Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic discusses their new album 'Artificial Paradise,' the process of producing the song for the Paris Olympics, and his aspirations to create one for the LA Olympics in 2028. He also shares insights into working with Tate McRae, praises Taylor Swift, debates which artist he would like to remix "Apologize" with, and talks about the success of Runner Music, his publishing company, and more!
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00:00Before I had any songs on radio or OneRepublic was even signed or anything happening,
00:05I was just determined to make a living doing music.
00:08I didn't care how, I just, like, I have to quit Pottery Barn.
00:12I need to get this job. I need to stop working for other people.
00:16Hey, I'm Ryan Tedder from OneRepublic and you are watching Billboard News.
00:23There's a new OneRepublic album, a lot of new collaborations.
00:27We're going to start with the thing everyone's talking about, which is the Olympics.
00:29Okay, yeah.
00:30So you produced this phenomenal song, super fun, for Gwen Stefani and Anderson .Paak.
00:38I know we know a bit of the story, but what was that process actually like and how has it been now that it's out?
00:43I started by writing songs for commercials and then movies and then TV series.
00:47And I loved it and I thought for probably two years, right after Columbia dropped my band,
00:53I was like, I guess this is my gig. I'm just going to write songs for movies and TV and film.
00:58I genuinely enjoy doing it. It's called prescriptive writing.
01:01Sometimes it's actually easier when someone's like, here's the topic, here are the things we can't do.
01:07It's a sandbox, right? Here's the sandbox, fill the sandbox, make it beautiful.
01:11So the process for Coca-Cola and the Olympics, it was definitely challenging.
01:16It was a perfect combination of fun and challenging.
01:18It definitely tested my Rolodex.
01:21There's a list of desired, I'll say, artists that the International Olympic Committee has and that Coca-Cola has.
01:28Then they have to cross their list, find where those artists co-mingle, right?
01:33Then it's like, OK, here's a realistic group of artists. What's the song going to be about?
01:37What can we be about? What can't we say? What can't we say?
01:40So there's like zooms with the IOC, which is interesting.
01:43It's like people in Switzerland and Portugal and Australia and England and France.
01:48And then you've got Coca-Cola, a guy in Austin, a guy in L.A.
01:52It was like daunting in a way, and I don't really get that daunting.
01:57I was like, whoa, I need all 10 of you to like this.
02:00So it took like four approaches, pretty much.
02:03And I think on this one, it was like the third or fourth submission that was like, this is the one.
02:07And it's a hit.
02:08We'll see.
02:10You grew up watching the Olympics, I understand.
02:12Do you have a favorite sport that you kind of never want to miss?
02:16I never miss gymnastics, men's and women's.
02:18We were watching women's last night and watching the incredible Simone Biles power through a calf injury.
02:26I never miss track and field. I never miss swimming.
02:29I never miss gymnastics, men's and women's.
02:32As this basketball gets towards the end, as soccer gets towards the end, surfing is always fun.
02:37I saw a little bit of fencing.
02:39Always the obligatory two or three things where you're like, wait, that's a sport?
02:43You learn something new.
02:45Yeah. It's like, maybe I'll be an Olympian in a few years.
02:48I'm going to pick like whatever the sport is that hasn't quite made it.
02:51And let's see if I can get on that train.
02:53The Olympics, the Summer Olympics will be in LA in 2028.
02:56You have all of these connections now with the committee.
02:59What would you want to do to celebrate the Olympics year?
03:02I definitely would like to do the song for 2028.
03:04I've already made that abundantly clear with IOC and with Coke.
03:09I would lean, like sonically, I would want to encapsulate the most Californian,
03:18the essence of California in the record.
03:20It could be like anywhere, some combination of like obviously hip-hop, West Coast hip-hop.
03:25It makes me think like early 90s, mid 90s California hip-hop.
03:29But then I also think Beach Boys.
03:32So like somewhere between the Beach Boys and hip-hop.
03:36You produced one of my favorite albums of last year.
03:38Tate McRae's Think Later. Executive producer, I should say.
03:41Have you two had the conversations about what is next for the two of you?
03:45Every day.
03:47What can you tell us?
03:48I was texting her this morning.
03:49I am not trying to get on the wrong side of Miss McRae.
03:53So I'm keeping my lips sealed.
03:55I'll just say that like she has put in the work.
03:58We've all put in the work.
04:00She is more or less a professional athlete prior to being a professional recording artist.
04:06So she attacks and approaches music like someone who is a division one athlete.
