Kara DioGuardi
Encyclopedia
Kara Elizabeth DioGuardi (icon; born December 9, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter
, record producer, music publisher, A&R executive
, composer
and TV personality. She writes music primarily in the light pop-rock, dance, and R&B genres. DioGuardi has worked with many popular artists; her songs have appeared on more than 159 million albums worldwide. DioGuardi is a Grammy nominated writer, 2011 NAMM Music For Life Award winner, 2009 NMPA Songwriter Icon Award winner, 2007 BMI Pop Songwriter of the Year, and has received 15 BMI Awards for co-writing the most performed songs on the radio.
DioGuardi served as a judge on American Idol
for its eighth
and ninth
seasons. Her contract was not renewed for the next season. In 2008 she was appointed to the position of executive vice president of talent development at Warner Bros. Records
, and has signed acts such as Jason Derülo
and Iyaz
. In 2011, She was a head judge on the Bravo singer-songwriter competition series Platinum Hit
.
. She is of Arbëresh
(Albanian) and Italian descent and was raised Roman Catholic. Her father is former Republican
Congressman and 2010 US Senate candidate Joseph J. DioGuardi
. She is a 7th cousin, once removed of the beloved veteran TV personality Regis Philbin
. Her mother Carol died in 1997 after a 7-year battle with ovarian cancer
.
DioGuardi grew up in the Wilmot Woods section of suburban New Rochelle, New York
, and attended kindergarten at the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Catholic School in Scarsdale, New York
, followed by The Masters School
in Dobbs Ferry, New York
, before earning a degree in political science at Duke University
. After graduating from college, she worked for Billboard
magazine as an assistant to Timothy White and Howard Lander and later as an advertising sales representative.
She collaborated with Christina Aguilera
on her album Back to Basics
in 2006, co-writing 12 of the 13 tracks on disc one of the album, among them being "Ain't No Other Man
", and "Back in the Day".
In 2007, DioGuardi worked with many notable artists, one of whom was Britney Spears
. DioGuardi wrote and produced"Ooh Ooh Baby" and co-produced "Heaven on Earth" on Spears' album Blackout. DioGuardi also contributed a majority of songs on Hilary Duff
's fourth studio album, Dignity
.
Since American Idol Season 8, DioGuardi returned to songwriting and producing, and has worked with number of artists, including Pink
's "Sober
," Kelly Clarkson
's "I Do Not Hook Up
," Cobra Starship
ft./ Leighton Meester
"Good Girls Go Bad
," Katharine McPhee
's "Had It All", Carrie Underwood
's "Undo It
", and Theory of a Deadman
's "Not Meant to Be
" among other new releases.
Among DioGuardi's projects is the song "Not Meant to Be", which appears on Theory of a Deadman
's 2008 album, Scars & Souvenirs
. DioGuardi co-wrote the song with lead singer Tyler Connolly, and is also featured as the love interest in the music video which was released on March 10, 2009. This was her debut in the music video industry.
In 2009, DioGuardi wrote "If I Can't Have You" for Meat Loaf
's 2010 album, Hang Cool Teddy Bear
and recorded the vocal as a duet with Meat Loaf. She is also one of the writers for "Ghost
", which was released as a single from Fefe Dobson
's album Joy
(2010). She wrote songs for Aussie singer Natalie Imbruglia
's third studio album Counting Down the Days
.
, a publishing company that is a resource business for record companies and other music entities seeking compositions, productions, artists, and related music services. Arthouse has been a part of many chart-topping hits including B.O.B’s “Nothin’ On You,” Bruno Mars’ “Just The Way You Are” and “Grenade,” Cee-Lo Green’s “Forget You,” Flo Rida’s “Club Can’t Handle Me,” Cassie's "Me & U" (written and produced by Ryan Leslie
), Jim Jones
' "We Fly High
" (produced by Zukhan Bey), Nick Lachey
's "What's Left of Me
", David Archuleta
's single "Crush
" (written and produced by Emanuel Kiriakou
), Mika
's "Grace Kelly
", OneRepublic
's "Apologize
" and "Stop and Stare
" (all produced by Greg Wells
), Faith Hill
's "Lost
" (written and produced by Kara DioGuardi and Mitch Allan
), "Sober
" by P!nk
, "Pieces of Me
" by Ashlee Simpson
, and "He Could Be The One" by Hannah Montana
.
. The show debuted on ABC
with the second-lowest rating ever for a premiere on a major American network and was abruptly canceled after just two weeks.
She joined the hit Fox
television show American Idol
as a fourth judge for the show's eighth season in 2009. She returned to Idol for its ninth season. However, she decided to leave the show on September 3, 2010 and did not return for the tenth season of Idol. She has had Idol connections in the past: in 2000, DioGuardi and former Idol judge Paula Abdul
co-wrote the UK number-one single "Spinning Around
", performed by Kylie Minogue
. She has written many songs sung by Idol winners and alumni such as Kelly Clarkson
, Allison Iraheta
, David Archuleta
, Carrie Underwood
, Diana DeGarmo
, Katharine McPhee
, Kris Allen
, Danny Gokey
, and Adam Lambert
. She co-wrote the American Idol season 8 single, "No Boundaries
", which was performed by both finalists during the competition. DioGuardi struggled to find her place among the judges. In Richard Rushfield's book, "American Idol: The Untold Story," he reveals that often the other judges would leave the studio during commercial breaks, leaving DioGuardi behind to awkwardly sit by herself.
