Songwriter-for-hire Ryan Tedder responded to allegations that he Xeroxed himself when writing Beyoncé’s “Halo” and Kelly Clarkson’s “Already Gone” on his MySpace blog—or at least he did, as the post has since been deleted. But thanks to the fast cut-and-paste fingers of the Idol blogger known as MJ, it lives on in cyberspace!
Hey everyone, Ryan here. So…..i’m in Europe on vacation with my wife yesterday when I get a flurry of emails with links to gossip sites and media outlets saying “Kelly clarkson throws producer Ryan Tedder under the bus re: Already Gone” etc etc etc… Alleging that I copied myself or “pulled a fast one” on Kelly Clarkson. This couldn’t be farther from the truth and the whole thing is absurd….however, I need to actually read what the hell is going on, make a call or 2, and be fully informed of it, then I assure you I will have a proper, respectful response. I don’t take allegations of this nature lightly- ESPECIALLY when it’s in regards to artists I respect and admire. Nor do I let things like this go unaddressed. So, give me a minute, and I’ll tell u whatsup and what really happened, or in this case, “didn’t” happen.
Why is the word “didn’t” in quotes? Sarcasm? A lack of asterisks on European keyboards? I guess we’ll never know! Anyway, it’s curious that such a non-inflammatory statement got deleted, since that would seem to only rile up conspiracy theorists (the coverup being worse than the crime, etc.)—although it’s not surprising that the statement didn’t say much of anything, since dishwater-like blandess is pretty much Tedder’s stock in trade.
Meanwhile, certain technicolor-haired scourges of the Internet out there are continuing their wahhmbulance-chaser’s vendetta against Clarkson, spreading rumors about her being dropped over this whole kerfuffle thanks to committing the cardinal sin of Angering The Clive (even though I thought Clive Davis’ post-presidential position at Sony Music was pretty much an honorary title that allowed him to save face and assist with Whitney Houston album launches). Of course, as many readers of this blog noted when this story broke, this may not be a bad thing in the long run for the inaugural American Idol, since she would then be freed from working with hacks-for-hire like Tedder. Perhaps the gossip in question should concentrate on his own soon-to-flop Frenchman and his sister’s MS Paint skills, and stop talking shit about someone because she has the (100% correct) opinion that he’s pretty much the worst thing ever? Oh wait, he never will, because he is a big overgrown baby who will be torturing all of us via appearances on shows like I Consider Myself A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Purgatory until after he’s dead, reminding us all of the worst excesses of this on-the-balance-pretty-awful decade.
Ryan Tedder responds to the Kelly Clarkson “Already Gone”/”Halo” controversy [MJ]
Wait…that thing has a sister….and she ghostwrites his already terrible excuse for a blog? Somehow that’s even worse than some random person doing it, because I was holding out the hope that even most of his family would rather pretend that he was dead than acknowledge his existence.
@memento: Just goes to show that stupidity and self-obsession on such an astounding level is probably genetic. Let’s hope the Lavandeiras don’t reproduce.
I very much appreciate the refusal to link to that thing’s website.
If Kelly is dropped it really will not be the worst thing for her, and I say that as someone who loathed My December and very much likes All I Ever Wanted. If Kelly had bent to the label’s whims to the degree that she did, they should at least have repaid her by properly promoting the album instead of letting it flounder the way it did.
“Meanwhile, certain technicolor-haired scourges of the Internet out there are continuing their wahhmbulance-chaser’s vendetta against Clarkson..”
Hee! It took me a second to figure out who you were referring to, but once I did, the comment made my morning. Kelly will win EVERY TIME, even if it’s making a less than catchy album like “My December.”
@Varina: He’s like Voldemort — he’s not really human and it’s best not utter his name.
Clive Davis remained at the tiller of J Records after that Sony reshuffle, but was asked by Rob Stringer of Sony to be involved with other projects after the dust settled from the Sony + BMG demerger (apparently the BMG part of the company were the main driver behind his CEO to CCO switch). New York Post had an article on it last autumn.
@dusty vinyl: Oh, hm. OK. Thanks for the clarification. (And man, what a bad move!)
I thought the lesson that was learned from the My December episode (which I actually really liked) was that Kelly was a pretty girl who could sing but shouldn’t be involved in songwriting as much as she was and shouldn’t question her label’s decisions because they know what’s best for her. If she just smiled and said “yes, I’d be happy to work with Ryan Tedder” then everything would be just fine and she’d once again be a big star.
I really hope she gets away from Sony and finds a label that treats her as a priority. She certainly deserves to be treated better than this by Sony, especially considering how many copies of Thankful were sold.
Maura – maybe not as bad as you think. It did refer to him getting involved in projects for more “senior” artists like Billy Joel and Harry Connick Jnr. As for J Records it’s mainly his “divas” Whitney, Leona Lewis, Jennifer Hudson, Jazmine Sullivan and Alicia Keys these days.
Not sure exactly how much he’s involved in Kelly’s career.
You're way to harsh on ryan tedder……he's one of the best songwriters out there at the moment…..ya sure, he could have made a mistake, but he only co-wrote both songs, so someone else should have caught it, more so, Sony should have never released it as a single
A lack of asterisks on European keyboards