OneRepublic’s Ryan Tedder Isn’t Slowing Down Any Time Soon

If you find yourself listening to a hit song on the radio, the chances that Ryan Tedder was involved in bringing it to life are quite high.

Tedder, who’s better known as the frontman of pop-rock sensations OneRepublic, has quietly become a musical superstar on his own. Though his fame with the band is already one thing, most industry insiders, professionals, and even the artists themselves have learned that the 46-year-old musician’s professional touch has become the key ingredient in making a hit song. 

Since his debut on the scene, Tedder has worked on several chart-topping hit songs and a plethora of award-winning albums — even earning himself multiple Grammys and the title of “The Undercover King of Pop” from Billboard. At this point, both his reputation and resume precede him, as exemplified by OneRepublic’s billions of streams, or his prolific credits in the discographies of pop icons like Taylor Swift, Beyonce, Madonna, Adele, Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande, and several others. 

Now, more than twenty years into his career, Tedder isn’t showing signs of stopping any time soon — rather, he finds himself even busier than ever. As we find ourselves chatting away online via Zoom, he’s currently on vacation in Tokyo (at least), showing me the view from his high-rise hotel suite with a giddy sense of excitement  (“We’re in the clouds right now!” he jokes). 

Yet in our interview for Billboard Philippines, Tedder also gets to reflect on what keeps him creatively inspired, looking back at his experiences working with superstars like BTS, and what lies ahead for OneRepublic’s next chapter following the release of their latest single, “Need Your Love.”

Billboard Philippines: You’ve been quite a busy bee as of late. As it is, OneRepublic has an upcoming single, titled “Need Your Love,” which means there’s another new exciting chapter for the band. Could you tell me what inspired the track, and what does it show about where you and the band are creatively at right now? 

Ryan Tedder: I think the track was in the works for some time. Honestly, it started well over a year ago. I wish I had some phenomenal, like super exhaustive origin story [about it], but I do so many sessions in the studio, and I write so many songs. I just write pretty much every day, you know, unless I’m on vacation. *laughs*

So it ended up in a pool of around 10 or 15 song starts that were left unfinished. Because what I’ll typically do is I’ll go through maybe two or three ideas in a day. And a lot of other artists do the same. Ed Sheeran, for instance, does the exact same thing. He might do three to five ideas in a day, and he’ll do weeks of that. And then you comb through, and you listen with fresh ears to see if any of them had like, magic, you know what I mean? Because the difference between a really good song and one that could change your life feels like there was some element of God to the creative process — and that’s what you should be looking for.

You’re not just looking for something that’ll make you think, “Oh, that’s a really good song,” you know? I’ve been doing this so long that if I’m writing for OneRepublic or anybody else, the odds are I’m not going to do a bad song, you know what I mean? 

At this point, I’ve done it so many times. It’s like, if you play enough basketball, my free-throw shooting percentage is pretty high. But even with that, I’d say that the enemy of great is good. And so just doing a good song — it doesn’t matter how many you have of them. I wanted something that totally caught me off guard. And this is one that just did. 

And what exactly made it different for you?

As I went back and listened to the demos, I was like, “This one has something completely different to me.” Then I worked on it all over the world, wherever we were, and that inspired me to make the lyric very self-explanatory. Like, you don’t need stuff like ChatGPT to understand what the lyrics are about. *laughs*

But I think the inspiration, I would say, comes from being on a new record label for the first time in 18 years, and feeling inspired to really make emotional music again, and feeling connected with a new team. It’s like, if you’ve dated somebody forever, and then all of a sudden you flip the script, and you’re like, “Oh, wow, this is, this is amazing. This is a totally different person.” And it inspires you with new energy. That’s the truth, because the relationship between you and your label, more or less, is like a marriage. So we’re in a, in a new marriage, so to speak. *laughs*

It’s like a new era for you guys. 

Exactly. And you know, I’m always motivated after working with all the artists that I get to collaborate with. Whether it’s Rosalía, Tate McRae, or BTS, when I’m in there [in the studio], and if I’m having hits with Rosalía, or BTS, or Tate, all at the same time; then I’m like, okay, I got to do something. I can’t just do garbage, like I have to level up, you know?

So if OneRepublic is gonna put some music out, I need to come up with some A-plus material. It can’t be the sort of thing where I’ll just be doing the good stuff with other artists. Because I need to focus on my own project too.

Given that you’ve been in the industry for so long, you’ve had your fair share of making a ton of hits, and you’ve worked with so many artists like the ones that you’ve mentioned. Though reflecting on the time that’s passed since your early days on the scene, what stands out about who you were then, in comparison to who you are now as an artist, songwriter, and producer?

I would say that the distinct thing that has stayed the same ever since is my work ethic. 

I don’t think I’m that different from back then, if I’m being honest. Because when I meet people who have known me, let’s say I run into somebody who used to work for my management company 20 years ago, right? The comment that I get the most is, “Thank God, you’re the same person you were 20 years ago!” So I don’t think much stands out, man. *laughs*

But listen, there are people more talented than me in the music industry, and there will always be a better musician, a better singer. There will even be more attractive frontmen in bands, and a ton of solo male artists with better abs. So really, there will always be some other level that, that you can’t get to. Because somebody will have something that you don’t. 