04:17Tate is like when it comes to work ethic and task oriented, goal oriented, perfectionist.
04:24She's like Olympic level focus.
04:27Is there a song on this new album that came out in July
04:30that you didn't expect to have that sort of viral moment or a moment that really took off online
04:35but it has as a pleasant surprise?
04:37Yeah. I mean we've actually had a couple which is cool.
04:41I mean the weirdest thing about this album and I don't think that,
04:46I mean the next album will be different because we're always trying to flip it up.
04:49But like this represents like more or less the end of our album cycle.
04:54Because this started a little over two years ago with a song called West Coast.
05:04The second single off the album, the second song I wrote,
05:07the second song that we produced was I Ain't Worried.
05:15In our mind it was literally this is our second single after West Coast.
05:22Also it's in Top Gun. That'll help it.
05:24Yeah.
05:25It more or less came out and like walked up behind West Coast and like strangled it.
05:28I was like and it's our turn.
05:30I'd like to think I have a decent gauge of what songs might be hits or big
05:35but nobody's right all the time.
05:37Nobody is and I absolutely did not see that coming.
05:42I in no way shape or form thought that song was going to explode the way it did.
05:46I just had no idea.
05:47Top 10 hit?
05:48America is always the hardest nut to crack for a lot of artists and for One Republic too.
05:51We'll have a song go number one in 15 countries and we come back to the States and it's like number nine.
05:56Like which is fine. I'm not complaining.
05:58But like that is just like we're always like the stepchild over here.
06:01And so that song we first saw it go nuclear overseas.
06:05Like a lot of our stuff.
06:07And again we were like chasing it like track.
06:09Where is it? Who's driving this?
06:11Of course some kid took the intro to the song.
06:14My whistle slowed it down.
06:16And I knew that it was like officially going everywhere when like I think it was Kevin Hart posted it.
06:22And then Ryan Seacrest posted it.
06:23And then like Reese Witherspoon like making pancakes.
06:26It's like I was like okay.
06:27This is a thing.
06:28This is a thing now.
06:29And it's weird because it's not even the chorus.
06:31It's just the whistle.
06:32It really is a weird thing where social media is steering the music industry more than any outside actor has ever steered it.
06:38Except for maybe MTV back in the day.
06:40So it's a new paradigm.
06:41And I went through I think every artist goes through that zone where they go how do I exist in this?
06:46And I went through almost a mourning period of mourning how it used to be.
06:51And I've now passed that.
06:53And I'm like this is already bonus round.
06:55Shut up.
06:56Write another song.
06:57Put it out.
06:58Stop overthinking it.
06:59You're here to make music.
07:00Make music.
07:01Don't overthink it.
07:02And on this album we've caught two or three songs that happen to go viral.
07:07And I know that if I put out another seven in the next 18 months one of them will catch.
07:12I don't know which one.
07:13It probably won't be the one that I want.
07:14But it's like that's the way it is.
07:16We have the David Guetta song that is the most recent one to catch fire.
07:23When we recorded it I was like this is too obvious.
07:25It's not going to work.
07:26It's not going to work.
07:27It's like too obvious.
07:28And we've never done a song like that that's just like swinging for the pop fence.
07:31And as is the case with Helen Republic of course in Europe and overseas it went.
07:36We still have some songs on this album that we're putting out.
07:39Hurt and Sink or Swim.
07:41Those will have their life.
07:43They'll either have a moment or they won't.
07:46But they're great songs.
07:47And then My Brain is already going 2025.
07:50I see you.
07:51I can't wait.
07:52You're coming.
07:53We're coming.
07:54Do you listen to music for fun?
07:55Can you?
07:56Yes.
07:57Yeah.
07:58I do.
07:59If I'm working out and listening to music I'm listening to Rap Caviar.
08:00There's a few songs you have to see.
08:01Some of the songs you're just like God man I can't.
08:04What in the world?
08:05If I'm hanging out by a pool anywhere in the world or on vacation with other people
08:11I put on, there's this playlist called French Poolside Disco.
08:14I've been listening to it for seven years.
08:16And it's the most perfectly curated summer or vacation playlist on earth.
08:22I have lost count of the amount of people, friends, family that have been like
08:25what is this playlist?
08:26I have to have it.
08:27I filter in like some of my favorite acts that I've curated some playlists like
08:31whether it's the Beatles, Beach Boys, Jeff Buckley.
08:34And then I'm a massive Muddy Waters fan.
