Ryan Tedder | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Tedder in 2013 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Alias[1] |
| Born | Ryan Benjamin Tedder (1979-06-26)June 26, 1979 (age 46) |
| Origin | Colorado Springs, Colorado, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Oral Roberts University (BA) |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Instruments |
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| Years active | 1996–present |
| Member of | OneRepublic |
Ryan Benjamin Tedder (born June 26, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is the co-founder and frontman of thepop rock bandOneRepublic, and has a concurrent career in production and songwriting for other musical acts.
Tedder's production and songwriting work has been proved commercially successful. "Apologize", performed by his band OneRepublic, "Bleeding Love", performed byLeona Lewis, and "Halo", performed byBeyoncé, were each produced by Tedder and remain among thebest-selling singles of all time. In early 2014,Billboard named him "The Undercover King of Pop" and featured him on the magazine's cover.[2] He is a three-time recipient of theGrammy Award for Album of the Year for his credits onAdele's21 and25, andTaylor Swift's1989. TheRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA) reported Tedder's productions to have sold 450 million cumulative units worldwide.[3] He also served as a co-producer for the 2018 reality competition seriesSongland.
Ryan Benjamin Tedder[4] was born to musician Gary Tedder and Marlene Watrous, a schoolteacher.[5] He grew up in anextended family of missionaries and pastors in aChristian church inTulsa, Oklahoma.[6][7] He began learning to play the piano at the age of three via theSuzuki method. He practiced piano in exchange forcandy corn from his father. His father would put the candy out of reach at first and then on a grand piano for him to eat. His mother knew nothing aboutsecular music.[6]
Ryan Tedder started singing at the age of seven.[8] He was a self-taught vocalist who at twelve secretly began imitating his favorite artists includingThe Beatles,U2,Peter Gabriel,Stevie Wonder, andSting. Tedder commented, "I sang for two hours a day every day of my life until I was eighteen."[6] He continued to perform musically during his adolescence through church, school, and personally formed groups.[9]
He attended schools inJenks, Oklahoma, a suburb of Tulsa, andDeer Creek, Oklahoma north ofOklahoma City. Then he transferred toColorado Springs Christian School inColorado Springs for his senior year and graduated from there.[10][11] There he met and became friends with futureOneRepublic bandmateZach Filkins on their soccer team at Colorado Springs Christian School. He attendedOral Roberts University in Tulsa and graduated in 2001 with aBachelor of Arts degree inpublic relations andadvertising.[12]
Tedder worked as a waiter and a shop assistant atPottery Barn before securing an internship atDreamWorks SKG inNashville,Tennessee, where he sang on multiple demos. He produced demos for songwriters and labels, charging $300 to $400 a track.[6] Tedder claims that DreamWorks offered him his first publishing deal shortly after his arrival; however, he was intent on pursuing a career as an artist, and his first venture in that arena came via a different route altogether.
At the age of twenty-one, Tedder competed in a singer-songwriter competition and was selected byNSYNC artistLance Bass as one of five finalists to perform on a one-hour special onMTV, performing original material in front of millions of viewers.[13] The prize for the winner was a music contract with Bass's now-defunct management company, Free Lance Entertainment.[13] The contestants performed live and were then rated by the judges and by the audience, with the highest-scoring artist winning the contract. Tedder's performance of one of his songs, "The Look", received the most votes from the judges and fans, and he won the competition; however, a contract with a recording label was not finalized and no album was released.[13] Tedder later revealed that the record and publishing deal he was offered "wasn't real. It was just a bunch of hype that didn't turn into anything".[14]
One year after winning the MTV competition, Tedder caught the attention of thehip hop producerTimbaland.[15] Tedder commented that he was with Timbaland from 2002 to 2004 to develop as an artist while producing for other artists at the time.[14] Tedder's work crossed many musical genres (ranging from hip hop,R&B,rock,pop todance) and he has had chart successes in bothAmerica and theUnited Kingdom with some artists. Tedder met producer Morten Schjolin in 2005, doing various collaborations for Tattoo's second album. In June 2007, Tedder signed a worldwide publishing administration deal withKobalt Music Publishing. The deal included Tedder's new works and all songs not performed by OneRepublic.