Kara also co-wrote with Jason Reeves
a song called "Terrified" for Katharine McPhee
's album Unbroken
, which was covered by Didi Benami
, an American Idol contestant from Season 9, during Hollywood week. DioGuardi also recorded a video of herself singing "Terrified" with Jason Reeves on YouTube, which currently has over 1,600,000 views. Other than that she appeared on Hannah Montana
as herself, in episode "Judge Me Tender".
After leaving American Idol, she was a head judge on the Bravo singer-songwriter competition series Platinum Hit
as of 2011.
and Sesame Street
.
From September 5 - October 30, 2011, she will make her Broadway
debut as Roxie Hart in Chicago
.
In 2003, DioGuardi won a BMI
Cable Award for co-writing and performing, "Somethin' To Say", the theme to the Lifetime Television
series For the People, which starred Lea Thompson
, Debbi Morgan
, A. Martinez and Cecilia Suárez
. Kara has been awarded 15 BMI Awards for having co-written the most performed songs on the radio. One of the industry's most highly sought after songwriters and producers, DioGuardi's songs have appeared on records that have sold more than 150 million copies combined. In 2007, DioGuardi was nominated for a Latin Grammy in the category of Song of the Year for her writing on the Belinda single, "Bella Traición
" along with co-writers Belinda, Ben Moody
, Nacho Peregrin and producer Mitch Allan
. In November 2007, Kara was awarded the TAXI A&R award for Humanitarian of the Year at their annual Road Rally Convention.
With Platinum Weird
:
As a featured artist:
.
DioGuardi works with the Phoenix House
, a non-profit substance abuse
service organization; she contributes to recording studios in the facilities and helps teach the teens how to operate the equipment.
In February 2010, she joined Elliott Yamin
a former American Idol
contestant in a charity trip sponsored by ExxonMobil
to Angola
where they visited malaria prevention and treatment projects as part of Idol Gives Back
.
DioGuardi splits her time between Los Angeles, California
and Prospect Harbor, Maine.
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
, record producer, music publisher, A&R executive
A&R
Artists and repertoire is the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists. It also acts as a liaison between artists and the record label.- Finding talent :...
, composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and TV personality. She writes music primarily in the light pop-rock, dance, and R&B genres. DioGuardi has worked with many popular artists; her songs have appeared on more than 159 million albums worldwide. DioGuardi is a Grammy nominated writer, 2011 NAMM Music For Life Award winner, 2009 NMPA Songwriter Icon Award winner, 2007 BMI Pop Songwriter of the Year, and has received 15 BMI Awards for co-writing the most performed songs on the radio.
DioGuardi served as a judge on American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
for its eighth
American Idol (season 8)
The eighth season of American Idol premiered on January 13, 2009, and concluded on May 20, 2009. Judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson continued to judge the show's contestants, along with Ryan Seacrest as host. The season introduced Kara DioGuardi as the fourth judge on the Idol...
and ninth
American Idol (season 9)
The ninth season of American Idol premiered on January 12, 2010 and concluded on May 26, 2010 on Fox. Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Kara DioGuardi all returned as judges, and Ellen DeGeneres permanently replaced Paula Abdul as the fourth judge. Idol Gives Back also returned for the season and was...
seasons. Her contract was not renewed for the next season. In 2008 she was appointed to the position of executive vice president of talent development at Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
, and has signed acts such as Jason Derülo
Jason Derulo
Jason Joel Desrouleaux , better known by his stage name Jason Derülo, is an American singer-songwriter, actor and dancer. After producing records for several artists and writing songs for Cash Money Records, co-founder of the label Birdman, Young Money Entertainment owner Lil Wayne and rapper...
and Iyaz
Iyaz
Keidran Jones , better known by his stage name Iyaz, is a singer signed with the record label Beluga Heights Records from the British Virgin Islands. His debut single "Replay", was released in 2009 and reached number two on the US Billboard Hot 100, number-one in the UK, Australia and the top ten...
. In 2011, She was a head judge on the Bravo singer-songwriter competition series Platinum Hit
Platinum Hit
Platinum Hit is a reality competition series on Bravo launched in 2011 in which 12 singer-songwriters compete through innovative songwriting challenges that will test their creativity, patience and drive. The series was created and produced by Evan Bogart...
.
Early life
DioGuardi was born in Ossining, New YorkOssining (town), New York
Ossining is a town in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 37,674 at the 2010 census. It contains two villages, the Village of Ossining and part of Briarcliff Manor, the rest of which is located in the Town of Mount Pleasant....
. She is of Arbëresh
Arbëreshë
The Arbëreshë are a linguistic and ethnic Albanian minority community living in southern Italy, especially the regions of Apulia, Basilicata, Molise, Calabria and Sicily...
(Albanian) and Italian descent and was raised Roman Catholic. Her father is former Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Congressman and 2010 US Senate candidate Joseph J. DioGuardi
Joseph J. DioGuardi
Joseph J. DioGuardi is a certified public accountant and a Republican politician. DioGuardi served in the House of Representatives representing the 20th Congressional district of New York from 1985 to 1989. He was also the Republican nominee for U.S...
