By the late 1980s, she joined the record label EMI, where she became the first songwriter in the history of Billboard magazine to have written seven hit songs, each recorded by different artists, prompting EMI's UK Chairman Peter Reichardt to call her "the most important songwriter in the world".
[7] Her family's surname "Warren" was originally "Wolfberg", but her father changed the name because he wanted it to sound less Jewish.
[8] Warren says she was rebellious as a child[7] and told NPR's Scott Simon that she got into trouble and ran away as a teen but returned because she missed her cat.
"[8][10] Warren has said that her mother asked her to give up her dream of a songwriting career[11] and take a secretarial job.
[8][13][14] On the February 12, 2016, edition of All Things Considered, Warren said that she had been molested at age 12 and had later experienced sexual harassment and assault by a sound engineer during her working career.
EMI Music's London office assisted in distributing 1,200 copies of the box set primarily to the film and television industry for consideration in soundtracks and other commercial endeavors.
Warren continues to write hit songs for and with artists of all mainstream genres, including Bette Midler, Stevie B., Celine Dion, Cheap Trick, En Vogue, Whitney Houston, Belinda Carlisle, Taylor Dayne, Britney Spears, Marcia Hines, Alice Cooper, Christina Aguilera, Beyoncé, TLC, Aaliyah, Heart, Agnetha Fältskog, Elton John, Cher, Tina Turner, Bryan Adams, Selena, Jessica Simpson, Air Supply, Olivia Newton-John, Barbra Streisand, Aretha Franklin, Roberta Flack, Roy Orbison, Trisha Yearwood, Patti LaBelle, Michael Bolton, NSYNC, Rene Froger, Gloria Estefan, Reba McEntire, Enrique Iglesias, Paloma Faith, Russell Watson, Rod Stewart, RBD, Aerosmith, The Cult, Kiss, Ricky Martin, Monica, Faith Hill, Michael W. Smith, Meat Loaf, Sugababes, Mariah Carey, Toni Braxton, Exposé, Leigh Nash of Sixpence None the Richer, LeAnn Rimes, Gavin DeGraw, Kierra Sheard, Mandy Moore, Hilary Duff, Haylie Duff, Lindsay Lohan, Lady Gaga, Chrissy Metz, Claire Richards, Starship, and Westlife, producing some of the songs as well.
Her songs have been covered by artists including Joe Cocker, Weezer, Edwin McCain, Milli Vanilli, Mark Chesnutt, and Sara Evans.
Warren wrote three songs for Carrie Underwood's debut album, Some Hearts (2005) that were "Lessons Learned", "Whenever You Remember" and the title track, originally written for Marshall Crenshaw.
In 2009, Warren co-wrote the United Kingdom's entry in the Eurovision Song Contest with Andrew Lloyd Webber.
For the contest, Warren wrote a special anthem which was recorded by the finalists and produced by Humberto Gatica.
[27] Peter Reichardt, former chairman of EMI Music Publishing UK, credited her as "the most important songwriter in the world.
The song was written by her and performed by Dolly Parton, Belinda Carlisle, Cyndi Lauper, Debbie Harry and Gloria Estefan.
[8] She has also revealed that she works 12–16 hours a day, always takes her keyboard whenever she travels[16] and is "...more crazy and intense than I was at 20..."[5] Warren does not usually allow anyone into her Hollywood Hills office,[8] which she describes as a "cluttered, airless room".
In 2012, Warren said that nothing in her office had been cleaned or moved for 17 years because she is superstitious; she prefers to think of that room as her "secret world".
[5] Warren did allow part of a 2016 interview with CBS News Sunday Morning correspondent Ben Tracy to be taped in the office.
[45] A jukebox musical is planned to be written by Joe DiPietro and directed by Kathleen Marshall, titled Obsessed, The Story of Diane Warren...so far.