Diane Warren Says 15th Oscar Nomination Is the 'Coolest Thing': 'I Won Already' (Exclusive)
Warren wrote Becky G's "The Fire Inside," which is nominated for Best Original Song at the 96th annual Academy Awards
Just one month into the new year, and Diane Warren is already having a great 2024.
The accomplished songwriter, 67, attended the Billboard Power 100 ceremony at NeueHouse Hollywood on Wednesday and opened up to PEOPLE about receiving her 15th Oscar nomination for Best Original Song for writing Becky G's "The Fire Inside” for the movie Flamin' Hot.
"It's the coolest thing, no matter what happens, just that my song was nominated when there's so many songs every year," Warren said. "I won already. Whatever happens, happens. It's just a beautiful thing to get the respect of those I respect."
Warren, who admits to writing "in a lot of different genres of music" also noted that she believed the song was special in its own way because of its arrangement.
"This is a reggaeton, you know, we're bringing some reggaeton to the Oscars. And it's different," Warren continued. "For me, I knew the song that I wanted to write for this movie had to have that ... it's unexpected."
Becky G also shared her own reaction on Instagram to the news that the song — from Eva Longoria’s directorial debut about the inventor of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos — had received a nod. The Latin music star, 26, posted a handful of photos from the moment she found out about the nomination on her Instagram Story, as well as a thoughtful, teary-eyed video of herself thanking Warren for the track and Longoria for making the film.
“This film, this team, this song represents something so close to my heart — it is my heart,” she said in the clip. “This is literally one of my dreams coming true in front of the world.”
In the caption, the musician explained further how overwhelmed with emotion she was and spoke to how honored she was to be a part of Flamin’ Hot to begin with. “When icons like Diane and Eva invite you to be a part of anything, YOU SAY YES OK???? Thank you for trusting me to bring part of this vision to life,” she wrote.
"The Fire Inside” is nominated for Best Original Song along with "What Was I Made For" and “I’m Just Ken” from the Barbie movie, Jon Batiste’s "It Never Went Away” from American Symphony and Killers of the Flower Moon’s "Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People)."
Billboard's annual Power 100 honors music industry figures with awards including executive of the year, label of the year, the Clive Davis visionary award and the Clio Music creative juggernaut award.
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"This year’s Power 100 includes an incredibly dynamic and innovative group of leaders pushing music forward at a challenging time," said Billboard editorial director, Hannah Karp, in a statement to the music magazine.
Karp added, "The music industry has become more competitive than ever and we are excited to recognize the exceptional individuals who have earned a coveted spot on this list and continue to drive growth and change."
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