. She is a 7th cousin, once removed of the beloved veteran TV personality Regis Philbin
Regis Philbin
Regis Francis Xavier Philbin is an American media personality, actor and singer, known for hosting talk and game shows since the 1960s. Philbin is often called "the hardest working man in show business" and holds the Guinness World Record for the most time spent in front of a television camera...
. Her mother Carol died in 1997 after a 7-year battle with ovarian cancer
Ovarian cancer
Ovarian cancer is a cancerous growth arising from the ovary. Symptoms are frequently very subtle early on and may include: bloating, pelvic pain, difficulty eating and frequent urination, and are easily confused with other illnesses....
.
DioGuardi grew up in the Wilmot Woods section of suburban New Rochelle, New York
New Rochelle, New York
New Rochelle is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the southeastern portion of the state.The town was settled by refugee Huguenots in 1688 who were fleeing persecution in France...
, and attended kindergarten at the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Immaculate Heart of Mary
The Immaculate Heart of Mary originally The Sacred Heart of Mary is a devotional name used to refer to the interior life of Mary, her joys and sorrows, her virtues and hidden perfections, and, above all, her virginal love for God, her maternal love for her Son, Jesus, and her compassionate love for...
Catholic School in Scarsdale, New York
Scarsdale, New York
Scarsdale is a coterminous town and village in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the northern suburbs of New York City. The Town of Scarsdale is coextensive with the Village of Scarsdale, but the community has opted to operate solely with a village government, one of several villages...
, followed by The Masters School
The Masters School
The Masters School, known as "Masters", is a private, coeducational boarding school and day college preparatory school located in Dobbs Ferry, New York. Its campus is located near Manhattan in the Hudson Valley in Westchester County...
in Dobbs Ferry, New York
Dobbs Ferry, New York
Dobbs Ferry is a village in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 10,875 at the 2010 census.The Village of Dobbs Ferry is located in, and is a part of, the town of Greenburgh...
, before earning a degree in political science at Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
. After graduating from college, she worked for Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
magazine as an assistant to Timothy White and Howard Lander and later as an advertising sales representative.
Professional songwriter
DioGuardi has a songwriting catalog of several hundred songs, of which over 307 have been released on major labels worldwide, and over 150 have appeared on platinum selling albums. She has had nearly 50 international charting singles over the course of her career, and her songs have helped propel more than 66 albums into the Top Ten of the Billboard 200. Her songs have been featured in major motion pictures, television shows, film soundtracks, and radio spots, as well as national and international commercial campaigns.She collaborated with Christina Aguilera
Christina Aguilera
Christina María Aguilera is an American recording artist and actress. Aguilera first appeared on national television in 1990 as a contestant on the Star Search program, and went on to star in Disney Channel's television series The Mickey Mouse Club from 1993–1994...
on her album Back to Basics
Back to Basics (Christina Aguilera album)
Back to Basics is the third studio album by American recording artist Christina Aguilera, first released on August 10, 2006 by RCA Records...
in 2006, co-writing 12 of the 13 tracks on disc one of the album, among them being "Ain't No Other Man
Ain't No Other Man
"Ain't No Other Man" is a song written by Christina Aguilera, Charles Roane, DJ Premier, Harold Beatty, and Kara DioGuardi for Aguilera's third studio album Back to Basics...
", and "Back in the Day".
In 2007, DioGuardi worked with many notable artists, one of whom was Britney Spears
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
. DioGuardi wrote and produced"Ooh Ooh Baby" and co-produced "Heaven on Earth" on Spears' album Blackout. DioGuardi also contributed a majority of songs on Hilary Duff
Hilary Duff
Hilary Erhard Duff is an American actress, singer-songwriter, entrepreneur, and author. After working in local theater plays and television commercials in her childhood, she achieved fame playing the title role in the Disney Channel television series Lizzie McGuire. She also reprised her role in...
's fourth studio album, Dignity
Dignity (album)
Dignity is the fourth studio album by American recording artist Hilary Duff. The album was released on April 3, 2007 by Hollywood Records. Between the releases of her previous studio album, Hilary Duff , and Dignity, she had an eventful personal life; she was stalked by a man who threatened her...
.
Since American Idol Season 8, DioGuardi returned to songwriting and producing, and has worked with number of artists, including Pink
Pink (singer)
Alecia Beth Moore , better known by her stage name Pink , is an American singer-songwriter, musician and actress....
's "Sober
Sober
Sober usually refers to sobriety, the state of not being under the influence of alcohol or other drugs. It may also refer to:-Computers:* Sober , variety of computer virus* SOBER , family of synchronous stream ciphers...
," Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Brianne Clarkson is an American pop rock singer-songwriter and actress. Clarkson came into prominence after becoming the winner of the inaugural season of the television series American Idol in 2002 and would later become the runner-up in the television special World Idol in 2003.In 2003,...
's "I Do Not Hook Up
I Do Not Hook Up
"I Do Not Hook Up" is a song by American singer Kelly Clarkson. It served as the second single from her fourth album All I Ever Wanted. The song, in addition to another track on the album , was recorded by Katy Perry for her unreleased album Katy Perry ."I Do Not Hook Up" was sent to American...
