The legends behind some of music’s greatest hits gathered for the 53rd Annual Songwriters Hall of Fame Induction and Awards Dinner Thursday at the New York Marriott Marquis Hotel. The red carpet oozed with legendary talents like Steely Dan, R.E.
M., Timberland, SZA, Diane Warren, and a select few who were among those selected to be honored at the Songwriters Hall of Fame on June 13, with the goal of preserving their legacy and their dedication to cultivating new talent through workshops, scholarships and other initiatives. Diane Warren is a name that carries the weight of decades of prestige after earning her Emmy, Grammy, Billboard Songwriters, Oscar and Academy honorary awards.
For a writer who has been nominated about 15 times for an Oscar, she is still bright-eyed and passionate about music and humbled to receive the Johnny Mercer Award (SZA received the Hal David Starlight Award.) “It’s pretty f**cking awesome! The Johnny Mercer Award is a pretty big f**cking deal to be in the same sentence as one of the greatest songwriters that has ever lived. That’s pretty cool.
It’s the biggest award in the biggest night for songwriters,” Warren told amNewYork Metro. Known for hits “You Asked Me To” (famously sung by Celine Dion and Patti LaBelle), and “Don’t Turn Around” (performed by eight artists like Ace Base and Tina Turner), Warren says that while it’s great to appreciate the past work, she makes sure to keep heading forward toward the future. “I look a.
