Q&A: Songwriter Warren taps into '70s soul for 'Gangster'

By Melinda Newman

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Among the many awards and honors she's received, songwriter Diane Warren has six best-song Oscar nominations to her credit. Her composition "Do You Feel Me" was the only original song featured in Universal's "American Gangster" and was performed by Anthony Hamilton.

Q: How does a girl from the San Fernando Valley get herself in the frame of mind to write a soul-drenched '70s-style ballad like "Do You Feel Me" for "American Gangster?"

Diane Warren: "I grew up with the music. I'm lucky -- I'm a sponge. I was alive and was listening to the radio during that whole Otis Redding, Al Green period. I grew up loving that kind of soul music, that pure soul music, so I tapped into that."

Q: Did you meet with director Ridley Scott to discuss what he wanted?

Warren: "I never met Ridley. I kind of knew what the movie was about, and (Universal president of film music) Kathy (Nelson) and I have worked on so many movies together -- we've done so many huge movie songs -- she just tells me what she wants. We have a kind of shorthand together."

Q: You've been nominated six times for an Oscar and had countless other songs used in films. How do you deal with movie politics?

Warren: "It's not my favorite thing to do. That's why I like to work with Kathy. She makes it easy. She deals with all the politics; she knows how to navigate all those rough seas. It's hard for me to do because there are so many opinions: the studio, the producer, the director, the marketing (executives), the gardener, who knows? I just don't like that; it's not worth it to me. I try to do stuff that I think is going to be as painless as possible that I really want to do. Without a Kathy Nelson in there to protect me, I have to really love it. I have so many nightmares, c'mon."

Q: What was your worst nightmare?