Diane Warren is considered to be the most prolific and successful contemporary songwriter of our time. A quick glance at her list of Top 10 Hits reveals a range of musical genres and styles so diverse it's difficult to believe the songs could have come from the same person. Yet, they did; and they continue to endlessly pour forth from this songwriter, climbing to the top of the charts.

Diane's songwriting talent began to develop decades ago when she was a youngster growing up in Southern California's San Fernando Valley. "I grew up on Top 40 radio; it's what I was exposed to and what attracted me," she offers. "I loved listening to my older sisters' records, people like Buddy Holly and the Beatles. But, believe it or not, I was more fascinated by the songwriters: Carole King, Lieber and Stoller, Burt Bacharach. Those were my idols," she recalls.

Her parents, however, were divided over her career choice. Diane's mother voiced clear opposition, pointing out the tremendous odds against her in such a competitive field, while her father recognized her potential and offered constant encouragement and support. In fact, it was her insurance-salesman father who bestowed his unexpressed artistic yearnings upon his young daughter. He bought Diane her first guitar when she was only ten years old. By her early teens, he was taking her to meetings with Los Angeles music publishers. But, it would be a while before the rest of the world would hear Diane's music.

A decade or so later, Warren's talent and persistence finally paid off. In 1983, she began working as a staff writer for Jack White, a producer with singer Laura Branigan. White asked Warren to prepare English lyrics for a French song. Twenty-four hours later, she turned in "Solitaire," which became a Top 10 Hit for Branigan in 1983. Three years later, Warren penned "Rhythm of the Night" for DeBarge, which hit #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart and #1 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary Chart. To date, she has had over 100 songs on the charts.

Since the beginning of her career, Warren has written for such legends of song as Elton John, Tina Turner, Barbra Streisand, Aretha Franklin, Patti LaBelle, Roberta Flack, Celine Dion, and Roy Orbison. Recently, artists such as *NSYNC, Gloria Estefan, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Reba McEntire, Whitney Houston, Sugababes, Uncle Cracker, Enrique Iglesias, Aerosmith, Ricky Martin, Faith Hill, Celine Dion, Mary J. Blige, and LeAnn Rimes have graced the charts with her songs. Warren herself agrees that she has tapped this universality of message in her songwriting. "I just love writing a great ballad, something so essential that it reaches across genres. You could almost say the best songs are 'genre-transcendent;' - they translate well into a variety of styles sung by different artists." Artists around the world record Warren's songs, and she has had simultaneous hits in virtually every market. Warner Brothers recently released a compilation of Warren's hits, called "Love Songs." This CD generated #1 songs in most countries in Asia, and charted in the Top 5 in Japan.

Indeed, Warren's songs have transcended genre. Her #1 Adult Contemporary Hit, "If You Asked Me To," has been recorded not only by Celine Dion, but also by R&B diva, Patti LaBelle. Eight different artists, ranging from Tina Turner to Aswad to Ace of Base, have recorded her song, "Don't Turn Around." Her #1 Pop Hit, "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing," performed by Aerosmith for the movie ARMAGEDDON, not only received an Oscar nomination, but simultaneously hit #1 on the Country Charts with a version sung by Mark Chesnutt. Additionally, Diane's song, "How Do I Live," recorded by both Trisha Yearwood and LeAnn Rimes, was not only a #1 Hit that won Yearwood the Grammy for Best Country Vocal Performance, but also carries the distinction of being the longest-running song in the history of Billboard's Hot 100 Chart and Billboard's Country Singles Sales Chart.

Diane's songs are featured in more than 90 motion pictures. Diane has had a #1 International Hit with "Can't Fight the Moonlight," performed by LeAnn Rimes and featured in the film COYOTE UGLY. The song was re-released and became a Top 10 Pop Hit. In fact, Diane penned a total of four songs featured in that film. Diane continues to diversify. She wrote her first television theme for ENTERPRISE, which was also the first theme song for the STAR TREK series. She joined forces with the band, The Cult, who recorded "Painted On My Heart" for the film GONE IN SIXTY SECONDS. A new version of "Rhythm Of The Night" was showcased in Baz Luhrmann's MOULIN ROUGE. PEARL HARBOR featured the Top 10 Hit, "There You'll Be," performed by Faith Hill. With her uncanny ability to create the perfect song for any scene, whether it calls for a love ballad, a rock anthem, or an up-tempo groove, it's no wonder that Diane continues to receive accolades.