," Cobra Starship
Cobra Starship
Cobra Starship is an American synthpop band created by former Midtown bassist and lead vocalist Gabe Saporta in 2003 in New York City, New York...
ft./ Leighton Meester
Leighton Meester
Leighton Marissa Meester is an American actress and singer. Meester first garnered attention for playing Blair Waldorf in the CW television series Gossip Girl...
"Good Girls Go Bad
Good Girls Go Bad
"Good Girls Go Bad" is a song recorded by American pop punk band Cobra Starship with guest vocals by Leighton Meester. It was the first single released from their third studio album, Hot Mess. The song was released digitally through iTunes on May 11, 2009...
," Katharine McPhee
Katharine McPhee
Katharine Hope McPhee is an American pop singer, songwriter, actress, model, and television personality. She gained fame as a contestant on the fifth season of the Fox reality show American Idol in 2006, eventually finishing as the runner-up.Her self-titled debut album was released on RCA Records...
's "Had It All", Carrie Underwood
Carrie Underwood
Carrie Marie Underwood is an American country singer-songwriter and actress who rose to fame as the winner of the fourth season of American Idol, in 2005...
's "Undo It
Undo It
"Undo It" is the title of a song written by Kara DioGuardi, Martin Frederiksen, Luke Laird and co-written and recorded by American country artist Carrie Underwood. It was made available to digital retailers on October 27, 2009, and was released as an official single on May 24, 2010...
", and Theory of a Deadman
Theory of a Deadman
Theory of a Deadman is a Canadian rock band from Delta, British Columbia, formed in 2001. The band is currently signed to Roadrunner Records as well as Island Records. The band also includes traits of other music styles, such as country and acoustic, as well as their post-grunge and alternative...
's "Not Meant to Be
Not Meant to Be
"Not Meant to Be" is the fifth overall single by Theory of a Deadman from the album Scars & Souvenirs. It has had airplay in the U.S...
" among other new releases.
Among DioGuardi's projects is the song "Not Meant to Be", which appears on Theory of a Deadman
Theory of a Deadman
Theory of a Deadman is a Canadian rock band from Delta, British Columbia, formed in 2001. The band is currently signed to Roadrunner Records as well as Island Records. The band also includes traits of other music styles, such as country and acoustic, as well as their post-grunge and alternative...
's 2008 album, Scars & Souvenirs
Scars & Souvenirs
-iTunes, Zune and Amazon bonus tracks:-Special Edition bonus tracks:-Personnel:*Tyler Connolly - Lead Vocals, Lead Guitar*Dave Brenner - Rhythm Guitar, Backing Vocals*Dean Back - Bass, Backing Vocals*Robin Diaz - Drums-Reception:...
. DioGuardi co-wrote the song with lead singer Tyler Connolly, and is also featured as the love interest in the music video which was released on March 10, 2009. This was her debut in the music video industry.
In 2009, DioGuardi wrote "If I Can't Have You" for Meat Loaf
Meat Loaf
Michael Lee Aday , better known by his stage name, Meat Loaf, is an American hard rock musician and actor...
's 2010 album, Hang Cool Teddy Bear
Hang Cool Teddy Bear
-Disc 2: Tour Edition:During Meat Loaf's 2010 UK tour, a special two-disc tour edition was given out. The second disc included four songs recorded live at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey, on July 16, 2010.-Reception:...
and recorded the vocal as a duet with Meat Loaf. She is also one of the writers for "Ghost
Ghost (Fefe Dobson song)
"Ghost" is a song by Canadian singer–songwriter Fefe Dobson from her second studio album, Joy. It was produced by Kevin Rudolf, and co-written by Fefe Dobson, Kevin Rudolf, Kara DioGuardi and J. Kasher. The song officially impacted mainstream radio on May 11, 2010 and was released as a single on...
", which was released as a single from Fefe Dobson
Fefe Dobson
Felicia Lily "Fefe" Dobson is a Canadian singer-songwriter. Her self-titled debut album earned her two Juno Award nominations. Her second album, Sunday Love, was not released and she was terminated from her recording company...
's album Joy
Joy (Fefe Dobson album)
Joy is the second studio album to be released by Canadian singer-songwriter Fefe Dobson, and third studio album to be recorded. It was released on November 22, 2010 after taking almost four years to complete. It candidly follows Dobson's evolution as an artist as well as transition from the indie...
(2010). She wrote songs for Aussie singer Natalie Imbruglia
Natalie Imbruglia
Natalie Jane Imbruglia is an Australian singer-songwriter, model and actress. In the early 1990s, Imbruglia was known to audiences as Beth Brennan in the popular Australian soap Neighbours. Three years after leaving the programme, Imbruglia launched a singing career with the international hit,...
's third studio album Counting Down the Days
Counting Down the Days
Counting Down the Days is the third studio album by Australian singer Natalie Imbruglia released by Brightside Recordings in the United Kingdom on 4 April 2005. The album included the two singles "Shiver" and "Counting Down the Days"....
.