Tedder is the writer of the song "Apologize", performed with OneRepublic. The song broke the US Top 40 Radio Airplay Record with 10,331 plays in one week. It was the number-one most played song for five months until May 7, 2008, whenLeona Lewis's "Bleeding Love", a song co-written and co-produced by Tedder, broke the record previously set by "Apologize", with 10,665 plays in one week.[16] "Bleeding Love" was the best-selling single of 2007 in the United Kingdom, topping the UK charts for seven weeks. It was the fastest-selling CD of 2007 receiving the most radio airplay worldwide before its US debut.[17] The song also earned a Best British Single award nomination at theBrit Awards in February 2008 and reached number one in over 35 countries.[17] Tedder and co-writerJesse McCartney received anASCAP award for writing "Bleeding Love". Tedder is also credited for writing the treatment for the second music video that was filmed for the US release of "Bleeding Love". It also earned aRecord of the Year nomination at the February2009 Grammy Awards.[18]
Tedder has written and produced singles with artists includingTaylor Swift,Demi Lovato,Adele,Birdy,Alsou,Jennifer Lopez,Kelly Clarkson,Carrie Underwood,Leona Lewis,Jennifer Hudson,Alexandra Burke, theBackstreet Boys,Beyoncé,Monrose, and a number of songs with various rock acts in the U.S. and abroad.[19]
He worked withJennifer Lopez on her 2007 single "Do It Well" from her albumBrave. He worked withKelly Clarkson on her 2009 albumAll I Ever Wanted, penning the songs "If I Can't Have You", "Impossible", "Save You", "Tip of My Tongue" and "Already Gone", which features vocals from Tedder. Tedder's work with Beyoncé earned him twoGrammy nominations withRecord of the Year for co-writing the song "Halo" and Album of the Year forI Am... Sasha Fierce at the2010 Grammy Awards. Tedder worked extensively onLeona Lewis's second album,Echo, writing and producing several songs with her, three of which made the album, including the first single "Happy", "You Don't Care" which features vocals from Tedder and "Lost Then Found", which features OneRepublic. Tedder co-wrote and produced the song "Battlefield" fromJordin Sparks' second albumof the same name. Tedder worked onAmerican Idolseason 8 runner upAdam Lambert's debut album,For Your Entertainment.
In late 2009, Tedder launched his own record company, Patriot Records. He signedMy Name Is Kay, who released her debut EP throughInterscope in 2012. "City Lights" byNikki Flores was released in the fall of 2010 byUniversal/Republic Records. Tedder also formed his own publishing company, Patriot Games Publishing, in 2009 in alliance with Kobalt Music Publishing Worldwide. He has a team of writers and producers such asInfo,Noel Zancanella, andBrent Kutzle, cellist/bassist ofOneRepublic. The Patriot team of writers and producers with Tedder are credited with "I Was Here" byBeyoncé, "Good Life" byOneRepublic, "I Just Had Sex" byThe Lonely Island featuringAkon, "Lost Then Found" byLeona Lewis andOneRepublic, "Just a Guy" byBC Jean, "Count on You" byBig Time Rush featuringJordin Sparks, and "And Then We Dance", fromAustralia's Got Talent winnersJustice Crew.[20] In 2010, Tedder was featured onFar East Movement's 2010 hit single "Rocketeer".
Tedder had expressed interest in collaborating withAdele after they met at the2009 Grammy Awards ceremony in February. He arrived four hours early to their first studio session. He composed the opening piano sequence and first few lines to what became the song "Turning Tables". Adele and Tedder arranged a second meeting and reconvened at Serenity West Studios inLos Angeles weeks later to write and record "Rumour Has It".[21] In an interview, Tedder recalled his astonishment at the singer's musical and vocal prowess after she completed the main vocals to the song in 10 minutes: "She sang it top to bottom, pitch-perfect, she didn't miss a note. I looked at the engineer then at her and said, 'Adele, I don't know what to tell you but I have never had anyone do that in ten years."[22] His work with Adele brought him a Grammy Award for Album of the Year at the2012 Grammy Awards.
