Ryan Tedder on Revisiting OneRepublic’s Roots With Anime Theme ‘Beautiful Colors’ & His Arm of ‘Japanese Tattoos’

OneRepublic will release “Beautiful Colors,” the theme song for Season 2 of the anime Kaiju No. 8, on Friday (July 25). Following the upbeat “Nobody” and the cool, mature “Invincible,” the latest track for the series is a soaring ballad that reintroduces the band’s emotional side.

In this interview with Billboard Japan, Ryan Tedder, the band’s frontman, songwriter and producer, talks about the different approaches taken with each song, as well as the unique challenges of writing music for anime. 

I want to go back a little and ask about how your collaboration with Kaiju No. 8 began. What drew you to the collaboration between OneRepublic and the anime project?

It first came to our attention, I think it was 2022—maybe 2023. We were approached by Universal Music Japan Group, our label in Japan. They said, “Hey, are any of you guys fans of manga or anime?” And we said, “Yes, we are, in fact.” 

I grew up doing cartoons and drawing. I used to think I was going to be a cartoonist. Back in the ’90s, anime was exploding, and the coolest stuff you could draw was Japanese anime. A couple of the guys in the band read manga and they absolutely love Kaiju No. 8. So they already knew what it was. Then UMJ said, “the team behind Kaiju No. 8 would like to come to your concert in Tokyo and talk to you afterward about potentially writing a song for the series.” I’ve written a lot of songs for TV and film—that’s how I started before OneRepublic—so for me, the answer was easy. I wanted to do it from the beginning. And when they flew out to Los Angeles and showed me the animation, we were hooked and said, “Yes, let’s do it.” 

We submitted several songs until they picked one because we were competing with other artists in Japan and internationally. Everyone wanted to be a part of it. But we got very lucky, and they chose “Nobody” for Season 1. That’s how the whole thing started.

You mentioned that you saw storyboards and early footage before you started writing “Nobody.” Were there any specific visuals or moments that helped shape the song’s tone?

For me, it really started with those early images of Kafka and understanding his story—the idea that he accidentally becomes a kaiju by ingesting a parasite. I thought that concept was absolutely brilliant. His story, and the overall goal of eliminating the kaiju while honoring his best friend and keeping that promise intact—that was the inspiration for the phrase: “Nobody got you the way I do. Whatever demons you’re fighting through.”

It was kind of perfect because, in English, the word demons is used in songs quite a bit. In America, we use demons metaphorically, like running from the demons of your past or your childhood. And then we also have literal, supernatural demons that people talk about in religion, right? So it was kind of perfect because that’s what kaiju meant in this context.

Rarely can I pull a literal phrase from a TV series or film into a song without it sounding cheesy. When you’re writing for TV or film, it’s really easy to cross that line. For example, with our Top Gun: Maverick song “I Ain’t Worried,” we never once mention airplanes, jets, fighter pilots or Tom Cruise (laughs). But for “Nobody” and Kaiju No. 8, I was able to actually include the phrase, “whatever demons you’re fighting through.” It was so perfect for the story that I kind of laughed when I wrote the lyric. I was like, “Oh wow, this is hilarious, it works perfectly.” So that was really the main motivation: Kafka’s storyline.

Having written for films and TV before, did working on “Nobody” challenge or inspire you creatively in a new way? Because, as you mentioned, you need to align more with the anime’s themes.

Yeah, it was a challenge. I’ve been to Japan more times than I can count and it’s one of my favorite countries. My left arm is pretty much all Japanese tattoos. Japan is very near and dear to me, and I work with a lot of Japanese artists. I’ve even helped develop some Japanese artists over the last couple of years. There’s enough of a cultural difference between the U.S. and Japan and those cultural differences are very layered and deep. There’s a lot both countries understand and love about each other, but so many things are also completely different.

When I looked at the Japanese music charts, I realized that, as an American artist, there’s no territory in the world more difficult to break into than Japan. It’s the toughest market in the world. Japan is literally an island, and you generate so much good music and so many incredible artists yourselves, who sing in Japanese. Unless you’re K-pop, it’s very difficult to cut through.

Obviously, kaiju and demons and monsters are dark. So I was nervous when I first sent the song. Even for me, “Nobody” is a very feel-good, poppy song. I was afraid it was too catchy, which is a dumb thing to be afraid of. They told me, “We need a song that’s light that feels good and catchy. Because everything else is dark.”

But I was listening to other Japanese music, and I was like, “Oh man, I really hope the Japanese audience that love anime, manga and kaiju likes this song.” I was so scared they weren’t going to like it. So I really just had to trust the Kaiju No. 8 creative team when they kept saying, “This is the right sound. This is it.” Because I was like, “Guys, I can do five more songs to get this right.” But they were like, “‘Nobody’ is the song.”

Moving on to “Invincible,” the ending theme song for ‘Hoshina’s Day Off.’ It’s a poppy and fun track, but also has a powerful message about resilience and inner strength. What inspired the message of the song?

We worked on that song off and on. We had the beginnings of it, a melody a long time ago. I couldn’t get the lyric right because the word ‘invincible‘ scared me because it felt too obvious. I kept telling the guys in my band, “I love this melody, but the phrase we have is invincible, and it doesn’t feel strong enough yet.” All I had was that one word and this little melody. I didn’t know what to do with it.

