Anderson .Paak flexes new musical muscle on Olympic-themed song with Gwen Stefani and Ryan Tedder

AP Entertainment Writer

PARIS (AP) — When Anderson .Paak was tapped for an Olympic-themed song, the Grammy winner felt eager to record the track until he hit an unexpected hurdle: The normally free-flowing artist had to work within a tight framework. Paak embraced the process, seeing it as an opportunity to flex a new creative muscle. It helped him while recording the upbeat track “Hello World” with Gwen Stefani and OneRepublic’s Ryan Tedder. Paak performed the song for the first time at a Paris restaurant Thursday. Tedder wrote and produced “Hello World,” which is being supported by the International Olympic Committee and Coca-Cola.