36 songs you might not know OneRepublic's Ryan Tedder wrote

He's the genius behind some of the world's biggest hits!

Author: Alex RossPublished 26th Jun 2024

We all know Ryan Tedder as the lead singer of OneRepublic, but what you might not know is that he also writes massive hits for other artists - having penned huge tracks for the likes of Ellie Goulding, Sam Smith and Lady Gaga!

A well-decorated songwriter, Ryan has also won three GRAMMY Awards for work on Adele's albums '21' and '25' as well as Taylor Swift's '1989'. More recently, Ryan has co-written songs for the likes of Miley Cyrus, Liam Payne, K-pop girl group BLACKPINK and Justin Timberlake. Read on to see which huge songs Ryan has helped mastermind...

Which songs has Ryan Tedder written for other artists?

'Bleeding Love' - Leona Lewis (2007)

Ryan wrote X Factor winner Leona Lewis' massive 2007 hit 'Bleeding Love'. The song stayed at Number 1 for a massive seven weeks! In February 2022, Ryan opened up about how he wrote the song - revealing he'd actually written it for US singer Jesse McCartney and adding that whenever he's stuck on writing, he asks himself: "What would Prince do?" Although Ryan had been convinced it was the "best song he'd ever written", Jesse's team passed, leaving him completely stumped.


When he saw Leona perform two months later, he knew the song was for her: "The moment I heard Leona's voice, I thought Bleeding Love would be perfect for her. People told me that halving the tempo in the middle broke all the rules of songwriting. I sent the finished song to Simon (Cowell) and he said: 'I guarantee I'm going to deliver you a UK Number 1.' It reached Number 1 in the same week OneRepublic did in the US with 'Apologize' – which I'd also written."


Watch the video on YouTube.

'Do It Well' - JLo (2007)

Jennifer Lopez worked with Ryan back in his earlier career, taking him on for her sixth album 'Brave' with Ryan co-writing 'Do It Well'.


Watch it on YouTube.

'Halo' - Beyoncé (2008)

It was one of the biggest hits of 2008 and thanks to Ryan has become one of Beyoncé's most popular songs to date!


Watch it on YouTube.

'Already Gone' - Kelly Clarkson (2009)

Ryan wrote Kelly Clarkson's hit 'Already Gone' which featured on her 2009 album 'All I Ever Wanted'.


Watch it on YouTube.

'Battlefield' - Jordin Sparks (2009)

Not only did Ryan help write and produce this hit, he also performed on the track!


Watch it on YouTube.

'Rumour Has It' - Adele (2011)

Ryan helped superstar Adele write and co-produce her track 'Rumour Has It'. The single featured on massive album '21' and became an instant hit with fans.


Listen on YouTube.

'Got 2 Luv You' - Sean Paul (2011)

Perhaps the most surprising on the list but Ryan wrote Sean Paul's 2011 hit 'Got 2 Luv You'.


Watch it on YouTube.

'So Good' - B.o.B (2012)

B.o.B was the man of the moment back in the early 2010's with hits like 'Airplane' and 'Nothin' On You' with Bruno Mars. He worked with Ryan on 'So Good', which featured on his second album 'Strange Clouds', with Ryan co-writing and also providing backing vocals.


Watch it on YouTube.

'Ghost' - Ella Henderson (2012)

After Ella Henderson appeared on The X Factor in 2012, Ryan got in touch with her and he wrote her massive hit single 'Ghost'.


Watch it on YouTube.

'Burn' - Ellie Goulding (2013)

Mr Tedder also gave a helping hand to Ellie Goulding for her epic track 'Burn'.


Watch it on YouTube.

'Neon Lights' - Demi Lovato (2013)

Ryan wrote pop princess Demi Lovato's club smash 'Neon Lights' back in 2013.


Watch it on YouTube.

'Right Now' - One Direction (2013)

One Direction worked with Ryan on their third album, 'Midnight Memories', which was released in 2013. Ryan co-wrote 'Right Now' along with Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne and Harry Styles, and produced the song with Jake Gosling.


Listen on YouTube.

'XO' - Beyoncé (2013)

Not only did Ryan write Bey's track 'Halo', he also helped her write the stunning ballad 'XO'.


Watch it on YouTube.

'Love Somebody' - Maroon 5 (2013)

Ryan helped out friend Adam Levine when he wrote 'Love Somebody' for Maroon 5.


Watch it on YouTube.

'Together' - Calvin Harris (2014)

Ryan worked with Calvin Harris on his fourth album 'Motion', co-writing on 'Together' which featured vocals from Gwen Stefani.


Listen on YouTube.

'Why Try' - Ariana Grande (2014)

Ryan worked with Ariana Grande on her 2014 hit 'Why Try' and she was full of praise for him! Speaking in an interview with MTV, Ari said: "I love working with him because he understands what it's like as a vocalist to want the song that day."


