Ryan Tedder

Ryan Benjamin Tedder was born on June 26, 1979 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA. He is a self-taught musician, learning to play the piano at age three and spending a minimum of two hours a day on vocals. His family relocated to Colorado Springs, Colorado his senior year where he attended Colorado Springs Christian School where he played soccer and met future band mate Zach Filkins. Tedder went on to attend Oral Roberts University in Oklahoma where he earned a degree in Public Relations and Advertising in 2001. It is while he attended the University that Tedder began showcasing his musical work. Upon graduation, Tedder landed an internship at DreamWorks SKG in Nashville, Tennessee where he began his goal of breaking into the music industry. He competed in a musical singer-songwriting competition sponsored by Lance Bass. Tedder has stated that the competition did not end up being "just a bunch of hype that didn't turn into anything," but it did get the attention of producer Timbaland which would