MANILA, Philippines — American rock band OneRepublic’s front man Ryan Tedder, the musical genius who co-penned some of the hits of superstars Taylor Swift, Adele and Beyonce, among many others, singled out The Philippines as having the best singers among the 90 countries their band has toured so far.
“We absolutely, absolutely love the Philippines!” Tedder declared at the Manila leg of their band’s "Live in Concert"” concert tour last night in Araneta Coliseum, presented by Wilbros Live.
“We’ve been coming here, I think, since 2009. And this building has a lot of history, obviously, so it’s a sacred place,” said the Grammy winner for his songwriting credits for Swift and Adele.
The “Lose Myself” singer just lost himself and professed his love for the country and its people.
“I don’t think there’s anywhere in the world, and we played about 90 something countries, and when people ask me in interviews, what country, and I mean this, you can look this up on the Internet, people ask me in interviews, ‘What country loves music the most?’ and I say, ‘The Philippines!’”
His friends and relatives in the Philippines have always been bragging about how great it is to live in the Philippines and how great the people here are when it comes to music.
“You guys feel music unlike any country on earth. You sing better than anybody,” he affirmed in short speech following a sing-along for their hit single “Apologize.”
According to Tedder, he is not telling these just because they were in the country.
“It’s not like we’re gasing you up and because we’re here so (we’re talking) bullshit. Legitimately, and most immediate, the best choir in any city in the world!”
He said that wherever they go anywhere in the world, and he wanted it to be recorded on YouTube and any social media platform, that “nobody can out-sing the Philippines.”
“And tonight, you did it in one try. So thank you!”
The pop rock band from Colorado opened with a back-to-back of their hits “Secrets” and “Good Life,” with Tedder altering some “Good Life” lyrics from “China to Colorado” to “Manila,” to the delight of fans.
Ryan changed into a tropical shirt, got into the piano and started keying in “Stop and Stare. They then proceeded with “Rescue Me.”
“Hello! Mahal ko kayo!” declared Ryan, saying later on that what he loves most about touring is being exposed to different music and cultures and even learning new languages like Filipino. He then proceeded to sing “Wherever I Go” and had the audience stomping with “Love Runs Out,” which he finished with a jump atop a piano.
After a brief interlude, they then began what Tedder called a “concert within a concert,” the first time that they performed it in Manila in their 16-year career, he said. It was a medley of songs he wrote for or co-wrote with some of today’s biggest musicians, starting with Beyonce’s “love letter” to Jay-Z, “Halo.”
They then followed this up with “Rumor Has It,” which Tedder co-wrote with Adele, and “Sucker," which he wrote for The Jonas Brothers.
After the medley, the group returned to rendering their hits such as “Lose Somebody,” “Sunshine” and "I Ain't Worried,” soundtrack of Hollywood blockbuster “Top Gun: Maverick.”
Next up were a sing-along with the audience through “Apologize,” “I Lived,” “Counting Stars” and “Lose Myself.”
“I can’t wait to be back and we’ll probably go on two or three nights,” declared Tedder. He described the band’s relationship with the Philippines as a “long-term dating process.”
“It’s serious,” he said of their relationship with the country. “We’re not seeing anybody else.” — Photos, video by Philstar.com/Deni Rose M. Afinidad-Bernardo
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