time I just wish sometimes she would give me something a little bit more emotional and I’m just like well

I feel like I could do both, like, just do both. And what is the thing where it wouldn’t clash if I did that? And I kept thinking of like, the greatest showman and stuff like that. And I’m just kind of like, wait, if I try to learn to be more of an entertainer, one second I could be like, da da da da da da da da da da. And then the other next I could be like, la da da da da da da. And it makes sense. And now that I’m aware of that, how can I build a whole world around that? And I feel like it’s gonna be.

I feel like fascinated not only for myself, but like for other people, this new whole world that I’m about to create, like even after this project or while I’m still working on the cycle of this project. know what I mean? So I’m excited about that even for myself. So that’s, I guess, advice. Yeah.

Chr1stoph3r G0nda (51:52.874)
Thank you.

So less so about having everything clean and tailored and more so about just being real with what you’re presenting.

Ted (52:02.757)
People are craving that right now. I think we’re so used to polish. We’re extremely used to polish. That’s the celebrities of the past. Like, there’s no connection, there’s no nothing. Look at Cardi B and her thriving and stuff like that. She’s so real. She doesn’t care if we know about her family drama. I’m sure she would love to keep some things private or whatever.

But at the end of the day, the artists that are thriving the most right now, and this is a pattern that I’m noticing more and more, are just the people that are just like, I’m gonna go online and just show you my real life. I’m gonna, like in the music, I’m gonna say the thing that I just want to say, and I don’t care if everybody doesn’t get it. I think there’s a level of realness required now, and the polishing factor comes with understanding how that helps your brand. Like, if you understand that your perspective is, for example,

somebody that is like, let’s say I’m like, like I’m a bad boy, but I’m a bad boy in the sense of like, I’m just, I’m myself and that makes me bad. Then like every single last song that you make needs to kind of reinforce that. When you post your videos online, you can still post the same thing, but the angle has to come from like that. You know I mean? You’re not limited in any way, shape or form, but just understanding how you want to present yourself to the world gives you the.

proper lens to tackle every video you want to post online. So now even if you don’t post like things that are hyper polished all the time, they will still be connected by the fact that like, like we get what he’s trying to do because that’s his brand. Like Mariah Carey will always be a lover girl. Everything she does will always come from the lover girl lens. You know what I mean? And it doesn’t matter if she’s tomorrow, she posts herself, no makeup, nothing, we’ll still get it because she’s such a yearner. She’s such, you know what I mean? Like that’s, I don’t know if I’m explaining myself right, but like that.

Chr1stoph3r G0nda (53:35.198)
Mm-hmm.

Chr1stoph3r G0nda (53:46.824)
Yeah, no, I think that was an excellent response that it ties in so well to the point that, you know, with this new project, you’re exploring yourself more, you’re diving deeper into your psyche, you’re bringing art, right? And like fashion and things into the world and you’re trying to, I don’t want to say control those, but you’re taking charge of those things more with all of your creativity. You’re now with a major, Sony Music Canada, Sony Music Entertainment Canada, so that it’s technical.

Ted (53:57.871)
Yep.

Chr1stoph3r G0nda (54:14.346)
What are one or two of the biggest things that as an independent artist to now were so important to get you from there to here? Things that other artists have to do. Other than have good art.

Ted (54:16.666)
But even that’s suggestive, having good art, right? Like, it’s like, I don’t know if I’m the right person, honestly, to even speak on like what somebody can do to get signed or anything like that, because like, I don’t know if that’s my place, honestly.

I think honestly the main thing anybody needs to focus on is like try to find yourself in your music. And I really now more than ever firmly believe that like even if it’s just for one second, whether it’s a silly emotion or a very serious emotion, that’s going to give you something that is untouchable because like

If you truly found a piece of yourself, that’s like evergreen. Like you can promote it forever and like that can create so many opportunities for yourself. And also like, just be yourself and stay true to that. And I think if you do that, people that want to like fuck with you will fuck with you, put my period. And that can come from anywhere. Cause for me, I know it was just me existing and then people just came out of nowhere and I just had to make a choice. And I think…

Chr1stoph3r G0nda (55:37.258)
.

Ted (55:38.72)
For other people that’s literally what it is. Don’t seek it out almost because I think sometimes you’ll lose yourself. Just really, genuinely, truly just like find yourself, look internally. Everything you’re looking for is already right here. Yeah.