In 2011, Tedder worked withDemi Lovato for their third studio album,Unbroken. When talking about working with Tedder on the song "Who's That Boy" during aSpotify session named "About Unbroken", Lovato recalled: "He's a really funny and cool guy, we had a really great time in the studio." Lovato said that the track was "personally one of my favorite songs of the album." Furthermore, they added that they were "excited to say I worked with such a talented songwriter and producer."[23] Tedder later said, "Demi blew me out of the water vocally! I had no idea how good her voice is. She's one of the best singers I've ever worked with. Literally, that is good... I mean, she's a Kelly Clarkson-level vocalist. And Kelly has a set of pipes."[24] Tedder returned to work with Lovato in 2013 and 2015 for their fourth and fifth studio albums, respectively. He co-produced and co-wrote the single "Neon Lights" fromDemi, while also penning the track "Wildfire" with Lovato forConfident.
Tedder composed a song forVanness Wu, "Is this All" inTaiwan.[25] Tedder also worked with the groupBig Time Rush in writing the single, "Music Sounds Better with U" off their second studio album,Elevate, and he proceeded to produce it. He co-wroteDavid Cook's "The Last Goodbye" from his second album.[26] He produced a song forK'naan titled "Better".[27] He also worked on multiple tracks forJennifer Lopez's 2011 albumLove?, one of the songs being "Clothes Off",[28] which did not make the album.
In 2012, Tedder co-wrote "Good in Goodbye" forCarrie Underwood's fourth album,Blown Away, released on May 1, 2012. He produced tracks forMaroon 5's fourth album,Overexposed. Tedder co-wrote and co-produced the song "Satellite" for British bandThe Wanted which appears on their US album released on April 24, 2012.[29] He also worked onB.o.B'sStrange Clouds, released in May 2012; he produced and co-wrote the single "So Good" and is featured on "Never Let You Go".[30] He also recorded vocal tracks forSebastian Ingrosso andAlesso's dance music track (which he also co-wrote), titled "Calling".[31] Tedder was featured onGym Class Heroes' single "The Fighter".[32]
Tedder served as a judge for the 10th and 11th annual Independent Music Awards to support independent artists' careers.[33] In 2013, Tedder was a celebrity mentor during thesecond season ofThe Voice (Australia) forDelta Goodrem's team.[34] He then worked with Goodrem on "Heart Hypnotic".[35] Tedder was also an advisor ofAdam Levine (frontman ofMaroon 5), for his team from thefifth season of the reality competition showThe Voice (U.S.). Tedder was also present onBirdy's second album,Fire Within.[36] In 2013, he also co-wrote and co-produced "XO" byBeyoncé, which was one of two lead singles from herself-titled fifth studio album.
