In 2001, Tedder won Freelance Talent Search, an MTV-sponsored singing contest that preceded American Idol. At 17, I was offered a scholarship to study drama in New York, but I turned it down to focus on music.' 'I was a straight-A student, but I also acted and played soccer and tennis. Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and raised in Denver, Colorado, he found music through the Church (his mother is from a family of preachers) and his parents' tapes of The Beach Boys and Stevie Wonder. Tedder's love of song dates back to boyhood. I'm also a sucker for a beautiful melody.' Says Ryan: 'Because our first two hits were different from one another, we don't have to stick to a style. With new single All The Right Moves setting a grand tone, the album uses guitars, cellos and crashing drums (a Tedder trademark) to propel the band forward. Pressure: Ryan is adept at dealing with the punishing demands of Cowell His vocals have a tendency to lapse into a falsetto reminiscent of Chris Martin, but it is hard to fault the artistic ambition of the singer and his bandmates Zach Filkins, Drew Brown, Brent Kutzle and Eddie Fisher. Now they are hoping to make an even bigger splash with a new album, Waking Up, which is out this month.Ĭombining hummable tunes with cinematic arrangements, the album underlines Tedder's versatility. Occupying the middle ground between Maroon 5 and Coldplay, their 2007 debut album, Dreaming Out Loud, sold two million copies and had two huge hit singles in Apologize and Stop And Stare. But, for me, the greatest satisfaction comes when a OneRepublic song connects with people.' At least I can now be more choosy about who I work with. 'I used to sell songs to anyone who'd have them, and there are a few skeletons in my closet. 'To be honest, I only started writing and producing for other people to pay my bills and support the band,' says Ryan.

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