ASCAP, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, will present acclaimed songwriter Diane Warren with its prestigious Founders Award at its 34th annual ASCAP Pop Music Awards on Thursday, May 18. The exclusive, invitation-only gala, which celebrates the songwriters and publishers of ASCAP’s most performed pop songs of 2016, takes place at The Wiltern in Los Angeles, CA.
“Diane Warren is one of the most continuously prolific and successful contemporary songwriters of our time,” said ASCAP President Paul Williams. “Her music evokes universal emotions that connect us in a way few songwriters can. Diane’s ability to channel our common experience through her songs has captured audiences all over the world.”
“I am honored to be receiving the Founders Award and to be among the names of songwriters whom I admire and respect so much,” said Warren. “I am grateful for the success I have had with my songs but to be honest, I feel like my career is just beginning.”
In the course of her impressive career, Diane Warren has written for iconic artists such as Beyoncé, Adele, Whitney Houston, Cher, Aerosmith, Elton John, Faith Hill, Aretha Franklin, Willie Nelson, Mary J. Blige, Jennifer Hudson, *NSYNC, Eric Clapton, Celine Dion, LeAnn Rimes, Mariah Carey and Barbra Streisand. She continues to work with many of today’s most popular acts, including Snoop Dogg, Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Justin Bieber, Jessie J, Andra Day, Jason Derulo and Demi Lovato, among many others.
Since her first hit “Solitaire” in 1983, Warren’s timeless ballads such as “Unbreak My Heart” (Toni Braxton), “How Do I Live” (Trisha Yearwood, LeAnn Rimes), “Because You Loved Me” (Celine Dion) and “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” (Aerosmith) have earned her Grammy, Golden Globe awards and countless other award nominations. Her work has been featured in more than a hundred motion pictures resulting in eight Academy Award nominations. Warren has six ASCAP Songwriter of the Year Awards, three consecutive Billboard Music Awards for Songwriter of the Year and she was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2001.
Most recently, Warren composed the original song “Prayers for this World,” performed by Cher for the documentary Cries From Syria directed by Evgeny Afineevsky. The film premiered on January 22, 2017 at the Sundance Film Festival and debuts on HBO on March 13, 2017. She also wrote a new theme song for ABC’s “THE VIEW” called “World’s Gone Crazy.” Performed by Mary J. Blige, it premiered on the show in September 2016.
Warren’s haunting and evocative “Til It Happens To You” was featured in the groundbreaking 2015 documentary on campus sexual assault, “The Hunting Ground.” Performed by Lady Gaga, it was the first song in history to be nominated for an Academy Award, Grammy and Emmy, winning the Emmy for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics in 2016. It was also nominated for a Critics’ Choice Award for Best Song and won the Hollywood Music in Media Award for Best Song — Documentary.
Warren has written inspiring anthems for many issues important to her including the song, “This Is For My Girls.” Released in 2016, it features vocal performances from Kelly Clarkson, Chloe & Halle, Missy Elliott, Jadagrace, Lea Michele, Janelle Monáe, Kelly Rowland and Zendaya. Sales from the single benefit charities supporting young women’s education globally, including former First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Let Girls Learn” initiative. Michelle Obama and Missy Elliott performed the song on the popular “Carpool Karaoke” segment on The Late Late Show with James Corden, which garnered over 52 million views.
Warren maintains control of her compositions as the sole owner of her publishing company Realsongs.
The ASCAP Founders Award goes to pioneering ASCAP songwriters who have made exceptional contributions to music by inspiring and influencing their fellow music creators. Past recipients include Ashford & Simpson, Burt Bacharach & Hal David, Jackson Browne, Elvis Costello, Billy Joel, Annie Lennox, Sir Paul McCartney, Joni Mitchell, Tom Petty, Smokey Robinson, Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, Carly Simon, Patti Smith, Steely Dan, Rod Stewart, James Taylor, Steven Tyler & Joe Perry (Aerosmith), Tom Waits, Ann & Nancy Wilson (Heart), Stevie Wonder and Neil Young.