Listen on YouTube.

'I Know Places' - Taylor Swift (2014)

Taylor Swift enlisted help from Ryan when she moved her sound from country to pop on her album '1989'. After writing 'I Know Places' together, Ryan called her "a bit of a songwriting prodigy."


Listen on YouTube.

'Seasons' - Olly Murs (2014)

Cheeky chap Olly Murs also enlisted the help from lyrical genius Ryan. His track 'Seasons' was another example of Ryan's never-ending talents.


Watch it on YouTube.

'Happier' - Ed Sheeran (2017)

Ryan worked with another famous songwriter - Ed Sheeran - on his 2017 track 'Happier' which featured on his third album '÷' (Divide). Co-written between Ed, Ryan and producer Benny Blanco, the track reached Number 6 in the UK. Ed told Zane Lowe about the song's meaning: "I remember the first girl I was with, that the first and most of the second album was about, that I was with from school. And I remember the guy she was with, meeting him one day and being like, he is so much suited to her than I ever was. Seeing them together they were happy together, we never looked like that, we were never that couple, we were never that happy. So it was having a kind of epiphany moment, and writing a song that was basically that."


Watch the video on YouTube.

'Because I Had You' - Shawn Mendes (2018)

Shawn worked with Ryan on his self-titled third album, released in May 2018. Ryan co-wrote 'Particular Taste' and 'Because I Had You', and also co-produced both of those songs.


Listen on YouTube.

'Can We Pretend' - P!nk (2019)

Ryan helped write P!nk's massive 2019 track 'Can We Pretend'. The single featured on her album 'Hurts 2B Human' and was a massive hit with her loyal fan base.


Listen on YouTube.

'Sucker' - The Jonas Brothers (2019)

After their epic comeback in 2019, The Jonas Brothers worked with Ryan on their catchy hit single 'Sucker', which appeared on their fifth album 'Happiness Begins' in June 2019. Ryan also co-wrote 'Cool', 'Used To Be', 'Trust' and 'Rollercoaster' for the album.


Watch it on YouTube.

'Cry For Me' - Camila Cabello (2019)

Ryan's talents were hired by former Fifth Harmony singer Camila Cabello for her second album, 'Romance', which was released in October 2019.


Listen on YouTube.

‘Easier’ 5 Seconds of Summer (2019)

Ryan was part of a songwriting team who wrote 'Easier' for the Australian band 5 Seconds of Summer. Charlie Puth was also part of the songwriting team.


Watch it on YouTube.

'Sine from Above' - Lady Gaga with Elton John (2020)

Ryan co-wrote 'Sine From Above' which featured on Lady Gaga's 2020 album 'Chromatica'.


Watch it on YouTube.

'Plastic Hearts' album - Miley Cyrus (2020)

Ryan was on the songwriting team for a number of tracks from Miley Cyrus' 2020 album 'Plastic Hearts'. He co-wrote 'Night Crawling', 'Plastic Hearts', 'WTF Do I Know' and 'Angels Like You'.

'Somebody' - Justin Bieber (2021)

'Somebody' was co-written by Ryan and others for Justin Bieber's 2021 album 'Justice'. The album was released in March 2021 and featured tracks such as 'Holy', 'Hold On', 'Peaches' and 'Lonely'.


Listen on YouTube.

'Thats What I Want' - Lil Nas X (2021)

'Thats What I Want' was a top hit track from Lil Nas X's 2021 album 'Montero', and it was co-written by none other than Ryan Tedder! The song was pretty huge, going on to be certified Platinum in the UK, and 2x Platinum in the US, within a year.


Watch it on YouTube.

'Higher' - Michael Bublé (2022)

Ryan contributed to the songwriting on Michael Bublé's 11th studio album, 'Higher', co-writing the title track along with Michael, his young son Noah and Greg Wells, who has worked with the likes of Ariana Grande, Adele, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry and many others.


Watch it on YouTube.

'Move' - DNCE (2022)

Ryan teamed up with Joe Jonas-fronted pop band DNCE in 2022 for their single 'Move'. It hasn't appeared on an album just yet!


Listen on YouTube.

'Legend' - John Legend (2022)

Ryan worked extensively with John on his eighth studio album 'Legend', released in 2022. He co-wrote on tracks 'Dope', 'Strawberry Blush', 'Guy Like Me', 'All She Wanna Do', 'Wonder Woman' and 'Honey'. He also performed backing vocals and played keyboards, guitar and percussion among other things.

'10:35' - Tiësto & Tate McRae (2022)

One of the biggest songs of 2022 was '10:35' by DJ Tiësto and Canadian singer Tate McRae of 'You Broke Me First' fame. Appearing on Tiësto's album 'Drive', the song was not only co-written by Ryan but he also co-produced it, too.


Watch it on YouTube.