For the song, "Because You Loved Me," sung by Celine Dion in the film UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL, Diane received a GRAMMY award, as well as nominations for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award. Her song, "Music Of My Heart," sung by *NSYNC and Gloria Estefan for the film MUSIC OF THE HEART, was nominated for both a GRAMMY and an Academy Award. The song also won the Critics' Choice Award for Best Song from a Motion Picture. Also nominated for an Academy Award was the song, "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now," for the film MANNEQUIN. Diane also wrote the end title, "We Can," for LEGALLY BLONDE II: RED WHITE AND BLONDE, performed by LeAnn Rimes; "I Decide," performed by Lindsay Lohan for PRINCESS DIARIES 2: ROYAL ENGAGEMENT; and "One In This World," performed by Haylie Duff for the film CINDERELLA STORY starring Hilary Duff. To date, Diane's songs have been nominated for 4 Golden Globes, 6 Academy Awards, and 9 GRAMMYs.

Record producer David Foster, who frequently produces with Warren, points out that it is her tenacity and focus that explain her unprecedented success. "Without a doubt, she's the hardest-working songwriter I've ever known... She just sits there, day after day," he notes, adding, "She's truly an island, and somehow she taps into the masses. The fact that she can do it by herself is extra special. She doesn't seem to need to rely on anybody else."

Diane's massive success as a songwriter has offered her the opportunity to support a number of charitable causes. She founded the David S. Warren Weekly Entertainment Series at the Jewish Home for the Aging, a program she established in memory of her father. She is an honorary committee member of PETA, and is a key donor to many animal rights and rescue groups, including The 10th Life Foundation and the Lange Foundation. Because of her success, ASCAP and VH1 joined forces as part of VH1's "Save The Music" campaign to launch The Diane Warren "Music Of My Heart"/ASCAP Foundation Music Education Project. This project was implemented by the ASCAP Foundation and funded by The Diane Warren Foundation, and provides folios, sheet music, band arrangements, and "method books" to more than 1,000 middle schools across the country.

Diane has been named ASCAP's Songwriter of the Year six times (five times for Pop and one time for Country) and Billboard's Songwriter of the Year four times (one time as Hot Country Songwriter, two times as Hot Singles Songwriter, and 1 time as the #1 Songwriter for Pop and R&B). Diane also received a coveted star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and has been inducted into the Songwriters' Hall of Fame, once again marking her place among the greatest songwriters of our time.

Music mogul, Clive Davis, testifies to her integrity and prolific versatility. Davis, who has relied on Warren for artists such as Toni Braxton, Whitney Houston, and Monica, has a standing appointment with the songwriter when he visits Los Angeles each month. "Diane is able to combine tremendous feel for melody with lyrics that deal with genuine emotions, and she is able to do it time after time," Davis notes.

Singer Trisha Yearwood also has high praise for Warren's tenacity, asserting, "Diane lives and breathes every song. There's this sense of mission about what she's doing. It's not that she has any 'formula' for writing hits; her songwriting is just so intensely personal, it's part of her identity." Yearwood also notes how Warren's total immersion in her work is something she herself can understand. "My relationship to music is one of the most enduring 'relationships' I've ever had, and I know it's the same for Diane. Our music is the one area where we never compromise."

Diane appeared as a judge on the top-rated TV show American Idol, and an entire evening was dedicated to her and her music. The following evening, the show's talent performed the song, "Shine," which Diane had written specifically for American Idol.

Jerry Bruckheimer says, "She will move with whatever happens in the music world. I think she is on the top of her game. She listens to every song that's out there. Where she goes, the public goes."

Perhaps that is one key to understanding Diane's phenomenal success: the woman and her music are one and the same, no compromise.