Ryan Tedder is probably best known as the frontman of pop-rock band OneRepublic however, he is also a prolific songwriter and producer who’s definitely worked with at least one of your favourite artists over the years.
From Adele to Beyoncé, Shawn Mendes to Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift to Ariana Grande, Ryan has penned songs for the best of the best whilst also enjoying global success with OneRepublic.
Ryan’s latest success story is ‘Sucker’, the comeback track from the Jonas Brothers. Co-written with the band in addition to Frank Dukes and Louis Bell, ‘Sucker’ debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Ryan’s 9th top ten track in the US. The track also entered at number six on the UK Official Singles Chart.
To celebrate his incredible songwriting talent, we take a look at ten of our favourite songs written by Ryan Tedder.
‘Counting Stars’ – OneRepublic
We couldn’t possibly take a look at some of Ryan Tedder’s best songwriting without starting off with OneRepublic’s biggest song to date. Taken from their third album Native, OneRepublic achieved huge global success with ‘Counting Stars’ and the track has since been certified Diamond in the States (10x Platinum).
‘Bleeding Love’ – Leona Lewis
‘Bleeding Love’ was the lead single from X Factor UK 2006 winner Leona Lewis’ album, Spirit. The track, written by Ryan and ‘Beautiful Soul’ singer Jesse McCartney, catapulted Leona to gargantuan new heights, topping the charts in the US, UK and 33 other countries in between.
‘I Want You To Know’ – Zedd ft. Selena Gomez
‘I Want You To Know’ is a collaboration between Russian-German producer and DJ Zedd, and songstress Selena Gomez. Released as the lead single from Zedd’s True Colors album, it was written by the DJ, Ryan and producer KDrew. The track is a Platinum seller in the US and reached number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100.
‘Welcome To New York’ – Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift teamed up with Ryan to pen ‘Welcome To New York’, released as a promo single from her fifth album 1989. The track features in numerous films including How To Be Single and The Secret Life Of Pets, whilst it’s also been certified Platinum in the US.
‘Ghost’ – Ella Henderson
Ella Henderson first rose to fame on The X Factor UK 2012, where she finished in sixth place despite previously being a favourite to win the show. She co-wrote her debut single ‘Ghost’ with Ryan, Kenan Williams, and Noel Zancanella, and achieved great success on both sides of the Atlantic. ‘Ghost’ debuted at number one in the UK whilst it narrowly missed out on a top 20 position in the US (however, it is officially a Platinum selling single).
‘Halo’ – Beyoncé
Taken from Queen Bey’s I Am…Sasha Fierce, the stunning ‘Halo’ peaked at number five on the US Billboard Hot 100. The track was written by Ryan, Beyoncé and Evan Bogart and has received certifications in over 10 countries.
‘Burn’ – Ellie Goulding
Taken from Halycon Days, the reissue of Ellie Goulding’s 2012 album Halycon, ‘Burn’ was written by Ryan, Ellie, Leona Lewis, Greg Kurstin, Noel Zancanella, and Brent Kutzle. Funnily enough, the track was initially meant to appear on Leona’s second album Glassheart, but it didn’t make the final cut. However, the track was a great success for Ellie, marking her first number one in the UK and becoming her third highest charting single in the US.
‘Happier’ – Ed Sheeran
Written by Ryan, Ed Sheeran, and Benny Blanco, ‘Happier’ appears on Ed’s record-breaking album Divide. Upon the album’s release, the track charted at number six on the UK Singles Chart and also performed well across the globe.
‘Rumour Has It’ – Adele
Released from Adele’s second album 21, ‘Rumour Has It’ was created by the songstress and Ryan. The track was a top 20 hit for Adele in the US and has been certified 2x Platinum. In 2017, OneRepublic covered the song during their 16th Annual Honda Civic Tour.
‘Sucker’ – Jonas Brothers
We’re finishing off our list with Ryan’s most recent co-write success story – ‘Sucker’. Jonas Brothers broke the internet when they announced their comeback, and we can’t think of a better single to say ‘hey, we’re back’ than ‘Sucker’. It seems that the world agrees, with the track becoming the band’s first number one in the US whilst also achieving chart bests in other countries. In the process, Jonas Brothers became only the second group in history to have a song debut at number one in the US, whilst they’re also the first group in this century to achieve this feat.
We’re loving what we’ve heard from the Jonas Brothers x Ryan Tedder writing combo so far, and are delighted to hear that he is also working with them on their forthcoming album. You have been warned – there are more bops on the way!