Songwriter Diane Warren’s Childhood Guitar Teacher Told Her Dad That ‘She Has No Future in Music’ (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

A15-time Academy Award nomineewith songs that have sold over 125 million records,Diane Warrenembarked on a journey to success that started as a dream few believed would come true.In the upcoming intimate documentaryDiane Warren: Relentless, premiering in theaters on Jan. 10 and available for streaming on MasterClass starting Jan. 23, the 68-year-old songwriter offers a behind-the-scenes look at her upbringing and creative process.“My mom was always like, ‘You could be sitting on the corner with a guitar and a cup,’” Warren says in the film’s trailer, shared exclusively with PEOPLE. “‘You can’t make a living at it.’”Despite discouragement from her mother and others in her life — including her childhood guitar teacher, who told her father, “She has no future in music” — Warren persisted, honing her craft and eventually becoming a go-to songwriter for the stars. “One of my favorite things to do is say, ‘F— you I’ll prove you wrong’,” she says in the trailer.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Diane Warren (right) holds up her honorary Oscar next to singer-actress Cher in 2022.VALERIE MACON/AFP via GettyWarren has written some of the biggest songs for the world’s greatest performers — including “I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing” forAerosmith, “If I Could Turn Back Time” forCherand “Because You Loved Me” forCéline Dion. But she says there’s no secret formula to her songwriting: “I don’t analyze what I do. I just go to work and I work.”Several of the many artists she’s collaborated with appear in the documentary, reflecting on Warren’s impact. “I’ve met a lot of people, but honey, ain’t never met nobody like Diane Warren,”Jennifer Hudsonsays in the trailer. “She’s crazy, oh my god,” Cher adds with a laugh. “But she writes great songs.”The documentary also touches on Warren’s early diagnosis of Asperger’s syndrome, which played a role in her creative process. “Lots of people don’t quite understand people on the spectrum. It’s part of the genius,” a voiceover in the trailer says, with another adding, “She relived her pain and shared it with the world.”Despite the challenges she faced growing up — “As a child, she knew nothing except rejection,” a voiceover states — Warren is grateful for the life she’s lived. “I don’t want to change anything because it got me here,” she says.And where it got her was to an Honorary Academy Award, a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, two Golden Globe Awards and three consecutive Billboard Music Awards for Songwriter of the Year, from 1997 to 1999. “All of these hits. One writer, one genius, named Diane Warren,”Randy Jacksonsays in the trailer.Commonadds, “She’s one of the greatest songwriters of all time — and still going.”‘Diane Warren: Relentless’.MasterClassAnd as she says in the trailer, Warren has no plans of slowing down: “It’s about your work. I’m still hungry. This isn’t a job, this is my life. You can’t retire from your life.”Diane Warren: Relentlesspremieres Jan. 10 in theaters and is available for streaming on MasterClass starting Jan. 23.

A15-time Academy Award nomineewith songs that have sold over 125 million records,Diane Warrenembarked on a journey to success that started as a dream few believed would come true.

In the upcoming intimate documentaryDiane Warren: Relentless, premiering in theaters on Jan. 10 and available for streaming on MasterClass starting Jan. 23, the 68-year-old songwriter offers a behind-the-scenes look at her upbringing and creative process.

“My mom was always like, ‘You could be sitting on the corner with a guitar and a cup,’” Warren says in the film’s trailer, shared exclusively with PEOPLE. “‘You can’t make a living at it.’”

Despite discouragement from her mother and others in her life — including her childhood guitar teacher, who told her father, “She has no future in music” — Warren persisted, honing her craft and eventually becoming a go-to songwriter for the stars. “One of my favorite things to do is say, ‘F— you I’ll prove you wrong’,” she says in the trailer.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Diane Warren (right) holds up her honorary Oscar next to singer-actress Cher in 2022.VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty

VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty

Warren has written some of the biggest songs for the world’s greatest performers — including “I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing” forAerosmith, “If I Could Turn Back Time” forCherand “Because You Loved Me” forCéline Dion. But she says there’s no secret formula to her songwriting: “I don’t analyze what I do. I just go to work and I work.”

Several of the many artists she’s collaborated with appear in the documentary, reflecting on Warren’s impact. “I’ve met a lot of people, but honey, ain’t never met nobody like Diane Warren,”Jennifer Hudsonsays in the trailer. “She’s crazy, oh my god,” Cher adds with a laugh. “But she writes great songs.”

The documentary also touches on Warren’s early diagnosis of Asperger’s syndrome, which played a role in her creative process. “Lots of people don’t quite understand people on the spectrum. It’s part of the genius,” a voiceover in the trailer says, with another adding, “She relived her pain and shared it with the world.”

Despite the challenges she faced growing up — “As a child, she knew nothing except rejection,” a voiceover states — Warren is grateful for the life she’s lived. “I don’t want to change anything because it got me here,” she says.

And where it got her was to an Honorary Academy Award, a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, two Golden Globe Awards and three consecutive Billboard Music Awards for Songwriter of the Year, from 1997 to 1999. “All of these hits. One writer, one genius, named Diane Warren,”Randy Jacksonsays in the trailer.Commonadds, “She’s one of the greatest songwriters of all time — and still going.”

‘Diane Warren: Relentless’.MasterClass

MasterClass

And as she says in the trailer, Warren has no plans of slowing down: “It’s about your work. I’m still hungry. This isn’t a job, this is my life. You can’t retire from your life.”

Diane Warren: Relentlesspremieres Jan. 10 in theaters and is available for streaming on MasterClass starting Jan. 23.

source: people.com