Anime magic

OneRepublic singer Ryan Tedder chats to CASEY COOPER-FISKE about writing with Taylor Swift and the band 'exploding' in Japan

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HOW do you help one of the most successful songwriters of all time pen a new track?

That was the situation facing OneRepublic singer Ryan Tedder when he got the call to collaborate with music megastar Taylor Swift.

Ryan was asked to help the multi-award-winning singer with her fifth studio album, 1989, released in 2014... by letting her get on with it.

Ryan, himself a three-times Grammy winner, explains: “Taylor Swift is pretty much you let her do her thing, and you're there as a support person. If she knew how to do all the instruments and play and produce tracks, she would only need a producer in the room if she elected to have one. She doesn’t need it.

“So that’s the writing process with Taylor, let Taylor be Taylor, and just support her and finish the song.”

Along with Taylor, Ryan has also worked with the likes of Adele, Leona Lewis and Beyoncé as a writer and producer.

The American singer found fame with OneRepublic with hit singles such as Apologize, Counting Stars and Love Runs Out, and says the band are tapping into a new audience after recording a theme song called Nobody for the end credits of Japanese anime series Kaiju No.8 in 2024.

He says the opportunity came up after a concert in Tokyo, which the show's animation team happened to be at.