One Republic is an American pop rock band formed in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in 2002. It consists of lead vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Ryan Tedder, guitarist Zach Filkins, guitarist Drew Brown, bassist and cellist Brent Kutzle, drummer Eddie Fisher and keyboardist Brian Willett. The band first achieved commercial success on Myspace as an unsigned account.
Reuniting in Los Angeles in 2002, Tedder and Filkins re-formed 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 lineup changes, the group finally settled with Tedder on vocals, Filkins on lead guitar and backing vocals, Eddie Fisher on drums, Brent Kutzle on bass and cello, and Drew Brown on guitar. The band’s name was changed to OneRepublic after the record company mentioned that the name Republic might result in legal action from other, similarly-named 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.
On April 27, 2017, OneRepublic lead vocalist and principal songwriter Ryan Tedder published a Facebook post revealing the band’s future in releasing new material. In the post, he stated that he dealt with “crippling anxiety” and became ill due to constant touring, recording, and promoting the band’s releases. He clarified that OneRepublic would release “new music as often as humanly possible… monthly, weekly sometimes”, departing from the typical album cycle system. Singles they have released since the announcement were “No Vacancy”, “Truth to Power”, “Rich Love”, and “Born to Race”.
In September 2017, Tedder stated at a concert that the band had started work on their fifth studio album that was due to be released sometime in 2018. He estimated that there would be 7–8 songs on the album. Also, they featured on Kygo’s song “Stranger Things” for his second studio album Kids in Love, released in 2017. Also, this song received a remix from Norwegian DJ Alan Walker.
The band opened up for the Zac Brown Band on select dates of their Down the Rabbit Hole Live tour in summer 2018.
On May 16, 2018, “Start Again”, a single featuring Logic was released on YouTube and other various platforms. The single is part of the Season 2 soundtrack for the Netflix series, 13 Reasons Why.
On June 26, 2018, OneRepublic released the single “Connection”. On November 9, 2018, OneRepublic released a cover of the song “White Christmas” for a Jeep commercial.
On January 3, 2019, Ryan Tedder announced via their official Twitter that a new album was coming sometime in 2019. It was previously slated to be released in 2018. On January 31, 2019, OneRepublic and Galantis released their song “Bones”.
On May 17, 2019, OneRepublic released the single “Rescue Me”. On August 27, 2019, OneRepublic announced their new single “Wanted”, which was released on September 6, 2019. A promotional single, “Somebody to Love”, was released on September 11, the day of the season finale of Songland.
On September 15, 2019, Tedder announced that the new album is called Human, and would be released in November 2019. He also added that “Rescue Me” and “Wanted” will be on the album. However, on November 19, 2019, Tedder said that the album is planned to be released in spring 2020.
On January 22, 2020, Tedder announced over Instagram that the new album would be wrapped by March. On March 10, 2020, the band announced their next single “Didn’t I”, which was released on March 13, 2020. Human is scheduled to be released on May 8, 2020. “Better Days” was released as the fourth single from Human on March 25, 2020.
OneRepublic’s debut album, Dreaming Out Loud, was released on November 20, 2007, and debuted at number 14 in the US with first week sales of 75,000. Critical reception to the album ranged from negative to mixed. Allmusic gave the album a modest review, stating the “album sounds derivative” but also “sounds cohesive and smoothly pleasant”. Robert Christgau gave the album a negative review, and termed it a “dud”. Rolling Stone gave the album 2 out of 5 stars, but placed the band in its “Artists to Watch” list, which featured ten artists that, according to the magazine, “…are bringing the future of music, today.”
Their lead single, “Apologize”, was released in its original version from Dreaming Out Loud. Timbaland, who at the time was one of the most highly visible artists/producers, approached the band to be featured on a compilation album he was working on, Shock Value. Timbaland rearranged the song slightly to give it more of an R&B feel adding backing vocals, guitar bass line, a new drum section, and autotune to the lead vocals. This along with the strong backing of the Timbaland name made it a major hit both in the United States and internationally. It peaked a number one globally, including eight consecutive weeks on the Billboard Pop 100 chart, subsequently reaching the top three of the Billboard Hot 100. The song sold five million copies in the United States alone, receiving a five-times Platinum certification from the RIAA. The song was a massive hit internationally, reaching number one in sixteen countries, including Australia, Austria, Germany, Italy, New Zealand and Sweden. It also spent thirteen weeks at number one in Canada. It has since been certified over 2x Platinum in 6 countries worldwide, including 4x Platinum in Australia. The song ultimately earned the band their first Grammy nomination for best pop performance in a group or duo. The second single from the album, “Stop and Stare”, released in March 2008, reached the top ten in eight countries worldwide, including charting at number four in the United Kingdom, and topping the UK Rock Chart. It also reached number twelve on the Billboard Hot 100, and number nine on the Pop 100. Additional singles included “Say (All I Need)” and “Mercy”. The album was later certified Platinum in the United States and Germany, as well as Gold in Australia, Austria, and Canada.
OneRepublic’s second studio album, Waking Up, was released on November 17, 2009, charting at number 21 on the Billboard 200, and ultimately selling over 500,000 copies in the US and over 1 million worldwide. The lead single, “All the Right Moves”, was released on September 9, 2009, peaking at number 18 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and being certified 2x Platinum. “Secrets”, the second single from the album, reached the top five in Austria, Germany, Luxembourg, Poland and on the US Adult Pop Songs and Adult Contemporary charts. It has sold almost 4 million copies in the US as of August 2014. Furthermore, it reached number 21 on the Hot 100. The song was used in television series such as Lost, Nikita and CSI: Miami, as well as in the sci-fi fantasy movie, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice and the trailer for Pretty Little Liars. “Marchin On”, the album’s third single made top ten appearances in Austria, Germany, and Israel, however it was the fourth single “Good Life” that became the band’s most successful song from the album, particularly in the US. Released on November 19, 2010, it became their second top ten single on the Billboard Hot 100 at the time, peaking at number 8 and selling over 4 million copies in the US alone, earning a 4x Platinum certification. Rolling Stone put the song on its list of the best 15 whistling songs of all time. Waking Up was later certified Gold in Austria, Germany, and the US for sales of over 500,000, and has since sold over 1 million copies worldwide.
In 2009, OneRepublic were featured on Leona Lewis’s second studio album Echo on the track “Lost Then Found”. On June 5, 2010, the band supported Pink on her Funhouse Summer Carnival Tour at Innsbruck. OneRepublic supported Bon Jovi at The O2 Arena for three dates in June 2010. The band supported Maroon 5 for their Palm Trees & Power Lines Tour in fall 2010. In November 2011, OneRepublic released their first Christmas single, titled “Christmas Without You”.
