Pop-rock band OneRepublic is scheduled to be the first musical group to play at the newly built Sunset Amphitheater Aug. 9 in Colorado Springs.

Here are 5 things to know about the band before they hit the stage:

1. They’re a pop-rock band

OneRepublic is often described as a pop-rock band, but some of their songs lean more toward alternative rock or pop. They formed in 2002 and released their first album, “Dreaming Out Loud,” in 2007.

Currently, the band has six members: Ryan Tedder as lead singer, Zach Filkins and Drew Brown as guitarists, Brian Willett as pianist, Brent Kutzle as cellist and Eddier Fisher as drummer, according to their YouTube Music page.

They first started sharing music on MySpace, but eventually signed a record deal with Velvet Hammer. Currently, the have five studio albums and one live album, and also have multiple singles released for movies, most recently for Top Gun Maverick title “I Ain’t Worried.”

2. They’ve had some big hits

Over their tenure, four of OneRepublic’s songs have hit Billboard’s Top 10 charts and 15 have made it to its Top 100. The band’s most successful song in the Billboard’s chart was “Counting Stars” which landed them the No. 2 spot and spent 68 weeks on the chart.

The band’s most streamed song on Spotify is again “Counting Stars,” with over 2.2 billion streams. “I Ain’t Worried” follows behind with 1.3 billion streams. Another classic hit of theirs is “Apologize” which has over 700 million streams.

3. They have deep ties to Colorado

Ryan Tedder and Zach Filkins, the founders of the band, met at Colorado Springs Christian High School during their senior year, according to a previous Gazette report. They played small gigs with their first band at Pikes Perk Coffee House. 

The band’s drummer, Eddie Fisher, was born in California, but currently lives in Denver.

“Somebody To Love” from NBC’s Songland performed live from Red Rocks with the Colorado Symphony in August 2019.

In the summer of 2019 the band played two sold out nights at Red Rocks. They made their “hometown” shows even more special by performing with the Colorado Symphony.

“This has been the sickest 48 hours of our career, like honestly,” Tedder said during their second night at the venue. He then joked that when God made earth he made Red Rocks specifically as a concert venue.

4. They’re a Grammy-nominated band

OneRepublic was nominated for a Grammy in the category “Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal” in 2009 for their major hit “Apologize.” This song awarded them “Best International Song” at the LOS40 Music Awards — a Spanish awards show — in 2008.

The group has also been nominated for four American Music Awards, most recently in 2022, for the “Favorite Pop Duo or Group” category. 

5. Their lead singer has worked with other big artists

Ryan Tedder has written for and with some of today’s most popular artists including Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Adele, The Jonas Brothers and many more.

More specifically, he co-wrote Swift’s “Welcome to New York,” Beyoncé’s “Halo,” Adele’s “Rumor Has It” and The Jonas Brothers’ “Sucker.”

If you’re interested in more recent tracks, he’s worked with rising star Tate McRae on her 2023 single “Greedy.”

This Apple Music playlist has a more extensive look at his songwriting escapades. 

Ryan Tedder, of the musical group OneRepublic, performs “Counting Stars” during the 2014 People’s Choice Awards. AP file.

Chris Pizzello