Tedder wrote and produced the song "Ghost" byElla Henderson, released on June 8, 2014.[37] In 2014, Tedder collaborated on writing and producing with artists such as Maroon 5 for their fifth studio albumV,[38] andTaylor Swift for her fifth studio album1989.[39] He has also produced and wrote forAriana Grande's second studio albumMy Everything.[40] Tedder shares producing credits onU2's 2014 album,Songs of Innocence. It was also announced that he would be working withOne Direction for their fourth studio albumFour, and said that the song he had worked with them was titled "Got Away".[41][42][43] Tedder also collaborated withMikky Ekko for his albumTime.[44] In 2014, Tedder provided featured vocals forDavid Guetta's song "S.T.O.P." for his albumListen.[45]
In 2015, Tedder wrote "I Want You To Know" with Zedd and Selena Gomez.[46] He also penned "Flares" withThe Script for their albumNo Sound Without Silence.[47] Tedder also co-wrote "Remedy" with Adele for her third studio album,25,[48] and "Wildfire" for Demi Lovato's fifth studio albumConfident.[49] Tedder also provided vocals for the song "Scars" by Swedish DJAlesso, featured on his debut studio album,Forever.[50]
In 2016, Tedder featured onCassius's song "The Missing" from their albumIbifornia.[51] He had also teased collaborations with bothThe Chainsmokers[52] andEchosmith via social media. Tedder produced "Happier" forEd Sheeran for his third studio album÷ (2017).[53] In 2017, Tedder began work withCamila Cabello for her debut studio albumCamila, released on January 12, 2018. It was during songwriting sessions that Tedder came into the picture. They collaborated on songs such as "Into It". They also wrote a song titled "It Ain't Easy", which was later sold to another artist.[54] Tedder has opened up about what working with Cabello was like, stating that "[he] was so intimidated. She was so good." He added, "She's not only an incredible singer, but she's also the most talented young artist I think I've worked with songwriting in the longest time..."[54] In 2020, Tedder co-wrote "Bet You Wanna", a song by the girl groupBlackpink featuringCardi B from their debut studio albumThe Album.[55]
In January 2021, Tedder sold a majority stake of his music catalog for around $200 million to investment firmKKR.[56]
In addition to producing, Tedder is the lead vocalist for the bandOneRepublic. The six-member band consisting of Tedder,Zach Filkins,Eddie Fisher,Drew Brown,Brent Kutzle, and Brian Willett was formed in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in 2002 by Tedder and his high school classmateZach Filkins.[57] The band gained further exposure when their 2007 single, "Apologize", was remixed and re-released onTimbaland's compilation album,Timbaland Presents Shock Value. The remix became an international chart-topper in the fall of 2007.[58] The song broke records after gaining 10,331 spins in one week. According to SoundScan, "Apologize" is the most legally downloaded song in US digital history with sales of over 4.3 million digital downloads in the US alone.[59] It is also the second best-selling song of the decade.[60] OneRepublic's debut album,Dreaming Out Loud, includes both the song's original version and remix with Timbaland, and was released on November 20, 2007, on Timbaland'sMosley Music Group imprint viaInterscope Records.[61] The band had previously been signed toColumbia Records, and their album was due to be released in 2006, but got pushed to 2007. Tedder explained: "Crap happened. People got fired. Labels merged and politics abounded".[62] Subsequently, the band was released from their deal with Columbia, and they were signed by Timbaland in the summer of 2006 becoming the first rock band to be signed to Mosley Music Group.[62] Tedder has commented on the success of "Apologize", stating: "The toughest thing to do is write a hit song, but we had a hit song before we had an album... What has happened has been really strange and really great."[61] The band finished recording their second album,Waking Up, on August 25, 2009, and released the lead single "All the Right Moves" to radio andiTunes everywhere exceptGermany andAustria, where "Secrets" was released instead.[63] The album was released on November 17, 2009, in the United States. To date, the second US single, "Secrets" has reached over 2 million digital downloads, and the third single "Good Life" broke into the Top 10 on iTunes and multiple radio stations.[64]
Throughout 2012, the band made significant progress on their third studio album,Native. The album was released on March 26, 2013, to mostly positive reviews from music critics.[65] It became the band's highest-charting album to date, with the album being their first in the top 10, debuting at number four on the Billboard 200.[66] It sold 60,000 copies within its first week. A portion of the proceeds from the sales of the lead single "Feel Again", was donated toSave the Children'sEvery Beat Matters, a campaign to support training frontline health workers around the world.[67] On October 7, 2016, OneRepublic's fourth albumOh My My was released. It included the singles "Kids", "Wherever I Go", and "Let's Hurt Tonight", with the latter being released in December of that year.
