Ryan Tedder

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Ryan Tedder is an American singer, musician, songwriter and producer, born in 1979. He grew up in a churchgoing family in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and learned to play the piano at the age of three. At seven he began to sing. He studied at Oral Roberts University, worked as an intern at DreamWorks in Nashville and made demos for other songwriters. He first gained recognition when he became a finalist in a singing competition on MTV. Afterwards he worked for several years with Timbaland.

Music and breakthrough

Tedder is co-founder and lead singer of OneRepublic. His song Apologize became a worldwide hit. As a songwriter and producer he worked for many artists, including Leona Lewis, with Bleeding Love, and Beyoncé, with Halo. He also wrote for Kelly Clarkson, Adele, Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Ariana Grande and Maroon 5. For his work on Adele's albums 21 and 25 and Taylor Swift's 1989 he received a Grammy for Album of the Year. In 2009 he started his own label and his own publishing company.

Influence

His songs are solidly built, and many in the business know his name only from the credits. Halo, from 2008, is a piano ballad that builds to a climax with choir, like a gospel song, which fits his churchgoing background. In 2014 Billboard called him the unseen king of pop. In School of Rock he appears as one of the writers from the hit factory.

Listening

In School of Rock

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