08:36That's awesome.
08:37Muddy Waters is more like hosting, having dinner, cooking dinner.
08:40Muddy Waters.
08:41There you go.
08:42I just put on the best of Muddy Waters and let it play.
08:43And then I know obviously like for current artists you either are working or want to
08:46work with Rosalia.
08:47Yes.
08:48You mentioned Sabrina Carpenter.
08:49Yep.
08:50Can you appreciate when like Sabrina has two hits right now.
08:53Crazy hard to do.
08:54Can you listen to that or is your brain thinking of like because I want to work with you
08:58I listen and therefore my brain is working.
09:01No.
09:02Like I listen to I mean the people are like please, please, please or espresso.
09:06I think they're both great.
09:07I'm more espresso because I'm just like it's like the first time I heard it.
09:11I heard it and texted Amy Allen who's a good friend of mine and we worked together
09:15all the time.
09:16I was like that's a smash.
09:17Yep.
09:18She's like you think so?
09:19I think we have better songs coming.
09:20I was like I don't know what you have coming.
09:21I'm just telling you I think this is a hit.
09:23I heard it one time at Coachella.
09:24I was like I'll check in with you in a week.
09:25Let's see how it's doing.
09:26Right.
09:27Boom.
09:28There are songs that come on the radio or on streaming that are hits that I skip past.
09:33We all have them.
09:34Music is subjective.
09:35So there's a lot of things I think are silly.
09:37I even think like I think getting acknowledged by your peers is cool and fun.
09:42I've always had a weird association with awards of any kind because I'm just like
09:47unless it's literally funny enough like Billboard Awards where it's like statistically
09:52you did the best.
09:53Yeah.
09:54We have the data to show you.
09:55We have the data to back it up.
09:57You haven't won anything other than a statistic.
09:59Like that's fine because it's real.
10:01It's like you streamed X amount.
10:03You sold X amount.
10:04You did X amount.
10:05Like those are like congrats.
10:06You crushed this year.
10:07Yeah.
10:08Like the song.
10:09Don't like the song.
10:10Doesn't matter.
10:11You crushed.
10:12This subjective stuff gets weird which is music is purely subjective.
10:14Saying one song is better than the other is not a thing.
10:16It doesn't exist.
10:17Like orange is better than blue.
10:18No.
10:19Says who?
10:20Says who.
10:21So I don't like to really get in the weeds on it but I will say the internet has upended
10:25music, social media to the extent that we all know it.
10:28There are some songs that probably shouldn't be there.
10:31They probably shouldn't be top five but they are.
10:33But time always will tell.
10:35Like those songs.
10:36Exactly.
10:37There are some songs that smash that I'm just like I don't understand how this is a hit.
10:41I can't listen to it.
10:42But time always wins.
10:43I think that this band has done that arguably the most.
10:46I mean.
10:47Tried.
10:48There's I think 16 Hot 100 number hits and all of them are still songs that I actively
10:51play and love.
10:54Apologize is maybe my favorite but you know there's a lot.
11:02Yeah Apologize needs to be I keep telling my manager I'm like and now like when I'm
11:07like working with rappers which I've been doing a decent amount of recently I like keep
11:12planting a bug in their ear.
11:13I'm like you know what would go crazy right now?
11:16Apologize.
11:17I do agree.
11:18Let's remix it but like I'll re-sing it.
11:22We don't even got to sample it.
11:23I'll replay it.
11:24I'll re-sing it.
11:25It's like now's the time.
11:26If it gets 2024 it's been 17 years.
11:28I would say that like the statute of limitations is lifted.
11:31It's time for us to have one.
11:32I want to figure out who the right rapper is.
11:35I was going to ask not to put you on the spot but do you have a short list?
11:38I've like dropped some hints to Jack and I've dropped some in Jack's manager.
11:42I did a record with 21 Savage that came out the end of last year.
11:45I was hitting his squad.
11:47I was like yo does he like Apologize?
11:49He's like man we all of course he does.
11:51I was like alright.
11:52I'm just saying someone's going to do it rather than it be just a flipped sample.
11:57When that song has a second life I want to re-sing it.
12:00I can sing it better now.
12:01So it's like I want to actually re-produce it, re-sing it and I want it to be meaningful.
12:05I don't know.
12:06It's just something I'm like marinating on like some other songs I've gone through.
12:09We flipped Bleeding Love for Carol G, Contigo.
12:12It's really weird to re-produce your own record and sample it for another.
12:17It's the strangest thing.