On May 17, 2019, the band released the single "Rescue Me". On August 27, OneRepublic announced the single "Wanted", which was released on September 6. A promotional single, "Somebody to Love", was released on September 11.[68] On August 26 and 27, they performed at Red Rocks to a special first-ever collaboration with theColorado Symphony with songs chosen and crafted with the orchestra, the band, and Red Rocks acoustics in mind.[69] On September 15, 2019, Tedder announced that the new album was to be titled calledHuman, and would be released in November 2019. "Rescue Me", "Wanted" and "Somebody to Love" are all scheduled to be on the album.[70]
On November 19, 2019, Tedder said that the album is planned to be released in spring 2020.[71] On January 22, 2020, Tedder announced overInstagram that the new album would be wrapped by March.[72] On March 10, 2020, the band announced their third single "Didn't I", which was released on March 13, 2020.[73]Human was announced on the same day to be set for release on May 8, 2020.[74] "Better Days" was released as the fourth single from the album on March 25, 2020, with all proceeds donated toMusiCares.[75] As a result of theCOVID-19 pandemic, the band announced the release ofHuman to have been postponed to the fall of 2020.[76]
On May 5, 2021, the band released the song "Run" along with a music video. On July 1, 2021, they announced thatHuman would be released on August 27 and later on August 11, 2021, revealed the tracklist with 16 songs on the deluxe and 13 on the standard version. The album came out as scheduled on August 27 along with the single "Someday", along with a music video as well.
Tedder is a multi-instrumentalist. During OneRepublic's performances, he switches from singing lead vocals to playing guitar, bass guitar, tambourine, or piano. On occasion, he plays drums alongside the band's main percussionist,Eddie Fisher.[77]
In 2019, Tedder wrote and produced his solo single debut "Right Where I'm Supposed to Be" as the Official Song of the2019 Special Olympics World Summer Games inAbu Dhabi,United Arab Emirates in collaboration withAvril Lavigne,Luis Fonsi,Hussain Al Jassmi,Assala Nasri, andTamer Hosny.[78]
In 2019, it was announced that Tedder would be a mentor and producer-host onNBC's Songland alongsideEster Dean andShane McAnally. The show aired for two seasons, with songs produced and written with Tedder being released in more episodes than compared to the program's fellow hosts.
Tedder is married to Genevieve, whom he met in college. They have two sons.[79] Tedder's cousins, Adam, Ashley, and Austin Clark make up the bandSons of Sylvia and were formerly inThe Clark Family Experience. Tedder co-wrote their song "Love Left to Lose".[80] Although aChristian, Ryan Tedder has said that he does not want to be labeled as a Christian artist.[7]
Tedder has an appreciation for theculinary arts saying that he lovesIron Chef.[81] He became involved with Southern Hospitality, a restaurant co-created in 2007 byJustin Timberlake atSecond Avenue inManhattan, when it opened a second location inHell's Kitchen, Manhattan.[82]
Studio albums with OneRepublic
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Smallville | Himself | Episode: "Hero" |
| 2011 | Platinum Hit | ||
| 2012 | Smash | Episode: "The Coup" | |
| 2013, 2020 | The Voice | Mentor for TeamAdam Levine (season 5), Episode: "Live Final Top 5 Performances" (season 18) | |
| 2017 | School of Rock | Mick Bronson | Episode: "Don't Stop Believin" |
| 2019–2020 | Songland | Himself | Credited with being a judge and a producer |
| 2021 | California Dreaming | Executive Producer, Writer, Soundtrack | |
| 2022 | That's My Jam | Himself | Season 1, Episode 4 (Aired 01/17) |
| 2022 | Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin | Reporter | Episode: "Lebensabschnittspartner"; Soundtrack |
Tedder has received threeGrammy Awards out of eleven nominations[83] and anAsian Pop Music Award,[84] and has been nominated for oneGolden Globe Award.[85]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | "Apologize" | Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals | Nominated |
| 2009 | "Bleeding Love" | Record of the Year | Nominated |
| 2010 | "Halo" | Nominated | |
| I Am... Sasha Fierce | Album of the Year | Nominated | |
| 2012 | 21 | Won | |
| Himself | Producer of the Year (Non-Classical) | Nominated | |
| 2015 | Beyoncé | Album of the Year | Nominated |
| 2016 | 1989 | Won | |
| 2017 | 25 | Won | |
| 2022 | Justice | Nominated | |
| Montero | Nominated |
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | "Faith" | Best Original Song | Nominated |
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | "The Girls" | Best Arranger (Overseas) | Won |
| 2024 | "Rockstar" | Best Producer (Overseas) | Pending |