Music publishing
DioGuardi co-owns Arthouse EntertainmentArthouse Entertainment
Arthouse Entertainment is a Los Angeles-based music publishing and production company founded by Kara DioGuardi and Stephen Finfer. Arthouse represents a roster of songwriters, producers and artists.-Hit Songs:...
, a publishing company that is a resource business for record companies and other music entities seeking compositions, productions, artists, and related music services. Arthouse has been a part of many chart-topping hits including B.O.B’s “Nothin’ On You,” Bruno Mars’ “Just The Way You Are” and “Grenade,” Cee-Lo Green’s “Forget You,” Flo Rida’s “Club Can’t Handle Me,” Cassie's "Me & U" (written and produced by Ryan Leslie
Ryan Leslie
Anthony Ryan Leslie, known professionally as Ryan Leslie, is a Grammy nominated American record producer, multi-instrumentalist, rapper, entrepreneur, and singer. Founder of the media company NextSelection Lifestyle Group, Leslie has produced singles for a number of artists in a variety of genres...
), Jim Jones
Jim Jones (rapper)
Joseph Guillermo Jones II , better known by his stage name Jim Jones, is an American rapper and original member of The Diplomats, also known as Dipset. He is Co-CEO of Diplomat Records...
' "We Fly High
We Fly High
"We Fly High" is the lead single from Jim Jones' third album, Hustler's P.O.M.E. . The song is Jim Jones' highest-charting single to date charting at number five on the Billboard Hot 100. It is the only single by Jim Jones ever to not have any featured guests. It was produced by Zukhan-Bey who...
" (produced by Zukhan Bey), Nick Lachey
Nick Lachey
Nicholas Scott "Nick" Lachey is an American singer, songwriter, actor, producer and television personality. Lachey rose to fame as a member of the boy band 98 Degrees. He later starred in the reality television series Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica with his then-wife, Jessica Simpson. He has released...
's "What's Left of Me
What's Left of Me (song)
"What's Left of Me" is a song originally recorded by American singer Nick Lachey, as first single of his second album, What's Left of Me. The ballad expresses how Lachey feels about the divorce situation with his ex-wife Jessica Simpson...
", David Archuleta
David Archuleta
David Archuleta, is a former United States Air Force Airman of Okinawan stationary troops and is currently an American male kickboxer.-Biography:...
's single "Crush
Crush (David Archuleta song)
"Crush" is the first single by American Idol season seven runner-up David Archuleta. It was first released to radio stations via New York City's radio station Z100 on August 1, 2008, and commercially in the United States on August 12, 2008, through digital distribution...
" (written and produced by Emanuel Kiriakou
Emanuel Kiriakou
- Early life :Emanuel "Eman" Kiriakou started playing music at the age of thirteen in his father’s Greek band.-Producer:...
), Mika
Mika (singer)
Mika is a British singer-songwriter.After recording his first extended play, Dodgy Holiday EP, Mika released his first full-length studio album, Life in Cartoon Motion, on Island Records in 2007. Life in Cartoon Motion sold more than 5.6 million copies worldwide and helped Mika win a Brit...
's "Grace Kelly
Grace Kelly (song)
"Grace Kelly" is a song by the English singer Mika, released for download on January 9, 2007. It also appears on Mika's 2007 album Life in Cartoon Motion. Produced and mixed by Greg Wells, the song entered the UK Singles Chart at number three and the UK Official Download Chart at number one...
", OneRepublic
OneRepublic
OneRepublic is an American pop rock band from Colorado Springs, Colorado. Formed in 2002 by Ryan Tedder and Zach Filkins, the band achieved massive success on MySpace, becoming the most prominent unsigned act on the website then...
's "Apologize
Apologize (song)
"Apologize" is a song written by OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder for OneRepublic's debut album Dreaming Out Loud. A remix version was included on the Timbaland album, Shock Value and on the deluxe version of Dreaming Out Loud...
" and "Stop and Stare
Stop and Stare
"Stop and Stare" is the second single by American pop rock band OneRepublic from their debut album Dreaming Out Loud. "Stop and Stare" was released to US radio on November 27, 2007...
" (all produced by Greg Wells
Greg Wells
Greg Wells is a multiple Grammy nominated musician, record producer and songwriter based in Los Angeles. Wells has produced and written hits with Adele, Weezer, Pink, Theophilus London, Deftones, Katy Perry, Rufus Wainwright, The All American Rejects, OneRepublic, Mika, Aerosmith, Burt Bacharach,...
), Faith Hill
Faith Hill
Faith Hill is an American country singer. She is known both for her commercial success and her marriage to fellow country star Tim McGraw. Hill has sold more than 40 million records worldwide and accumulated eight number-one singles and three number-one albums on the U.S...
's "Lost
Lost (Faith Hill song)
"Lost" is a song written by Mitch Allan and Kara DioGuardi and was recorded by American country singer Faith Hill, the first released from her album The Hits.The week after its release, it made the biggest debut at #61 on the US Hot 100 Singles Chart...
" (written and produced by Kara DioGuardi and Mitch Allan
Mitch Allan
Mitch Allan, is the lead singer, songwriter and guitarist of punk rock band SR-71, and the lead guitarist and backing vocalist of power pop project Satellite.-Biography:...