12:18It's like you're listed twice in the credits.
12:20It's weird.
12:21Yeah.
12:22Obviously a totally different tangent but I think Taylor has opened up that can of worms for a lot of artists as well.
12:26Oh my god yeah.
12:27Taylor's just.
12:28It's like I wasn't alive when the Beatles blew up.
12:31None of us were born yet.
12:32But like you're watching it.
12:34You're watching it with Taylor.
12:36I've just never seen anything like it in my life.
12:39And somebody yesterday was like when's she running for president?
12:42I was like huh?
12:45Would she win?
12:46Would she win?
12:47That's like the biggest sweep of all time.
12:49But don't do that to yourself.
12:50Like don't.
12:51Just don't even go.
12:52It's like too much.
12:53Don't invite the drama.
12:54We have some Taylor's versions to get through first maybe.
12:56We have like.
12:57She's got plenty more songs to write.
12:58She's the most prolific.
12:59Like I've said in countless interviews.
13:01They're like who are the most talented people you've worked with.
13:02I was like McCartney blew my mind because he jumped around and played every instrument
13:05like a session player on all the music that we did and he was doing it like that.
13:09Like seven instruments.
13:10It's like and here's the harpsichord.
13:11And then Taylor.
13:12It's like McCartney and Taylor.
13:13McCartney and Taylor.
13:14Genuinely like she just.
13:15It's.
13:16It's.
13:17Her brain.
13:18It's like Chachi P.T. needs another five to ten years to catch up with how fast she can
13:23script and write.
13:24That's incredible.
13:25Yeah.
13:26It's wild.
13:27In addition to everything we've talked about which is a lot.
13:29I mentioned at the top your publishing company as well.
13:31Yeah.
13:32Runner.
13:33Yes.
13:34We love Runner.
13:35Your roster there is just having such success.
13:36But when you think about.
13:37It's been a year and a half now.
13:38Not even.
13:39It's been.
13:40I mean June.
13:41June of last year.
13:42Yeah.
13:43Yeah.
13:44So what are the biggest wins that come to mind or just moments you're so proud of?
13:47For sure.
13:48Runner writers were all over the Tate McRae album.
13:50All over Think Later.
13:52Carol G.
13:53We have.
13:54I think in the last week.
13:55I think three songs in New Music Friday.
13:58Tiesto's new single.
13:59Role model.
14:00Noah Conrad.
14:01One of our writers did the role model single.
14:02It's gone viral.
14:03Lisa.
14:04You know.
14:05Blackpink.
14:06The diversity is kind of off the charts and we just signed a big big big country writer
14:09who I can't announce right now but we're about to.
14:12I'd say the crowning achievement for me.
14:14Amanda Hill.
14:15Who I graciously snuck away from Sony.
14:18Who I think is just the best in the business.
14:20The best A&R.
14:21She was like.
14:22Am I reading this right?
14:23This is back in like June.
14:24It was the one year anniversary of launching Runner.
14:26That week we had five songs in the top 40.
14:30Two of which were top 10.
14:32And we had five or six songs in today's top hits.
14:37All at the same time.
14:38And I was like.
14:39We're an independent.
14:40Like I mean.
14:41Blackstone happens to be a partner.
14:42Which is a solid partner.
14:43But like.
14:44We're an independent company.
14:45We've existed for 12 months.
14:46And we have five songs in the top 40.
14:47Like.
14:48I screenshot that.
14:49I was like.
14:50I want to frame that as like year one.
14:51The band has been together 20 plus years.
14:53Is there an era that you look back on and just are the fondest of?
14:57The easy answer would be.
14:58Okay.
14:59Our third album.
15:00Was the album that kind of shifted the temperature for the band.
15:03And I lived.
15:04Had a bunch of singles on that one.
15:06I also associate that with being the most exhausted I've ever been.
15:09And not seeing my family.
15:11So if I'm being honest.
15:12Fondness.
15:14I would say I've had the most fun in the last two years.
15:18That's amazing.
15:19So it took us that long to learn how to tour.
15:22To learn how to balance it.
15:24We've created new like.
15:26Limits and rules to how long we can be gone per year.
15:29Like just for our families and our own psychological well being.
15:32I'm still like just like baffled.
15:35That we've managed to gain new fans like at this stage.
15:41Congratulations on truly everything.
15:43It makes me very happy to know that you are enjoying this era the most.
15:46And thank you for making time.
15:48Yeah.
15:50Go Billboard.