| Band Members | ||
| Ryan Tedder | – | lead vocals, rhythm guitar |
| Zach Filkins | – | lead guitar, tambourine |
| Drew Brown | – | rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar, keyboard, |
| Eddie Fisher | – | drums, percussion, african drum, cajón, |
| Brent Kutzle | – | bass guitar, cello, lead guitar |
One Republic is an American rock band from Colorado Springs, Colorado. Formed in 2003 by Ryan Tedder and Zach Filkins, the band achieved commercial success on MySpace as an unsigned act. In 2003, the band was discovered by actress Kelly Barrett in Hollywood and signed to Sony BMG for three years, before moving to Mosley Music Group.
In 2007, OneRepublic released their debut album, Dreaming Out Loud. Its lead single, “Apologize” was notably remixed by Timbaland, becoming a huge international success, reaching number one in sixteen countries, subsequently earning them a Grammy Award nomination. The second single, “Stop and Stare” mirrored its predecessor’s success. The album was later certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The band’s second album, Waking Up, (2009) produced the successful singles, “All the Right Moves”, “Secrets”, “Marchin On”, and “Good Life”, the latter reaching the top ten of the US Billboard Hot 100.
OneRepublic’s third album, Native (2013) became the band’s first top ten album on the Billboard 200, and highest charting album to date, charting at number four. The lead single, “If I Lose Myself” charted within the top ten in several countries, while the album’s third single, “Counting Stars”, became the band’s most successful single in recent years, obtaining top five placements in Australia, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand and the UK. This marks their highest charting single in the United Kingdom to date. It has also peaked at number 4 on the US Billboard Hot 100, marking their highest peak since “Good Life” in 2010.
Origin (1996)
The first incarnation of what evolved into OneRepublic formed in 1996 after Ryan Tedder and Zach Filkins befriended each other during their senior year at Colorado Springs Christian High School in Colorado Springs, Colorado. During a drive home, as Filkins and Tedder discussed favorite musicians including Fiona Apple, Peter Gabriel and U2, they decided to put together a band. They enlisted a few musical friends and named their rock act This Beautiful Mess—a phrase which first attained cult prominence a year earlier when Sixpence None the Richer released its award-winning second album, This Beautiful Mess. Tedder, Filkins & Co. had a few small gigs at Pikes Perk Coffee & Tea House, attended by friends and family. Senior year ended, and Tedder and Filkins parted ways, each attending different colleges.
Early career (2002–2007)
Reuniting in Los Angeles in 2002, Tedder and Filkins reformed their second band under the moniker Republic. Tedder, by then an established songwriter and record producer, had convinced Filkins who was living in Chicago to relocate. Nine months later, the band signed with Columbia Records. After a few line-up changes, the group finally settled with Tedder on vocals, Filkins on guitar and backing vocals, Eddie Fisher on drums, Brent Kutzle on bass and cello, and Drew Brown on lead guitar. The band’s name was changed to OneRepublic after the record company mentioned that the name Republic might cause controversy with other bands.
The band worked in the studio for two and a half years and recorded its first full length album. Two months before the album was due to be released, (with “Sleep” as its debut single), OneRepublic was dropped by Columbia Records. The band was beginning to gain prominence on MySpace; Tedder said it was the number-one unsigned act on MySpace, and credits the website for keeping the band together. The band caught the attention of a number of labels, including Timbaland’s Mosley Music Group. The band soon signed onto the label, becoming the first rock band to do so.
Musical Style and Influences
OneRepublic’s varied style of music has been described by Ryan Tedder: “We’re no respecter of genre. If it’s a good song or a good artist whether rock, pop, indie or hip hop, they’ve probably influenced us on some level…nothing’s new under the sun, we’re a sum of a bunch of parts.” They cite The Beatles and U2 as heavier influences on its music. OneRepublic has expressed a desire to move listeners onstage the way U2 does.
Allmusic commented on the band’s sound, “… OneRepublic recalls the melodies of the Fray and the vocal acrobatics of Maroon 5’s Adam Levine… and often favors cathartic, cranked-up choruses.” However, Tedder downplays Martin’s Coldplay as an influence; “Their influences are our influences. The big difference, though, is that I come from a much wider hip-hop and urban background. I’ve been producing, writing and performing urban stuff, and I try to bring that into the group because we’re not trying to be a British band.” Drew Brown also stated: “We aren’t all die-hard Coldplay fans, but because of the comparisons, we’ve done our research, and I’m sure we’ve got a large handful of common influences.”