Then they presented the film idea to me and the second I saw what they were working on, I said to the other band members, “’Invincible’ is the song.” I knew what to do with that word. 

I wanted it to feel a little cooler and a little more grown-up than “Nobody.” “Nobody” just feels good, no matter what age you are. But I wanted “Invincible” to feel a little older, a little more grown-up, and have a bit more swagger.

The lyrics were inspired by the film itself. And that’s more or less what you are, without being too on the nose. But if you’re a kaiju, you feel like you’re invincible. And for the most part, they are, with the exception of a handful of other entities that can destroy them. So you’re dealing with a character that is, in and of itself, pretty much invincible. 

How did the anime’s story influence the direction of the new song you wrote for Kaiju No. 8, “Beautiful Colors”?

One thing the Kaiju No. 8 team told me was, “We want something deeply emotional.” We already had “Nobody,” which was upbeat and did really well. Then came “Invincible,” which also had tempo but leaned edgier and more mature. Now, they felt it was time for something that gives people goosebumps, even brings them to tears. They wanted to evoke real emotion, because some powerful things happen in the story that needed musical support. That’s where this kind of lyrical ballad came in. 

The main characters go through a lot. If you read the lyrics to “Beautiful Colors,” it will probably give you a strong hint at what’s happening in the storyline. It was meant to be a complete emotional pivot from “Nobody.”

It was exciting for me because we haven’t done a ballad in a long time. But in the coming year, we want to release more songs with that kind of emotional depth. We love making people feel good. We’re like the dopamine band, you know? Crack open a Red Bull, have a few drinks, and just having fun. I love that identity and being the artist whose concert leaves you floating on a cloud.

But I also know it’s time to reintroduce that emotional side, because that’s how we started with “Apologize,” which is a heart-wrenching ballad. “Beautiful Colors” is part of our return to that space.

Are there any musical or production elements in “Beautiful Colors” that you’re especially proud of?

We used strings and orchestral elements, which we haven’t used in a while, and there’s a piano part that kicks off the song. I hate to say this, but it’s one of the most OneRepublic sounding things we’ve done in a long time. It sounds like how we started. You hear that piano line and think, “Oh, that sounds like the guy who did ‘Apologize,’” and that was 18 years ago. So in a way, it’s come full circle. If you liked “Apologize” or if you’ve been with us since 2007 or 2008, this song is for you. It’s the closest thing we’ve done to something like that.

That’s the best way I can describe the production is it sounds like original OneRepublic, but in 2025. We’re not trying to sound dated. You have to constantly be evolving and paying attention to what works. That’s my job as a producer whether I’m working with OneRepublic, &TEAM, or ONE OR EIGHT. The songs have to be great and timeless, but the production is more of a moving target. You’re constantly trying to stay aware of where the world is sonically and that’s a very challenging game, but that’s something that I do every day.

Like you mentioned, you work with artists from different countries including Japan. You also recently worked with a Punjabi artist. Is your approach to production different across cultures?

Definitely, though there are exceptions. I’ve worked a lot with K-pop artists, like LISA and BLACKPINK, who I produced their last single and I also worked on the second single on JIMIN’s album. K-pop is really its own category, sonically. It has a distinct sound, although that’s changing now.

I have a track on Miley Cyrus’ new album called “Easy Lover.” The production sounds like Nancy Sinatra in 2025 and has a little western influence, a touch of country, and that 1970s vibe. I also have a song dropping with Tate McRae that reminds me of back when I first fell in love with Rihanna. It’s completely different in energy and sound from the Miley track.

Then there’s OneRepublic’s “Beautiful Colors” and “Invincible,” which sound nothing alike, and nothing like Miley or Tate. And I’ve got some dance records coming soon with David Guetta and other big DJs, again, which are totally different.

So every song is its own thing. Each one has to be approached differently. You ask, “What does the artist represent? What do they want?” My job is to take that vision and combine it with what I know the world likes or what I think it’s going to like six months from now. I have to predict what’s next. But at the end of the day, I’m making what I personally like. 

When you have a big hit or a global record, it’s usually when your instincts on what you want to hear line up with what the rest of the world didn’t even realize they wanted. If you’re lucky, you get to do that once or twice. And if you’re really lucky like I’ve been, you get to do it for 20 years.

The only way to keep that going is to stay curious and excited about culture and pop culture. That’s why I travel so much. Just two weeks ago, I was in Istanbul, Zurich, Azerbaijan, Abu Dhabi, Bangkok, and Mexico, all within 10 days. When you’re in a tuk-tuk in Bangkok and you’re driving through like Sukhumvit or some of the major parts of the city, you’re going to hear music in the streets, in a taxicab and I paid attention to all those songs. 

When I’m in Tokyo, I listen to the radio. I notice what’s playing in shops and cafés in places like Omotesando or Nakameguro. That’s my job. That’s the only way I think that you can stay plugged in and to really understand what each culture is resonating with and listening to. And that’s the only way I know how to do it. Otherwise, I’m just guessing the whole time, which is dangerous.

This interview by Mariko Okada first appeared on Billboard Japan.