Did Diane Warren win an Oscar? critically-acclaimed songwriter reflects on 17th nomination

Diane Warren has made multiple headlines over the years for being nominated in the Best Song category at the Oscars. The critically-acclaimed songwriter reflected on how special this moment was after receiving her 17th Oscar nomination on Thursday. Warren spoke exclusively to The Post while at the Los Angeles screening of The Gray House.

"It's always exciting. I never lose sight of that," she said.

She added that the feeling

"never gets old".

However, Diane Warren has yet to win an Oscar, even after multiple nominations over the years. As per a report shared by Billboard, Warren is now way up there on the all-time list of top Oscar nominees for best original song. Her nod this year for "Dear Me" came from the documentary Diane Warren: Relentless. Kesha sang the track. Only two other songwriters in the 92-year history of the category have equaled that tally.

Sammy Cahn leads with 26 nominations. Johnny Mercer follows with 18.

This is the ninth year in a row she has been nominated. Warren set a new record for the most consecutive nominations in the history of the category. She surpassed Cahn. He was nominated eight years running from 1954 to 1961.

Diane Warren explained what she would tell her younger self:

Warren shared how she felt going into nomination day during her interview with The Post. She described feeling nervous. Warren explained that

"You never know what's going to happen."

She explained this was the first time she wrote a song for a movie about herself. Her documentary is titled Relentless.

"To write a song, ‘Like, what kind of song do I write?’ And I feel like I really wrote a great song,” she shared.

Warren detailed the title and performer.

"It's called 'Dear Me.' Kesha sings it," she shared.

Warren explained the concept behind the track.

“It’s basically, if you could talk to your younger self, what would you say? Your messed up young yourself that feels like it’s the end of the world and you’re telling you it’s going to be okay. And that’s the song I wrote. I’m really excited.”

The hitmaker revealed she was up all night in anticipation of the Oscar announcements. Warren gushed about her documentary also being up for a Grammy.

"So one's up for a Grammy and the songs up for the Oscars, how cool is that?" Warren added.

Diane Warren chose Kesha to sing "Dear Me" after watching her cry in the studio:

As per a report shared by Billboard, Diane Warren delved deeper into the inspiration for "Dear Me." Warren talked about her childhood experiences.

"I was a lonely, misunderstood, bullied kid that spent a lot of time in my room by myself when I wasn't being kicked out of school or things like that," she said.

Warren explained what she wanted to communicate to her younger self.

"What I wanted to do was tell that young girl sitting in a room and picking up a guitar and maybe writing her first song that, 'Hey, you know what? You're going to be OK. You don't know it now, but you're going to be all right,'" she added.

Warren's most personal song turned out to be her most universal. She said it resonated with so many people because we all have that kid inside us. Even the third graders who came into her studio to sing about it related to the message. Warren shared what the children told her.

"They said, 'This song is giving me hope. This is making me tell myself it's going to be OK,'" she said.

Kesha was her first choice to sing the song as she cast the role. Warren explained her selection criteria.

"They have to be authentic to the movie and to the song. You have to have both," she said.

Diane Warren had known Kesha for a while and was aware she's an amazing singer. She also knew Kesha had gone through a lot of stuff. Warren knew it would resonate with her.

"She came to my studio and was crying when she heard it and that's how I knew. There was no other choice," Warren shared.

As per a report shared by the New York Post, Warren also called an Oscar nomination for this track "so unique".

Diane Warren mused about the concept.

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"It could be two weeks ago as a younger self. When you think like, 'Oh, I'm not going to get out of this. I feel terrible. What am I going to do?' And now you're going back and telling that young girl or young boy or whoever you are, a younger person, it's going to be okay."

"And so that's what 'Dear Me' is about – it is going to be alright," she added.

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