'Weapons' - Ava Max (2023)

Ryan worked with Ava Max on her second studio album, 'Diamonds & Dancefloors', released in 2023. Co-writing with Ava herself along with Melanie Fontana, Michel Schulz, Madison Love and Cirkut, the team came up with 'Weapons'.


Listen on YouTube.

'Greedy' - Tate McRae (2023)

Ryan and Tate teamed up once again for her 2023 release 'Greedy'. Although she hasn't confirmed whether she's working on a second album and therefore whether it'll appear on there, the song went to Number 3 in the UK.


Listen to the song on YouTube.

'Not My Fault' - Reneé Rapp featuring Megan Thee Stallion (2023)

Ryan also had a songwriting credit on 'Not My Fault' in 2023, the lead single from the Mean Girls movie musical adaptation. Performed by Reneé Rapp (the star of the film) and Megan Thee Stallion, who both also wrote the song's lyrics, the track appears in the film's end credits scene and isn't performed in the film.


Watch the video on YouTube.

'Play' - Justin Timberlake (2024)

Ryan worked with Justin Timberlake on his sixth album, 'Everything I Thought It Was', released in March 2024. Contributing to the song 'Play', Ryan co-wrote the track with Justin and a few other collaborators - the pair also produced the song together.

Listen to the song on YouTube.

Who is Ryan Tedder?

Ryan Tedder is an American singer/songwriter and the lead singer in popular band OneRepublic. The musician has had an incredible career, not only in the band, but as a songwriter, writing songs for some of the biggest artists on the planet, including Adele, Ellie Goulding, Beyonce and P!nk.

Are OneRepublic on tour?

Not a tour, per se, but OneRepublic did perform at London's OVO Arena Wembley on Wednesday 14th June 2023.

How old is Ryan?

Ryan Tedder is 45-years-old! He was born on 26th June in 1979.

Where is he from?

Ryan is American! He was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

How did he get famous?

Despite starting singing at the age of seven, Ryan actually worked as both a waiter and shop assistant for a number of years, before going on to complete an internship singing on demos at DreamWorks SKG.

After turning down a publishing deal by DreamWorks to pursue his singing career, 21-year-old Ryan took part in competition where NSYNC singer Lance Bass chose him to perform in an MTV special show, with Ryan performing original material.

Although Ryan won the show, it was later revealed that the recording deal he was supposed to be given wasn't 'real'.

It was then in 2002 when Ryan met legendary producer Timbaland that things really started to move for the singer. Ryan later wrote the now famous track 'Apologize' for his band OneRepublic, breaking records across the world.

The rest is history, he's since written some of the biggest songs in the world for some of the biggest artists, as well as his band OneRepublic becoming one of the most recognisable on the planet.

Was Ryan on The Voice?

He certainly was! Ryan joined the American version of The Voice in 2013 (season five), where he was hired as the show's first ever in-house songwriter and producer.

He also served as a mentor for the contestants on the same series.

How tall is he?

Ryan is 1.83 m, which equates to 6ft.

Is he married?

Yes! Ryan married his wife Genevieve in 2004, and thanked her in the liner notes of OneRepublic's debut album 'Dreaming Out Loud' in 2007.

The pair later welcomed two children together, Copeland Cruz Tedder in 2010, and Miles Tedder in 2014.

What's his net worth?

With his songwriting and producing talents, as well as his time in OneRepublic, Ryan Tedder is reportedly worth around $145 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. That's a lot of money!

Is Ryan Tedder on social media?

Of course he is! Ryan is very active on his social media accounts, posting on both Twitter and Instagram regularly.

Follow Ryan Tedder on Instagram at: ryantedder

Follow Ryan Tedder on Twitter at: RyanTedder

Has he won any Grammy Awards?

Ryan Tedder has been nominated for a massive 11 Grammy Awards, winning three of them! Interestingly, none have been with his band OneRepublic - they've all been for his work on other artists' music.

After working with Adele to write and produce her albums '21' and '25', both of these picked up the award for 'Album Of The Year', '21' in 2011 and '25' in 2016.

Ryan's third Grammy Award was for his work on Taylor Swift's album '1989', which won the award in 2015.

Are OneRepublic still together?

OneRepublic took a three-year hiatus from 2013-2015 and are now back together! The band performed across Europe and the UK throughout April and May 2022 as well as their one-off in London in June 2023.

They released their track 'I Ain't Worried' in May 2022, and the song featured in Top Gun: Maverick. It was nominated for Best International Song at the BRIT Awards 2023, but lost out to Beyoncé's 'Break My Soul'.

OneRepublic scored another worldwide hit with 'Runaway' in May 2023.

You can hear the biggest on hits Downtown Radio.

Read more:

Ed Sheeran: Get to know more about the 'Afterglow' singer

17 songs you didn't know Ed Sheeran had written

13 songs Bruno Mars wrote for other artists

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