OneRepublic
OneRepublic is an American pop rock band formed in Colorado Springs, Colorado in 2002. The lineup currently consists of Ryan Tedder, Zach Filkins, Drew Brown, Brent Kutzle, Eddie Fisher, and Brian Willett.
The band achieved its first commercial success on Myspace as an unsigned act. In late 2002, after OneRepublic played shows throughout the Los Angeles area, several record labels approached the band with interest, but the band signed with Velvet Hammer, an imprint of Columbia Records. They recorded their first album with producer Greg Wells during the summer and fall of 2005 at his studio, Rocket Carousel, in Culver City, California. The album was scheduled for release on June 6, 2006, but the group was dropped by Columbia two months before the release date.
In 2007, under Mosley Music Group, OneRepublic released their debut album, Dreaming Out Loud on November 20 2007 and debuted at number 14 in the US with first week sales of 75,000. Its lead single, "Apologize", was remixed by the label's founder Timbaland, becoming a huge international success, reaching number one in sixteen countries and 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. The band's second album, Waking Up, produced the singles "All the Right Moves", "Secrets", "Marchin On", and "Good Life", with the last reaching the top ten of the US Billboard Hot 100.
OneRepublic's third album, Native, became the band's first top ten album on the Billboard 200, as well as their highest-charting, peaking at number four. Its lead single, "If I Lose Myself", peaked within the top ten in several countries, while the album's third single, "Counting Stars", yielded the band's furthest commercial success, peaking within the top five in Australia, Canada, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, the US, and the UK. It also peaked at number two on the US Billboard Hot 100, matching "Apologize".
OneRepublic's fourth album, Oh My My, was preceded by the singles "Wherever I Go" and "Kids"; it was recognized as a change in their sound from previous albums, by critics and by the band themselves. In 2017, the band released the singles "No Vacancy", "Truth to Power", "Stranger Things", and "Rich Love". Their fifth studio album, Human, was released in 2021. The band has sold approximately over 16 million records worldwide. Their sixth studio album Artificial Paradise was released in 2024.
History
1996: Origins
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 assemble 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.2002–2007: Reformation
Reuniting in Los Angeles in 2002, Tedder and Filkins formed their second band under the moniker Republic. Tedder, by then an established songwriter and record producer, had convinced Filkins to relocate from Chicago. Nine months later, the band signed with Columbia Records. After a few lineup 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 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,, 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.
2007–2011: ''Dreaming Out Loud'' and ''Waking Up''
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 2× Platinum in 6 countries worldwide, including 4× Platinum in Australia. The song 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 " 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 2× 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 shows such as Gossip Girl, Lost, Nikita and CSI: Miami, as well as in the sci-fi fantasy movie, The Sorcerer's Apprentice and the promos for ABC Family's series 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 4× 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".
2012–2015: ''Native'' and international success
OneRepublic released their third studio album, Native, on March 22, 2013, marking the end of the band's three-and-a-half-year hiatus. The album debuted at number 4 on the Billboard 200 becoming their first top 10 album in the US, with first week sales of 60,000. It was also their best opening sales week since their debut album Dreaming Out Loud which sold 75,000 copies in its first week."Feel Again" was released as the lead single on August 27, 2012, however after the album being delayed it was re-branded as a "promotional single". The song was released as a part of Save the Children's Every Beat Matters campaign, where a portion of the proceeds from the single's sales would be donated. It peaked at number 36 on the US Billboard Hot 100, additionally marking the top two positions in Germany and on the US Adult Pop Songs chart. The single was later certified Platinum in the US. The song was used in an official trailer for The Spectacular Now. The album's first global single, "If I Lose Myself" was released on January 8, 2013. It reached the top ten in Austria, Germany, Poland, Slovakia, Sweden, and Switzerland, yet only managed to peak at number 74 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song has since been certified Gold in both Italy and Australia.
The album's third single, "Counting Stars", has become their most successful single from the album thus far and the band's biggest hit. The song achieved significant international success, charting within the top five in Australia, Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Luxembourg, Poland, New Zealand, Scotland, Slovakia, and Spain. It reached number 1 in the UK, marking the band's highest-charting song ever in that country, while also peaking at number 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100, their first song to crack the top 5 since Apologize. The song has since peaked at number 1 in 5 countries worldwide and has gone 5× platinum in Australia, 2× Platinum in New Zealand, Platinum in the UK, Gold in Switzerland and Germany, as well as currently holding a Diamond certification in the US. On October 29, 2015, the video for "Counting Stars" became the first video by a band to reach 1 billion views on YouTube. As of July 2024, the music video has over 4 billion views and over 17 million likes and is the 18th most watched YouTube video.
On April 3, 2013, the band embarked on their headlining concert tour Native Tour in promotion for the album, beginning in Europe. This ran throughout 2013/14 and saw the band perform shows across Europe, North America, Asia and Australia, and New Zealand. The 2013 North American tour was a co-headlining tour with singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles, while the 2014 Native Summer Tour was a co-headlining tour with The Script and American Authors. The tour finished in Russia on November 9, 2014, marking a total of 169 shows and the band's largest tour to date.
The album's fourth single, "Something I Need", was released on August 25, 2013. Despite little promotion of the song upon its release due to the late and unexpected success of "Counting Stars", the song has still managed to be certified 2× Platinum in Australia and Platinum in New Zealand as of December 2013.
On April 8, 2014, OneRepublic confirmed via Twitter that their new song, "Love Runs Out", recorded at Studio Faust Records in Prague, would be released. Tedder said that the band had intended the song to be the first single on Native, but that he could not think of a chorus for the song, so the song's release was delayed. The song was added as the second track on the album's re-release on April 14. It was also an internationally successful track, breaking the top 5 in Austria, Germany, Canada, Switzerland, and the UK; and reaching the top 15 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. It is used as the promotional song for the show How to Get Away with Murder.
In September 2014, OneRepublic released the music video for "I Lived", the sixth single off their Native album. Tedder noted that he wrote the song for his 4-year-old son. The related video raises awareness of cystic fibrosis by featuring a 15-year-old named Bryan Warnecke who lives with the condition. A remix was released for the Coca-Cola campaign to fight AIDS.