), "Sober
Sober (Pink song)
"Sober" is a song by American pop rock singer Pink, and the second single taken from her fifth studio album, Funhouse. It was written by Nate "Danja" Hills, Kara DioGuardi, Marcella Araica and Pink herself. The track was produced by Danja, Tony Kanal, and Jimmy Harry...
" by P!nk
P!nk
Alecia Beth Moore , better known by her stage name Pink , is an American singer-songwriter, musician and actress....
, "Pieces of Me
Pieces of Me
"Pieces of Me" is a song by American pop/rock singer Ashlee Simpson and the first single from her début album, Autobiography. The song, which was co-written by Simpson, Kara DioGuardi and John Shanks , is a blend of pop and rock with lyrics about finding comfort and happiness in a relationship with...
" by Ashlee Simpson
Ashlee Simpson
Ashlee Nicole Simpson is an American singer and actress. In 2004, she rose to prominence with the success of her number-one debut album Autobiography and the reality series, The Ashlee Simpson Show. In October 2005, following a North American concert tour and a film appearance, Simpson released...
, and "He Could Be The One" by Hannah Montana
Hannah Montana
Hannah Montana is an American television series, which debuted on March 24, 2006 on the Disney Channel. The series focuses on a girl who lives a double life as an average teenage school girl named Miley Stewart by day and a famous pop singer named Hannah Montana by night, concealing her real...
.
Reality television
In July 2006, DioGuardi was a judge in an Idol-like TV show called The One: Making a Music StarThe One: Making a Music Star
The One: Making a Music Star was an American reality television series that aired in July 2006 on ABC in the United States, and CBC Television in Canada. The show was hosted by George Stroumboulopoulos, known to Canadian viewers as the host of CBC's The Hour...
. The show debuted on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
with the second-lowest rating ever for a premiere on a major American network and was abruptly canceled after just two weeks.
She joined the hit Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
television show American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
as a fourth judge for the show's eighth season in 2009. She returned to Idol for its ninth season. However, she decided to leave the show on September 3, 2010 and did not return for the tenth season of Idol. She has had Idol connections in the past: in 2000, DioGuardi and former Idol judge Paula Abdul
Paula Abdul
Paula Julie Abdul is an American singer-songwriter, dancer, choreographer, actress and television personality.In the 1980s, Abdul rose from cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers to highly sought-after choreographer at the height of the music video era before scoring a string of pop music-R&B hits...
co-wrote the UK number-one single "Spinning Around
Spinning Around
"Spinning Around" is a song by Australian recording artist Kylie Minogue. It was written by Ira Shickman, Osborne Bingham, Kara DioGuardi, and Paula Abdul, and produced by Mike Spencer. It was originally intended for Paula Abdul's "comeback" album. However, as the album never came into fruition, it...
", performed by Kylie Minogue
Kylie Minogue
Kylie Ann Minogue, OBE - often known simply as Kylie - is an Australian singer, recording artist, songwriter, and actress. After beginning her career as a child actress on Australian television, she achieved recognition through her role in the television soap opera Neighbours, before commencing...
. She has written many songs sung by Idol winners and alumni such as Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Brianne Clarkson is an American pop rock singer-songwriter and actress. Clarkson came into prominence after becoming the winner of the inaugural season of the television series American Idol in 2002 and would later become the runner-up in the television special World Idol in 2003.In 2003,...
, Allison Iraheta
Allison Iraheta
Allison Iraheta is an American singer from Los Angeles, California, who was the fourth place finalist on the eighth season of American Idol. Prior to Idol, Iraheta won the Telemundo competition Quinceañera: Mamá Quiero Ser Artista. Following the conclusion of Idol, Iraheta was signed to a record...
, David Archuleta
David Archuleta
David Archuleta, is a former United States Air Force Airman of Okinawan stationary troops and is currently an American male kickboxer.-Biography:...
, Carrie Underwood
Carrie Underwood
Carrie Marie Underwood is an American country singer-songwriter and actress who rose to fame as the winner of the fourth season of American Idol, in 2005...
, Diana DeGarmo
Diana DeGarmo
Diana Nicole DeGarmo is an American singer and Broadway actress. She finished as the runner-up on the third season of the reality/talent-search television series American Idol, narrowly missing the win by about 2% out of over 65 million votes...
, Katharine McPhee
Katharine McPhee
Katharine Hope McPhee is an American pop singer, songwriter, actress, model, and television personality. She gained fame as a contestant on the fifth season of the Fox reality show American Idol in 2006, eventually finishing as the runner-up.Her self-titled debut album was released on RCA Records...
, Kris Allen
Kris Allen
Kristopher Neil "Kris" Allen is an American musician and singer-songwriter from Conway, Arkansas, and the winner of the eighth season of American Idol...
, Danny Gokey
Danny Gokey
Daniel Jay "Danny" Gokey is an American country music singer and church music director from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He was the third place finalist on the eighth season of American Idol...
, and Adam Lambert
Adam Lambert
Adam Mitchel Lambert is an American singer, songwriter, and actor from San Diego, California. In May 2009, he finished as the runner-up on the eighth season of American Idol...
. She co-wrote the American Idol season 8 single, "No Boundaries
No Boundaries (song)
"No Boundaries" is the 2009 winner's single of season 8 of the reality television show American Idol.It was co-written by American Idol judge Kara DioGuardi, along with Cathy Dennis, and Mitch Allan...
