Would you credit it!
SONG-WRITING legend
Diane Warren has written some of the biggest singles ever – but she’s not happy with the way modern pop tunes are created.
She wrote classics including Unbreak My Heart for Toni Braxton and How Do I Live for
Leann Rimes. She’s also penned smashes for Whitney Houston, Beyoncé, Mariah Carey and Lady Gaga.
Hitting out at today’s pop trends, Diane told me: “You have 10 writers on a song now.
“I look at the credits and think: ‘What the f*** did you guys all do? Why isn’t this song 10 times better?’
“Prince, by himself, wrote songs 10 times better than these songs where everyone in the room gets a writer’s credit.”
More than 35 years after writing her first hit, Diane has just released her debut album, The Cave Sessions Volume 1.
It features greats Celine Dion and Carlos Santana as well as modern stars such as
Paloma Faith, Rita Ora and
James Arthur.
Diane explained: “I tried to cast the singers for my album like a crazy movie.
“The only song I already had ready was Where Is Your Heart with John Legend.
“John was supposed to have put that song on his last two albums, but didn’t.
“When that song kept not appearing on John’s records, it helped to make me think: ‘Why don’t I do my own album instead?’”
Diane, who has written nine No1 singles and 32 Top 10 hits, was delighted to be mentioned by Rita on their collab Seaside. Diane laughed: “Hearing Rita give me a ‘Diane Warren!’ shoutout was so funny.
“It’s better than stars who shout their own names on a track.
“It just makes me laugh when, say, DJ Khaled yells ‘DJ Khaled!’ on his own song.
“I think, ‘We know it’s you – why do you have to tell us?’”
After so long behind the scenes, Diane is already planning her next album – which will feature a Brit singer.
Diane explained: “I really rate Tom Grennan.
“We’ve made a song that was going to go on this record, but we’ve had to save it for my next album.
“I love what Tom did with my song I Might on his first record, Lighting Matches.
“That song should have been a single for Tom!”