Swxm

“I’ve always been that person that people have been waiting on to do something big,” admits singer-songwriter Swxm. “But I have pivoted.” Swxm’s journey is one of adversities resulting in triumph. The former basketball star put down the ball at the top of his game to pursue music. After a handful of his distinct singles have streamed into the six figures, Swxm’s creative endeavors have simmered to a boiling point. The Queens, New York breakout found his voice and message while cultivating a unique delivery style. “I think it’s really about to happen,” he declares. Swxm is forging ahead in a crowded pool of artists, refusing anything less than victory.

Swxm’s origin story begins near Newburgh, New York. Sixty miles outside the Big Apple, he was raised in a Puerto Rican and Black household. In an area marred by poverty, crime, and addiction, Swxm witnessed those effects firsthand. “I just thought everyone was on Section 8,” he says of a childhood he understood as normal. “I was lucky to go through that as a child because I was able to wash it off and not let it break me.” While those circumstances can corrode many dreams, Swxm prevailed. Throughout his life, members of Swxm’s family have battled addiction and incarceration. At age seven, he moved away to live with his grandmother.

After relocating to Woodside, Queens, basketball became a passion, providing the standout with life skills. “For some reason, really good people always gravitate towards me,” acknowledges the artist who prides himself on listening skills. “I’ve always had a wise mentor that I’ll have breakfast or lunch, and they’ll give me game. I feel like I’ve been lucky.” He applied those lessons as a standout athlete and New York state champion. After helping earn one team the coveted victory, he later transferred ahead of his final year to more accolades, including an undefeated season, national press, and a retired jersey. “It was like a Disney movie,” he laughs.

Despite the success, Swxm pivoted. Like his jersey, he retired the hoop dreams and focused on writing and recording. Part of that drive came from pain and loss. The artist channeled the hurt from losing his mother just a day before the 2020 pandemic. Deep sorrow from that and losing other key figures from his life led the budding artist to process his feelings into music. The song “Swim” was a game-changing result. Like one of his influences, singer Tracy Chapman, Swxm found a way to make his most depressing season real, raw, and relatable in melodies and verses. He adopted the name of his breakthrough song and charged ahead in the studio.

Just a few years after that pivotal song, Swxm has found his stride. While his namesake song approaches a million views, other singles, including “Bando Cookin’ Like Chef” and the semi-autobiographical “Big Man No Cry,” have garnered international attention. The DIY artist has thrived at making moments, from visualizers to melodies. “Pew Pew Pew,” another standout single and upcoming video, is designed to stand apart. “I took a risk with the chorus when I went to the falsetto,” the strategic artist admits. “I needed to make that a phrase bigger than the song.” The risk paid off, with over 200,000 streams and recent high-profile playlist adds.

Swxm aims to contrast the darkness in music. His life represents a positive outcome from a negative environment. His self-taught melodies defy classical music theory, as do the warm acoustic sounds he favors. Behind Swxm is a shy leader who uses the microphone to offer hope, inspiration, and a better life. He declares, “Whoever understands the music gets me.”

2023 is when the pendulum started to shift. His single "SWIM" featuring Quavo took off immediately! There was support by the Atlanta Hawks, TMZ, Worldstar, and more. Sirius XM's Hip Hop Nation made it a First Alert single, and impacted radio as the #1 most added at Urban Mainstream ahead of some of the biggest names in music.