OneRepublic is an American pop rock band. Formed in Colorado Springs, Colorado in 1996 by Ryan Tedder and Zach Filkins, the band achieved commercial success on Myspace as an unsigned act. In late 2003, after OneRepublic played shows throughout the Los Angeles area, a number of record labels approached the band with interest, but OneRepublic ultimately signed with Velvet Hammer, an imprint of Columbia Records. They made their first album with producer Greg Wells during the summer and fall of 2005 at his studio, Rocket Carousel, in Culver City, California. The album was originally scheduled for release on June 6, 2006, but the group was dropped by Columbia two months before the album ever came out. The lead single of that album, "Apologize", was released in 2005. It received some recognition on Myspace in 2006.