OneRepublic
A Second Chance for Success
OneRepublic regroups for its anticipated sophomore effort, Waking Up

By Andy Argyrakis

Anyone who considers OneRepublic to be an overnight success story hasn’t just underestimated the Colorado-bred modern rockers, but probably doesn’t look at album credits too carefully. Contrary to popular belief, the band’s actually been in business since 2002, with front man Ryan Tedder teaming with Timbaland around the same time under the production name Alias. Thanks to a Grammy nomination for his behind-the-scenes work with Paul Oakenfold and the group’s tireless touring, the guys inked a deal with Columbia Records.

Though OneRepublic was dropped in 2005 just prior the release of its national debut, it found a new home with Timbaland’s Mosley Music Group under the Interscope umbrella. And with the remixed version of “Apologize” in 2007 from what became band’s official freshman effort Dreaming Out Loud, the mainstream pendulum swung from coast to coast.

“It’s so funny because people will think, ‘Oh, are they just a one hit wonder?’ but apparently they haven’t heard the success of ‘Stop and Stare’ on radio,” says drummer Eddie Fisher, phoning in from an Oklahoma City tour date with Rob Thomas and Carolina Liar. “But our journey to that came after five years of traveling in a van, hustling and working our butts off. There was definitely a payoff [with those hits] but it’s frustrating to us because this was not an overnight thing. It’s kind of weird, but we get it- here’s this band that the general public might not have known about and then a song comes along and it’s huge, which makes people wonder ‘who are these guys?’”

As the group gears up for its sophomore CD Waking Up, it’s met with significant anticipation as opposed to the initial round of underground obscurity. In addition to touring the country for two solid years, Tedder also amassed additional attention after scoring writing credits for Leona Lewis, Kelly Clarkson and Beyonce to name a few.

“That’s helped us tremendously,” Fisher says. “[Tedder] worked with all these huge, iconic artists, including Alicia Keyes most recently, and it definitely helps put a stamp on us. People say, ‘Oh, he’s from OneRepublic, well, what are they about?’”

Both faithful fans and casual onlookers learning about the group through other means are sure to agree Waking Up is a much more musically accomplished album. While the first seemed geared towards radio playlists, the second invokes an increased artistic element, but still packs plenty of infectiousness (like the lead single “All the Right Moves”) to still earn plenty of chart action.

“It’s more rhythmic and there are more songs to really get up off your feet,” Fisher notices. “The music is really epic with a lot of strings and big vocals, plus we have some viola and cello, which is changing things up and keeping it interesting. There are some mid-tempo tunes, but definitely a lot of upbeat ones.”

Thematically, the tracks are about putting in loads of sacrifice to follow a dream, which in the case of OneRepublic, traces the timeline from selling CDs out of its van to being one of today’s most download acts with just as many visits to its MySpace page.

“It’s really about telling people to do what they want to do and that they can follow their dream no matter what it is,” Fisher says. “Persistence and sacrifice are the key to getting there, but obviously you don’t want to sacrifice your family because that’s most important. The cool thing about making this record is we were able to get off the road after being so tired and actually have time to sort out ourselves and the record. The atmosphere was so free flowing and the music kept coming out of us.”

Audiences have gotten a sneak preview of the new songs on the Thomas tour, which features a 45-minute OneRepublic set.
“We’re giving them a taste, but also keeping a mixture of everything to keep the crowd interested,” promises Fisher. “Before us, Carolina Liar comes out and sets the bar really high for everybody else, which creates a domino effect to us. Then Rob comes out and does a great so every night, so between all three bands, it’s a fun night to experience.”