Featuring prominent piano riffs and anthemic pop/rock melodies,
OneRepublic were formed in 2002 by producer/songwriter
Ryan Tedder and lead guitarist
Zach Filkins. The two quickly left their home base of Colorado Springs and relocated to Los Angeles, where keyboardist
Drew Brown, bassist/cellist
Brent Kutzle, and drummer
Eddie Fisher joined the lineup.
OneRepublic then signed with Sony BMG's Columbia label in 2003; three years later, however, the band returned from a performance at Coachella to find themselves dropped from Columbia's roster. Nevertheless, their popularity continued to soar on MySpace, and
Tedder helped raise the group's profile through his own songwriting projects for other artists. Hip-hop producer
Timbaland (with whom
Tedder had already worked for several years) took notice of the group's growing audience and signed
OneRepublic to his own Mosley Music Group, a joint venture with Interscope Records.
Timbaland also remixed one of the group's most promising tracks, "Apologize," and included it on his own album, 2007's
Timbaland Presents Shock Value. The song quickly became a platinum-selling single in many countries, breaking airplay records in the U.K. and America. Later that year,
OneRepublic made their official public bow with the full-length
Dreaming Out Loud. ~ Andrew Leahey & Stewart Mason, All Music Guide