Chr1stoph3r G0nda (55:53.534)
So focus internally, not externally. Focus on your art and your craft and just do it and keep learning from it and improving on it. And don’t stop and eventually it’ll work out.

Ted (56:07.254)
People really underestimate that. I know it sounds so corny and it sounds so, so like, my God, don’t stop and eventually it work out. But I’m not joking. As somebody that has literally done every single thing that I’ve wanted to do, the only thing that has worked for me was doing it over and over, failing a thousand times and then landing on that one thing that changed everything. Whether that’s YouTube, whether that’s TikTok, whether that’s music, whether that’s literally fashion, whether that’s literally anything. Anything I’ve ever done has literally been that.

I will suck at it for like years and then as the months are passing by more and more starts making sense, making sense, making sense, making sense and then boom you have a moment where like wait a minute and then boom it works and then now everyone’s like my god, my god, my god, my god but the thing is it took me learning so much about myself and I think that’s generally what it is at the end of the day no matter what it is that you want it doesn’t matter what it is literally just keep doing it until like

It works. But the thing is not just keep doing it until it works like you’re doing the same thing over and over. From every little failure or from every little thing that didn’t go exactly how you want it to, what were the positives and the negatives? What worked? What did you notice? What did you go into your algorithm? you say, everybody stopped watching at 30 seconds. Everybody kept watching onto this. OK, what did I do in the video or in the song or whatever up until that point that kept their attention? And what did I do when they dipped? Notice those things and try to copy it again. And shit, this stayed the whole video. Boom. You know what mean?

Keep doing it, but keep adapting, adapting, adapting, and learn and create your own formula, period.

Chr1stoph3r G0nda (57:37.866)
I couldn’t agree more. get something like three to five hundred press releases a day. That’s just the nature of being a publisher in the entertainment industry. I always find it fascinating when the press release is done organically and authentically and actually matches the exact story. You know, I have a quote here. It’s a declaration of selfhood. Your new album dropped in November. That’s literally what you have told me for the last

hour. I’m so grateful for your time. I only have one question before we wrap up. I really loved this other quote that you had in the press release, which was, I learned to realize, or I grew to realize that weaknesses are actually my strengths.

Ted (58:24.915)
100 % like I will die on this hill like because you only see it as a weakness because of other people like When I’m by myself and I’m looking at myself in the mirror I don’t give a fuck but when I start thinking of like how other people seeing what I’m seeing in the mirror could look like then it becomes like oh my god I’m so scared. I’m so scared. I’m so scared, but then the moment I just own That thing that I’m terrified of all of a sudden everything works all of a sudden. It’s like wow

Chr1stoph3r G0nda (58:29.674)
You

Ted (58:54.887)
He’s really doing it. my God, I can’t believe you said that out loud. I couldn’t even have the balls to do that. Or like this person that like you said, they have to hide their freckles all the time. Then somebody decided I’m not gonna hide my freckles and then it becomes a trend. You know I mean? Like everything that you think is a flaw is something that love and hate is on the same coin. It’s like you can flip it, period. Like whatever it is that you think is your weakness, like you can turn it into your greatest strength no matter literally what it is. So 100 % I agree with that.

Yeah.

Chr1stoph3r G0nda (59:24.724)
This, I’m so appreciative of your time. I feel like this whole conversation has been me attending the Church of Teddy and I feel empowered. My day is gonna be amazing and my weekend is gonna be amazing. I can’t wait to see you in concert. I’m gonna hand you the mic.

Ted (59:36.275)
Let’s go!

Ted (59:40.348)
Juno Fest, my God, like Juno Fest coming up March 27th. I don’t know the time of it yet, but I’m going to put on the best show I’ve ever put on in my life and I stand by that. Like I’m training like crazy. And then whatever opportunity is coming after that, I don’t even know. But I know they’re in the works right now and to go talk to people. like what I know for a fact right now, Juno Fest, Juno Fest, Juno Fest. Yeah, it’s gonna be so fun, yeah.

Chr1stoph3r G0nda (01:00:06.282)
Why don’t you take that fire and that energy and give us the final word. What do viewers and listeners need to take away as one final piece of advice from you?

Ted (01:00:18.068)
Be yourself, go for it, do it scared. Do it scared, do it scared, do it scared, do it scared, girl. Do a little dance with it actually. And just like, that’s it. And also follow me on my socials. I am Teddy, I love y’all.