Ryan Tedder, the hit-making songwriter and producer, returns to The Launch as guest mentor on the Season 2 premiere.
The 39-year-old OneRepublic frontman said he’s not doing anything differently.
“Last season worked pretty well,” he pointed out, “so my mission is, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
Last year, Tedder worked with the second episode’s winning duo Elijah Woods x Jamie Fine to record “Ain’t Easy,” a song he penned with Zack Skelton and Camila Cabello.
Tedder allowed Woods and Fine to flip “loving me ain’t easy” to “loving you ain’t easy” (which resulted in some lyrics that don’t make sense: “I said loving you ain't easy / But you're doing it just the same”).
The song became a smash hit in Canada and thrust EW x JF into the spotlight.
Tedder is confident the same will happen for the chosen artist in this season’s first episode on Jan. 30. “I feel like we’ve got a good one,” he said of the song. “Hopefully the gods are with us.”
In an interview with iHeartRadio’s Jamar, Tedder said his favourite part of the songwriting process is “the moment after you’ve come up with a great idea because all the moments leading up to it are very arduous and frustrating.”
MORE: Your Guide To Season 2 Of The Launch
Despite his experience crafting hit records, Tedder said it’s impossible to predict which songs are going to connect with enough people to become hits.
“That’s the thing about music – everybody’s guessing,” he said. “If you’re an artist, ultimately you have to go with your gut.”
Tedder cited Camila Cabello’s “Havana” as an example. Upon hearing an early demo, Tedder believed it was “one of those genre-defying, artist-defining records” but Cabello’s record label didn’t agree.
“That song didn’t come out first because of all the people that didn’t believe in it,” he recalled. But, when the lead single “Crying in the Club” failed to go big, “Havana” was released – and “the rest is history.”
Tedder said he’s a fan of The Launch because there are tangible results. “You’ve had actual hit records and artists break,” he said, “and I can’t think of another show that’s done that.”
Who was chosen to work with Tedder? Was it Amber J, Cassiøpeia, Dey, NOA, or Vi?
“It doesn’t matter if you win or lose,” he said. “Getting the exposure on TV is the win.”
The Launch is a co-production of Bell Media, parent company of this website.