", which was performed by both finalists during the competition. DioGuardi struggled to find her place among the judges. In Richard Rushfield's book, "American Idol: The Untold Story," he reveals that often the other judges would leave the studio during commercial breaks, leaving DioGuardi behind to awkwardly sit by herself.
Kara also co-wrote with Jason Reeves
Jason Reeves (songwriter)
Jason Reeves is an ASCAP award-winning, American singer-songwriter and musician. He grew up in Iowa City, Iowa before locating to California in 2005, where he began a long-standing working relationship with producer Mikal Blue and singer Colbie Caillat. He co-wrote many songs with Caillat, most...
a song called "Terrified" for Katharine McPhee
Katharine McPhee
Katharine Hope McPhee is an American pop singer, songwriter, actress, model, and television personality. She gained fame as a contestant on the fifth season of the Fox reality show American Idol in 2006, eventually finishing as the runner-up.Her self-titled debut album was released on RCA Records...
's album Unbroken
Unbroken (Katharine McPhee album)
Unbroken is the second album from American Idol season five runner-up Katharine McPhee. The album was released on January 5, 2010 by Verve Forecast Records, her first album on the label. It debuted at #27 on the Billboard 200, selling 15,000 copies in its first week...
, which was covered by Didi Benami
Didi Benami
Vered "Didi" Benami is an American singer/songwriter from Knoxville, Tennessee, who was the tenth place finalist on the ninth season of American Idol.-Early life:...
, an American Idol contestant from Season 9, during Hollywood week. DioGuardi also recorded a video of herself singing "Terrified" with Jason Reeves on YouTube, which currently has over 1,600,000 views. Other than that she appeared on Hannah Montana
Hannah Montana
Hannah Montana is an American television series, which debuted on March 24, 2006 on the Disney Channel. The series focuses on a girl who lives a double life as an average teenage school girl named Miley Stewart by day and a famous pop singer named Hannah Montana by night, concealing her real...
as herself, in episode "Judge Me Tender".
After leaving American Idol, she was a head judge on the Bravo singer-songwriter competition series Platinum Hit
Platinum Hit
Platinum Hit is a reality competition series on Bravo launched in 2011 in which 12 singer-songwriters compete through innovative songwriting challenges that will test their creativity, patience and drive. The series was created and produced by Evan Bogart...
as of 2011.
Other projects
DioGuardi guest starred as herself on The SimpsonsThe Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
and Sesame Street
Sesame Street
Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
.
From September 5 - October 30, 2011, she will make her Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
debut as Roxie Hart in Chicago
Chicago (musical)
Chicago is a musical set in Prohibition-era Chicago. The music is by John Kander with lyrics by Fred Ebb and a book by Ebb and Bob Fosse. The story is a satire on corruption in the administration of criminal justice and the concept of the "celebrity criminal"...
.
Awards and nominations
- NAMM Music For Life Award—2011
- SOCAN Pop/Rock Music Award—2010 ("Not Meant To Be," Theory of a Deadman)
- BMI Pop Music Award – 2010 ("I Do Not Hook Up," Kelly Clarkson)
- BMI Pop Music Award – 2010 ("Sober," Pink)
- BMI Pop Music Award – 2010 ("Not Meant To Be," Theory of a Deadman)
- NMPA Songwriter Icon Award—2009
- BMI Latin Pop Music Award—2009 ("Somebody’s Me," Enrique Iglesias)
- BMI Latin Pop Music Award—2008 ("Bella Traicion," Belinda)
- BMI Pop Music Award—2008 ("Ain’t No Other Man," Christina Aguilera)
- Columbus Citizens Foundation Award – 2007—Outstanding Contribution to the Vocal Arts
- SOCAN Pop Award—2007 ("Walk Away," Kelly Clarkson)
- TAXI Award—2007 Humanitarian of the Year
- BMI Pop Music Award—2007 Songwriter of the Year
- BMI Pop Music Award—2006 ("I’m Feeling You," Santana)
- BMI Pop Music Award—2006 ("Walk Away," Kelly Clarkson)
- BMI Pop Music Award—2006 ("The Real Thing," Bo Bice)
- BMI Pop Music Award—2005 ("Pieces of Me," Ashlee Simpson)
- BMI Pop Music Award—2005 ("Rich Girl," Gwen Stefani)
- BMI Pop Music Award—2002 ("Escape," Enrique Iglesias)
- BMI Top Ten Latin Award—2002 ("Escapar," Enrique Iglesias)
- BMI Film & TV Music Award—2003 (For the People theme song)
In 2003, DioGuardi won a BMI
Broadcast Music Incorporated
Broadcast Music, Inc. is one of three United States performing rights organizations, along with ASCAP and SESAC. It collects license fees on behalf of songwriters, composers, and music publishers and distributes them as royalties to those members whose works have been performed...
