Diane Warren has never won an Oscar. But she has a lot of Oscar nominations.
The songwriter just landed her 16th Oscar nomination in the original song category for “The Journey” from Tyler Perry’s Netflix movie “The Six Triple Eight” performed by H.E.R. And she does have an honorary Oscar, which the Academy awarded her in 2022; but she has yet to win a competitive one.
And yes, she would like to win. “Yes, I would like to break my decades-long tradition and win.”
Warren’s song is up against “El Mal” and “Mi Camino” from “Emilia Pérez.” “Never Too Late” from “Elton John: Never Too Late” and “Like a Bird” from “Sing Sing.”
Could this finally be her year?
As we speak, Warren realizes she is in a full-circle moment. She and Gabby Wilson, who is professionally known as H.E.R., share the same lawyer and go way back.
“We actually met when she was 15, and here we are back together, so this song is our journey of coming back together and creating this beautiful work,” Warren says. It was the film’s producer Keri Selig who pitched Warren for the gig; but Selig went one step further. “She had the sizzle reel, and she walked me through the movie scene by scene. I had never written a song that way,” says Warren.
The film tells the story of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, the only troop of Black women and women of color to serve in Europe during World War II.
Warren was moved so much so that she sat at the piano and immediately came up with the chorus. The next day, her creativity continued. Warren surprised herself with how easily the song came to her.
“It doesn’t usually happen. Sometimes a teeny piece will come, but that whole chorus came with those chords,” she says.
Next she had to find the right singer. Warren compares the process to casting. “You have to be authentic to the movie and the song,” she explains.
Upon first meeting H.E.R., Warren recalls, “She was a kid, but she came into my office, and I said, ‘Oh my God, you’re 15, and you’re that good.’” Warren was blown away. They were meant to work on material, but the project never happened.
The timing worked out for them this time. After losing touch, they started exchanging DMs just as Warren had completed “The Journey.” H.E.R. came to Warren’s Hollywood studio. “I played her the song, and she was so touched by it. But by the time she left, she had already played the piano, guitar and sang one of the best vocals I’ve ever heard in my life,” exclaims Warren. “That vocal is right up there with Whitney [Houston]. It’s a master class in how to do the perfect vocal.”
The women at the heart of the film are unsung heroes showing their determination. The lyrics are about resilience and perseverance: “All the times you thought you’d never make it through/Felt just like the world just turned its back on you/ Didn’t stop you” seem timely.
Warren is among the few who have accumulated this many Oscar nominations without a win. Her notable nods include “Because You Loved Me” from “Up Close & Personal” (1996), “How Do I Live” from “Con Air” (1997), “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” from “Armageddon” (1998), “There You’ll Be” from“Pearl Harbor” (2001) and most recently, “The Fire Inside” from “Flamin’ Hot” (2023).
How does Warren feel about never having won? “Maybe I wasn’t sweet?” she laughs. But now she is. Like her song and the movie, she remains hopeful and determined — maybe the Academy will turn it into a sweet 16 for Warren.