I think the only gift  (or even blessing) I had starting off was that I knew that I knew that the grass is always greener somewhere else. Someone will have an advantage, or someone’s dad will be famous and wealthy and help them get ahead of me. There are all these things that you think about. And so I realized that when I was like 18, or maybe even younger, probably like at 15, to be honest. Like, okay, if there are more talented people who are better looking, more gifted, or even just more lucky in life, the only thing I can control is how hard I work and how obsessed I am with the craft itself.  

So I would say that the one distinction I had 20 years ago is the same distinction I have today. It’s that I’m the same person –– but I will outwork you till you’re in the grave. And that’s the truth. I mean, that’s the only, that’s the only magic trick I have, man. I don’t know any other magic! *laughs* I just show up, and I wonder how you make 24 hours feel like 48 hours? You figure out how to squeeze as much work in. You know what I mean? And that’s it.

With such dedication to the craft, how does that affect how you are when you’re writing for OneRepublic versus when you’re writing and producing for other artists? Is there a specific way that your mind shifts, or even how you approach storytelling and melody differently? 

No matter if it’s for OneRepublic or anyone I work with, I’m always chasing something. And the thing I’m chasing full-time all the time is goosebumps. 

So, whether it’s a dance record, like I remember, with Tate [McRae], for instance. With “Just Keep Watching,” I clearly remember the moment we — I was like singing gibberish in the demo. And the moment we had the track and that weird sound in the background that’s happening, and the chorus, once that drop hit in that record, even I was like, “Ooh, like dance goosebumps!” Like, oh my God, it’s just one of the things you make the whole room want to jump.

And I’ve done tons of dance music for my whole career. So like, no matter the genre, or if it’s a OneRepublic record, I’m chasing goosebumps. I’m chasing that human physical reaction. So as long as I’m feeling that it’s easier to gauge that with a song like “Need Your Love,” like a mid-tempo record, right? Those mid-tempo records that are more emotional. I feel like they, they lend themselves better to human emotion. 

So with OneRepublic, I’m having to shift the lyrical lens back on myself. And like, not every OneRepublic song is about me, but it’s more my perspective on the universe, so it’s way more myopic and self-centered. I mean, the reality is that being an artist is a narcissistic job, man. But when you’re writing songs, you’re trying to make art and connect with people. You have to allow yourself to be vulnerable. You have to pull the curtain back on yourself and say some real, real stuff. And as you know, sometimes you make yourself uncomfortable in the process. 

That is true, and that’s also how it really gets to resonate with a wider audience. But what I also find fascinating is that, considering all these people that you’ve worked with, there’s still a distinct touch that you have with the variety of music you’ve contributed to. 

As it is, you were recently involved in big global projects, like BTS’s ARIRANG,which recently hit number one on the Billboard 200. How have experiences like that, especially across different cultures and music markets, influenced how you approach the craft even more? 

Oh man, it’s everything to me. I mean, right now, I’m sitting here in Tokyo. I wish I could show you the beautiful view. *laughs* But, you know, I have been here in Asia quite a lot the last handful of years, and just all over the world, really. 

And you know, I would say that I got into music, equal parts because of my love of music and my love of culture — especially global culture. I wanted to see the world, but if my career in music hadn’t worked out, I would’ve probably found another way to do that. Yet now that I’m at this point in my career, I really get to integrate that into my craft and all the work that I do.

Taking in global culture, seeing the world, and having the best time recording and writing from around the world — that’s 50 percent of the job for me. Some artists don’t look forward to that, but I’ve always looked forward to it.

Sometimes people say I travel too much. And this year, we traveled too much. It’s been honestly crazy. But I don’t mind it at all, because something really cool happens whenever I’m inspired in foreign cities. I don’t know what else to say. Like, I love America. I can also get inspired in Los Angeles, where I live. Or even New York and New Orleans. But if I’m in a city that I don’t like that much or one that’s just boring to me, I shut down like I literally shut down creatively. I don’t get anything done, and I don’t want to write. Because I’m not feeling inspired.

I’m very affected by the environmental sentiment of it all. And I want to be in Manila and hear what’s popping off from Manila, whether it’s musically or culturally. So whenever I’m there, I really make an effort to go out. I don’t just like hanging out in the hotel. I’ll go out. So, like whatever the cool bar is, or whatever coffee shop, or like a neighborhood is worth checking out for inspiration, I’m always seeking that stuff out. 

Taking all those things into consideration, what has that taught you about audiences and consumer tastes from various corners of the world?

So I approach OneRepublic in a way that I’d say is very similar to a DJ. Like all my friends who are DJs in the world, whether it’s the Swedish House Mafia guys, Diplo, and all those dudes, I’m wired way more like them than I am a typical lead singer of a band. I’m fond of studying the culture in real time. 

It’s like when we did ARIRANG with BTS. I mean, we were paying crazy attention to how to connect Korea and what’s going to work in modern pop sonically, you know, what’s going to what’s going to work in Asia, or even in Southeast Asia to serve the ARMY, and the fans. But also, I made sure to serve people who may be listening to them for the first time, too. Because, to be honest, sometimes it’s the normal housewives, the people driving their kids to soccer, or the casual listener in Dallas, Texas, and all these types of people, who could be the key to making any song a hit that could connect with billions of people around the world. 

So, I wonder, like, how can I thread the needle and check all those boxes at the same time? Well, you can’t do that if you’re not ingesting culture and if you don’t understand what’s working around the world. You really have to taste it to know what’s going to pop. 

Listen to OneRepublic’s new single, “Need Your Love”. below:

_{*This interview was edited for clarity and brevity.}