Counting stars in India

It has been 11 years since Timbaland’s version of ‘Apologise’ took the airwaves in India by storm. The affected pathos of song, which was first recorded by OneRepublic in 2005, made it relatable to teenage angst, and it was much requested on radio, in a time when music on demand was a distant dream, and LimeWire took hours to (illegally) download one song using dial-up internet.

Now, the same teenagers are all grown-up, and ready to swoon at the American group’s first Indian concert. If the fans are excited to listen to hits like ‘Counting Stars’, ‘Stop and Stare’, and ‘Feel Again’, the band members are equally so. Frontman Ryan Tedder says, “Other than a connecting flight in New Delhi to London we have never actually been in India before. We are looking forward to the crowd itself, since we have no idea what to expect from the crowds here!”

But before he, along with Brent Kutzle, Eddie Fisher, Drew Brown and Zach Filkins take the stage today, they had a pretty busy itinerary, going all out by doing the typical tourist circuit. “We are planning to try out everything possible. I have a long list of things to see and do and places to eat,” chuckles Tedder. This included visits to Elephanta Caves, Gateway of India, CST, food and shopping at Kala Ghoda and Colaba, meeting dabbawallahs and riding around the city in rickshaws and buses.

OneRepublic’s Asian tour will take them to Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Seoul and China, before they head back home for a few more shows across the USA. Once that is wrapped up, the band’s first goal is to shoot a couple of music videos and get more of their album done. Tedder says, “After a hectic tour, we like to take a few days off and hang out with family. Personally, I like to watch some movies, cook, skateboard, and if there’s snow, go skiing.”

With over 15 years of experience in the industry, the band has been through many ups and downs, but have always managed to come out on top. Tedder attributes it to the work they put in, saying, “I learned that if everyone else has talent (like you), the only thing that matters is how much time you actually put in. The work wins. Streaming services make it easier for listeners to access loads of music, but it’s even more competitive now to cut through all the songs and rise above to be heard by the masses.”

An announcement by the band last year had everyone take notice: they said that they will be “dropping new music as often as humanly possible”. How has that worked out for them? “We dropped four songs in four months, and it was awesome. We are about to do the same thing this summer, but this time, we will actually do a full tour to support what will likely be a coming album,” says Tedder. The sound of the new album is different from anything they have done yet, he adds, saying, “It is the most ‘OneRepublic’ sounding thing we've done in ages. There will be some collaborations for sure, starting with ‘Logic’.”

The band’s process of making music works well with this strategy. “I start a lot of the song ideas, or Brent and I work on something together. Then we present them to the band. We record everywhere we tour, so we will likely write and record in India while we are here,” he says. In the meantime, they will share as many songs as they can. “It’s the way the world consumes music now, so we are more than happy to oblige,” smiles Tedder.

OneRepublic performs live today at The Dome @ NSCI, SVP Stadium at 6.30 p.m; for more details please check bookmyshow.com