In 2003, OneRepublic traveled west and played shows around the Los Angeles, U.S., area.
OneRepublic added pianist Drew Brown, bassist/cellist Brent Kutzle, and drummer Eddie Fisher to the lineup while playing its initial live shows. After being approached by many labels, the band signed with Velvet Hammer (an imprint of Columbia records), whose roster now includes the likes of Coheed and Cambria, Deftones, and System of a Down.
Unlike other bands under the Velvet Hammer label, OneRepublic’s sound has seen more mainstream than alternative success. With collaborations with producers like Timbaland on what is arguably its biggest hit to date, “Apologize,” remixed and recorded in 2006 and featured on Timbaland’s album Shock Value, OneRepublic has safely secured itself quite a few popular rock music fans. The band was also dropped from Columbia’s label around this time and signed to Timbaland’s Mosley Music Group.
“Apologize” appeared again in 2007, this time in its original form on OneRepublic’s debut album, Dreaming Out Loud. The remixed version of the song had record radio plays in North America (it was played 10,394 times in just one week) and this play score was only beaten by the single “Bleeding Love” by Leona Lewis (which, was also co-written by OneRepublic frontman, Ryan Tedder). The other hit single from its platinum debut album is “Stop and Stare,” which saw almost equal success as the previous single.
OneRepublic’s second album, Waking Up, was released in 2009 and reached the top 10 on Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. Singles from this album included “All the Right Moves,” “Marchin On,” and “Good Life.”
In March of 2013, OneRepublic released Native, its third studio album and an official end to a hiatus that had lasted for three and a half years. Native hit number four on the Billboard 200 upon its debut, marking the band’s first time cracking the top 10 in the U.S. First-week sales exceeded 60,000, the best since Dreaming Out Loud.
The lead single from Native was “Feel Again.” Released on August 27, 2012, it climbed to number 36 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and later went platinum. The next single, “If I Lose Myself,” has been certified gold in both Australia and Italy. The next single, “Counting Stars,” exceeded all expectations by becoming the band’s biggest hit yet — it reached the top five in 14 countries and even hit number one in the UK and number two in the U.S. The accompanying music video has over 3.5 billion views on YouTube.
The tours after Native took OneRepublic across Europe, Oceania, North America, and Asia and featured co-headlining duties with acts like American Authors, Sara Bareilles, and The Script. 169 shows later, the band completed its biggest tour yet.
November 2014 saw photos from the band on Twitter with the caption “Hotel recording, Poland. Album 4.” Half a year later, Tedder announced that OneRepublic was heading in a new artistic direction. Since the band values innovation and never repeats the same sound twice, the new album would prove to be yet another surprise for fans.
The group announced in September 2015 that the next album would come early the next year. The wait was long — it wasn’t until May 12 that a new single called “Wherever I Go” dropped. The next single, “Kids,” came out on August 12, and the album called Oh My My came out October 7, 2016. Oh My My struck a chord with listeners, hitting number three on the U.S. Billboard 200 and becoming the highest-charting album in the band’s career to date.
Between 2017 and 2019, OneRepublic shifted its strategy in song releases. Lead singer Ryan Tedder wrote a candid post to fans, saying he was dealing with “crippling anxiety” and illness due to constant touring, promoting, and recording. He said the band would be releasing new music in the form of singles as opposed to traditional albums. In 2017, it released singles including “Born to Race,” “Rich Love,” “Truth to Power,” and “No Vacancy.”
It seemed that the love for music helped Tedder overcome his struggles — in September 2017, he announced the band had begun working on a fifth album. The band also featured on the song “Stranger Things” by Kygo, which came out in 2017. The next year, it opened for the Zac Brown Band on tour.
Its 2018 singles included “Start Again” (featuring Logic), “Connection,” and a cover of “White Christmas.” The lead single from the fifth album arrived on May 17, 2019 and was entitled “Rescue Me.” The subsequent singles, “Wanted” and “Somebody to Love,” preceded the announcement that the new album would be called Human and would come out in spring of 2020. After multiple delays, Human did finally come out in August of 2021.
Currently, the world awaits OneRepublic’s sixth studio album, which the band has teased with songs “Sunshine” and “West Coast.” Its singles were featured in Top Gun: Maverick and other films, building anticipation for what is sure to be a phenomenal release.
The band’s calendar currently includes concerts across multiple continents. Catch OneRepublic on tour to see one of the most exciting acts in rock today.
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