Cable Award for co-writing and performing, "Somethin' To Say", the theme to the Lifetime Television
Lifetime Television
Lifetime Television, often referred to as Lifetime TV, or most commonly, Lifetime, is an American cable television specialty channel devoted to movies, sitcoms and dramas, all of which are either geared toward women or feature women in lead roles. The cable network is owned by A&E Television Networks...
series For the People, which starred Lea Thompson
Lea Thompson
Lea Katherine Thompson is an American actress and director. She is best known for her 1990s NBC situation comedy Caroline in the City and her portrayal of Lorraine Baines McFly, Marty McFly's mother, in the Back to the Future trilogy...
, Debbi Morgan
Debbi Morgan
Deborah "Debbi" Morgan is an American film and television actress. She is perhaps best known for her role as Dr. Angie Hubbard on the ABC soap opera All My Children, and for her role as The Seer in the fourth and fifth seasons of Charmed.Morgan joined the cast of The Young and the Restless as...
, A. Martinez and Cecilia Suárez
Cecilia Suárez
Cecilia Suárez is an Ariel Award and Emmy International nominated Mexican actress who has played roles in a number of mostly Spanish language films and television series since 1997.-Career:...
. Kara has been awarded 15 BMI Awards for having co-written the most performed songs on the radio. One of the industry's most highly sought after songwriters and producers, DioGuardi's songs have appeared on records that have sold more than 150 million copies combined. In 2007, DioGuardi was nominated for a Latin Grammy in the category of Song of the Year for her writing on the Belinda single, "Bella Traición
Bella Traición
"Bella Traición" , is the official second single from Belinda's second studio album "Utopía".- Information :...
" along with co-writers Belinda, Ben Moody
Ben Moody
Benjamin Robert Moody is a singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, and actor. He is best known as co-founder, lead guitarist, and songwriter of Grammy Award-winning rock band Evanescence from 1995 to October 2003...
, Nacho Peregrin and producer Mitch Allan
Mitch Allan
Mitch Allan, is the lead singer, songwriter and guitarist of punk rock band SR-71, and the lead guitarist and backing vocalist of power pop project Satellite.-Biography:...
. In November 2007, Kara was awarded the TAXI A&R award for Humanitarian of the Year at their annual Road Rally Convention.
Discography
As a vocalist
With MaD DoLL:- Mad Doll (1999)
With Platinum Weird
Platinum Weird
Platinum Weird is a musical collaboration formed in 2004 between Dave Stewart and Kara DioGuardi. It is also the subject of an elaborate hoax placing the band in 1974, including a half hour mockumentary produced for television network VH1 and a series of bogus World Wide Web fan sites and related...
:
- Make BelieveMake Believe (Platinum Weird album)Make Believe is the first album by Platinum Weird. To tie in with the band's back-story, it was marketed as a "lost" album from 1974, with vocals credited to fictional lead singer Erin Grace. In reality, the album was written and recorded in 2005 and 2006, with vocals by Kara DioGuardi...
(2006) - Platinum Weird (2006)
As a featured artist:
- "The Sun Will Rise" on Kelly ClarksonKelly ClarksonKelly Brianne Clarkson is an American pop rock singer-songwriter and actress. Clarkson came into prominence after becoming the winner of the inaugural season of the television series American Idol in 2002 and would later become the runner-up in the television special World Idol in 2003.In 2003,...
's album StrongerStronger (Kelly Clarkson album)Stronger is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Kelly Clarkson. The album was released on October 21, 2011 in Australia and October 24, 2011 in the United States and the United Kingdom through RCA Records...
(2011)
Personal life
She is married to teacher-turned-general contractor Mike McCuddy; they were wed on July 5, 2009 in Prospect Harbor, Maine. McCuddy has a teenage daughter. The two met while he was working on a home adjacent to her property in MaineMaine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
.
DioGuardi works with the Phoenix House
Phoenix House
Phoenix House is a nonprofit drug and alcohol rehabilitation organization operating in ten states with 150 programs. Programs serve individuals, families, and communities affected by substance abuse and dependency.- History :...
, a non-profit substance abuse
Substance abuse
A substance-related disorder is an umbrella term used to describe several different conditions associated with several different substances .A substance related disorder is a condition in which an individual uses or abuses a...
service organization; she contributes to recording studios in the facilities and helps teach the teens how to operate the equipment.
In February 2010, she joined Elliott Yamin
Elliott Yamin
Elliott Yamin , born Efraym Elliott Yamin, is an American singer known for his hit single "Wait for You" and placing third on the fifth season of American Idol....
a former American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
contestant in a charity trip sponsored by ExxonMobil
ExxonMobil
Exxon Mobil Corporation or ExxonMobil, is an American multinational oil and gas corporation. It is a direct descendant of John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil company, and was formed on November 30, 1999, by the merger of Exxon and Mobil. Its headquarters are in Irving, Texas...
to Angola
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
where they visited malaria prevention and treatment projects as part of Idol Gives Back
Idol Gives Back
Idol Gives Back is the name of a charitable campaign that spanned two episodes of American Idol during its sixth season. A second Idol Gives Back concert and fundraiser occurred on April 9, 2008, during the seventh season of the show. Idol Gives Back was not held in 2009 due to the ongoing...
.
DioGuardi splits her time between Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
and Prospect Harbor, Maine.
External links
- [ Kara DioGuardi at All Music Guide]
- LiveDaily - Platinum Weird's Dave Stewart and Kara DioGuardi interview