Kara DioGuardi

Kara Elizabeth DioGuardi, born December 9, 1970, in Ossining, New York, is an American songwriter, record producer, music publisher, A&R executive, and singer who has also appeared on Broadway. Her work spans primarily the pop rock genre, and albums featuring her compositions have sold in excess of 160 million copies worldwide. In 1996, DioGuardi appeared on Broadway in the play Chicago.

DioGuardi grew up in the Wilmot Woods section of New Rochelle, New York, and attended the Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic School in Scarsdale before graduating from The Masters School in Dobbs Ferry, New York. She earned a degree in political science from Duke University. Her father is former Republican Congressman and 2010 U.S. Senate candidate Joe DioGuardi, and her grandfather was Albanian. Her mother, Carol, died in 1997 following a seven-year battle with ovarian cancer. After college, DioGuardi worked at Billboard magazine as an assistant to Timothy White and Howard Lander, and later served as an advertising sales representative there.

Her professional songwriting catalog numbers several hundred songs, with over 300 released on major labels worldwide and more than 150 appearing on platinum-selling albums. She has accumulated 50 international charting singles and contributed to more than 66 albums that reached the top ten of the Billboard 200. Among her notable collaborations, DioGuardi co-wrote a portion of Kelly Clarkson's 2004 album Breakaway, including the single "Walk Away," and co-wrote twelve of the thirteen tracks on disc one of Christina Aguilera's 2006 album Back to Basics, among them "Ain't No Other Man" and "Back in the Day." She wrote and produced "Ooh Ooh Baby" and co-produced "Heaven on Earth" for Britney Spears' 2007 album Blackout, and contributed a majority of the songs on Hilary Duff's fourth studio album, Dignity, that same year.

In 2006, DioGuardi and Eurythmics member Dave Stewart wrote "Taking Chances," which Celine Dion recorded and released as the lead single from her album of the same name in September 2007. The song reached the top ten in Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Italy, and Switzerland, peaked at number 40 on the UK Singles Chart, and reached number 54 on the Billboard Hot 100. DioGuardi and Stewart had previously collaborated under the band name Platinum Weird. In 2009, she co-wrote "Not Meant to Be" with Theory of a Deadman lead singer Tyler Connolly for the band's 2008 album Scars & Souvenirs, and also appeared as the love interest in the song's music video, released March 10, 2009. That same year, she wrote "If I Can't Have You" for Meat Loaf's 2010 album Hang Cool Teddy Bear and recorded the track as a vocal duet with him.

DioGuardi has also written extensively for film and television, with credits including "Someone Watching over Me" for Raise Your Voice, "We Rock" and "Play My Music" for Camp Rock, "Brand New Day" for Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam, "He Could Be the One" for Hannah Montana, and "Halo" for One Tree Hill. Songs such as "Come Clean" served as the theme for Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County, and "Autobiography" was used on The Ashlee Simpson Show.

On the business side, DioGuardi co-owns Arthouse Entertainment, a music publishing company whose catalog includes Bruno Mars' "Just the Way You Are" and "Grenade," Cee-Lo Green's "Forget You," Eminem's "Monster," Demi Lovato's "Heart Attack," and Maroon 5's "Memories," among many other charting releases. In 2008, she was appointed executive vice president of talent development at Warner Bros. Records, where she signed acts including Jason Derulo and Iyaz.

DioGuardi joined American Idol as a fourth judge for its eighth season in 2009, alongside Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson, and Paula Abdul, and returned for the ninth season alongside Cowell, Jackson, and new judge Ellen DeGeneres. She departed the show on September 3, 2010, and did not return for the tenth season. During her tenure, she co-wrote the season eight coronation single "No Boundaries," performed by both finalists. In July 2006, she had previously served as a judge on the ABC competition series The One: Making a Music Star, which was canceled after two weeks. In 2011, she served as a head judge on the Bravo singer-songwriter competition series Platinum Hit.

Among the honors DioGuardi has received are the 2011 NAMM Music for Life Award, the 2009 NMPA Songwriter Icon Award, the 2007 BMI Pop Songwriter of the Year designation, and 20 BMI Awards for co-writing songs.