Ryan Tedder

Born in Tulsa, OK in 1979, Tedder was raised by an extended family of Christian missionaries, who encouraged him to learn the piano via the Suzuki method aged just three. Inspired by the likes of Stevie Wonder, Peter Gabriel and Sting, Tedder also began singing in various church and school groups, practicing at least two hours every day throughout most of his teenage years, as well as writing his own material. While studying for a degree in Public Relations and Advertising at Oral Roberts University, Tedder secured an internship at Dreamworks SMG where he produced demos for songwriters and labels and was offered a publishing deal as a result. However, keen to become an artist in his own right, Tedder rejected the deal and shortly after won an MTV talent show with one of his own songs, "The Look," to win a contract with Lance Bass' now-defunct management company, Free Lance Entertainment.Labelling the show "a bunch of hype that didn't turn into anything," Tedder's victory wasn't exactly the big break that he had hoped for. However, his potential was spotted by R&B producer Timbaland, who decided to take Tedder under his wing and give him time to develop as an artist. Deciding that he would prefer to front a band, Tedder teamed up with his former high school classmate, lead guitarist Zach Filkins, to form One Republic in 2002, with bassist Brent Kutzle, drummer Eddie Fisher and rhythm guitarist Drew Brown eventually completing the core line-up. After a deal with Columbia Records fell through, the band became the first rock act to sign to Timbaland's Mosley Music Group in 2007 and released their first single, a collaboration with their new boss in the same year. "Apologize" immediately propelled One Republic into the big league, reaching No.2 on the US Hot 100, spending 25 consecutive weeks in the Top 10 and also picking up a Grammy nomination.Having previously penned tracks for Russian duo t.A.T.u. ("Divine"), Jennifer Lopez ("Do It Well") and Natasha Bedingfield ("Love Like This"), Tedder's reputation as a song-writer then rocketed when he and teen pop sensation Jesse McCartney co-wrote Leona Lewis' post-"X-Factor" (ITV, 2004-) debut single, "Bleeding Love," in 2007. Setting the template for what would become Tedder's signature blend of booming beats and emotive soulful melodies, the track reached number one in 35 countries, sold nine million copies and launched Lewis to global fame. Tedder suddenly became an in-demand songwriter overnight and after One Republic released their 2007 debut album, Dreaming Out Loud, he also penned similarly structured hits for Jordin Sparks ("Battlefield"), Beyonce ("Halo") and Kelly Clarkson ("Already Gone"), with Clarkson even commenting on the resemblance between the latter two herself.In 2009, Tedder continued to work his magic on tracks by "American Idol" runner-up Adam Lambert, British soul singer James Morrison and Irish boyband Westlife just to name a few, and launched his own Patriot Records label before returning to the One Republic fray with second studio effort, Waking Up. A year later, Tedder made his first major guest appearance outside the band when he provided the melodic hook for Far East Movement single "Rocketeer," later going onto fulfil a similar role on tracks by Gym Class Heroes ("The Fighter"), Vanness Wu ("Is This All") and B.o.B ("Never Let You Go"). In 2011, he contributed to Adele's seminal 21 ("Rumour Has It," "Turning Tables"), Colbie Caillat's All Of You ("Brighter Than The Sun") and Demi Lovato's Unbroken ("Who's That Boy"), duetted with Sara Bareilles on "Gonna Get Over You" and added Big Time Rush, David Cook and The Lonely Island to his ever-expanding list of collaborators.After receiving a Producer of the Year, Non Classical, nomination at the 2012 Grammy Awards, Tedder regrouped with One Republic to record third album, Native, which on its 2013 release peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 and spawned their biggest hit in the shape of "Counting Stars." Distancing himself even further from his earlier trademark pop ballads, 2013 saw him help Ellie Goulding score her first UK chart-topper with the dubstep-tinged "Burn," revive James Blunt's career with the rousing folk-pop of "Bonfire Heart" and team up with EDM maestros Sebastian Ingross & Alesso for the floorfilling "Calling," as well as contribute to the "Hunger Games: Catching Fire" (2013) soundtrack ("We Remain") and provide one of the highlights from One Direction's third album, Midnight Memories ("Right Now").