Grammy Nominated Songwriter Teddy Geiger Unveils “Sharkbait” via AWAL Records

Grammy nominated songwriter Teddy Geiger’s new single “Sharkbait” is out now through AWAL Records. The track is Geiger’s first solo release since her critically acclaimed 2018 album LillyAnna. Listen to the song—which had its World Premiere on Zane Lowe—and check out its accompanying video directed by Miss World HERE.

“I know the world is cooked/If we don’t make it back/Then I guess we’re gonna go out/With a bang,” sings Geiger. The song’s sense of gleeful self-destruction is a hallmark of her songwriting; in 2018, she told Joe Coscarelli at The New York Times that her specialty is “roughing up pop music a bit.” Throughout her career, that approach to songwriting has attracted collaborations with major artists seeking to add Geiger’s touch to their pop productions.

“The original idea for ‘Sharkbait’ was a demo I made when I was 21 living on my close collaborator and ‘Sharkbait’ co-writer Evan Voytas’ floor,” says Teddy. She unearthed the basic elements of the track earlier this year and brought it into the studio: “We borrowed from the original message of the song; which was barely a song and more of me talking nonsense — the general idea was about following passion and desire, even when others might see what you’re doing as dangerous or maybe even concerned or worried about you,” she explains. “Overall, ‘Sharkbait’ is about trusting myself and knowing what’s right for me.”

Geiger’s songwriting and production credits are wide-ranging and have garnered billions of streams and multiple #1 hits. Her collaborations include Shawn Mendes, P!nk, Leon Bridges, Maroon 5, Niall Horan, Christina Aguilera, DJ Snake and DNCE. She played an integral role producing and co-writing on Mendes’ Billboard #1 self-titled album, including the single “In My Blood” which earned her first Grammy nomination for Song of the Year.

LillyAnna, titled after an alter ego she once used online, marked Geiger’s return as a solo artist and found her more confident in her sound and experimentation. Jon Pareles of The New York Times writes, “Her musical reappearance isn’t gentle. It’s a thumping, wailing, low-fi piano-pounding stomp that recalls—with pop concision—indoctrination, beatings, disassociation and escape. It’s not a commercial reboot but a catharsis and exorcism.” The album went on to receive widespread critical praise from a number of outlets including The New York Times, NPR’s “All Things Considered,” Billboard, Rolling Stone, Pitchfork and Paper Magazine.

Geiger began to privately come out as transgender in 2018 to friends and family before coming out publicly over Instagram. The decision proved transformative not only personally, but artistically as well: “Because I’m willing to talk about everything now, people are then more open with me,” she tells The New York Times. That openness has resulted in a continued rush of collaborations, most recently with John Legend for his album Bigger Love, released in June. Geiger also helped write and produce The Chicks’ song “Sleep at Night” off the group’s acclaimed album Gaslighter, released in July. As with “Sharkbait,” Geiger’s new openness also finds her continuing to examine what it means to make music as herself, for herself.

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