Beyoncé fans are only just learning who really wrote her hit song Halo
Beyoncé fans are only just learning who really wrote her hit song Halo
Paige FreshwaterMon, September 14, 2026 at 2:30 PM UTC
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Beyoncé attends the 2026 Met Gala -Credit:Mike Coppola, Getty Images
Beyoncé fans have shared their shock after discovering she isn't the creative mastermind behind one of her most beloved tracks. Released in 2009, Halo is a romantic ballad inspired by her relationship with Jay-Z - and it rapidly won over audiences, charting for 49 weeks in the UK Singles Chart top 100 and 31 weeks on the US Billboard Hot 100.
Yet supporters have expressed their astonishment after finding out Ryan Tedder and Evan "Kidd" Bogart actually penned the song specifically for Beyoncé following her request. She allegedly asked them to build the track around the concept of 'a guardian angel protecting someone'.
In an Instagram clip posted by Billboard, OneRepublic can be seen delivering their rendition of Halo at the Hollywood Bowl, with fans celebrating Ryan Tedder's interpretation.
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Your thoughts
Since the revelation was shared, people shared their thoughts on the matter. One user said: "It was so good!"
Another user added: "Still remember watching OneRepublic perform it live in Jacksonville, FL, in September 2022. Legendary night."
A third user said: "The world needs more Ryan Tedder." One more user added: "Every time you hear this, it's a love song to Jay-Z."
'Dude, Beyoncé wants me to do a song'
Discussing the track in a conversation with Billboard Magazine, Tedder said: "I was playing a pickup game right before a show in Michigan and I tore my Achilles heel.
"It was the most intense pain I ever experienced in my life. I passed out. So I ended up going home for two weeks. My wife forbids me from writing or doing any work whatsoever.
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"Evan Bogart and I were super close friends, he was having his explosion as a songwriter, and I texted him and said, 'My wife's gone for three hours, will you come over?
"Let's write one song'. Beyoncé had contacted me because of a song on our first album called 'Come Home'.
"So he came over and I said, 'Dude, Beyoncé wants me to do a song. Let's do a song in three hours'. I had this idea for a patch of this weird choir of angels thing started playing it and within three hours we had 'Halo'."
The pair crafted the track with Beyoncé's life and her romance with Jay-Z in mind.
Once they completed the song and incorporated "angelic keyboard parts", they allegedly forwarded a demo to Jay-Z's label, Roc Nation.
A statement on Story of Songs added: "The label thought it was perfect for Beyoncé and begged the two writers not to give the song to anyone else.
"The song was 'on hold' for Beyoncé, which meant she had the rights to it, but when she took a while to record it, Ryan Tedder told Leona Lewis' management that Lewis could have it if Beyoncé passed.
"This led to some rumors that the song was written for Lewis, which the two writers denied."
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
