Diane Warren Admits She'd Rather Lose Awards and Stay Relevant Than Win and Disappear: 'This Is Longevity'

Diane Warren could potentially score her first Oscar win on Sunday after receiving 13 nominations in the best original song category at the Academy Awards since 1988

Diane Warren attends the 15th Annual WIF Oscar Party celebrating the 2022 Women Oscar Nominees on March 25, 2022 in Los Angeles, California.
Photo: Amy Sussman/WireImage

Diane Waren says win or lose, when it comes to awards, she's just happy with the amazing career that she's had.

The 65-year-old songwriter and musician caught up with PEOPLE while attending the 15th Annual WIF Oscar Party on Friday evening, where she opened up about potentially scoring her first Oscar win on Sunday after being nominated 13 times in the best original song category at the Academy Awards since 1988.

For the 2022 Oscars, Warren is nominated for her track "Somehow You Do," performed by country music star Reba McEntire. The song is featured within the drama Four Good Days, which stars Glenn Close and Mila Kunis as a mother-daughter duo who work together to help Kunis' character's recovery from substance abuse.

Noting that being nominated once more is "exciting," Warren told PEOPLE exclusively, however, "Getting nominated this year was hard. You know, no one even saw it coming."

"I was like, 'Well, I'm not sure about this one,' but people love the song," she continued. "It feels great because it's like The Little Engine That Could, so I love that. And a little engine can go far, so we'll see on Sunday."

Diane Warren walks the carpet at the 15th Annual WIF Oscar Party at Bar Lis in Hollywood, California, on March 25, 2022.
Lisa O'Connor/AFP via Getty

Overall, Warren has been nominated 13 times in the best original song category, but has yet to take home an award.

She was nominated in 1988 for "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now," 1997 for "Because You Loved Me," 1998 for "How Do I Live," 1999 for "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing," 2000 for "Music of My Heart," 2002 for "There You'll Be," 2015 for "Grateful," 2016 for "Til It Happens to You," 2018 for "Stand Up for Something," 2019 for "I'll Fight," 2020 for "I'm Standing with You", and 2021 for her song with Laura Pausini, "lo Sì (Seen)," which was featured in the Italian film, La Vita Davanti a Se, or The Life Ahead.

Want to get the biggest stories from PEOPLE every weekday? Subscribe to our new podcast, PEOPLE Every Day, to get the essential celebrity, entertainment and human interest news stories Monday through Friday.

Still, making history as the most nominated female without a win doesn't phase her.

"If I had to choose winning years ago and then never getting nominated again, I would choose this. Because this is longevity, this is respect by my peers, which is the best. That's a win," Warren explained. "It's a legacy. It's like, I'm still in the game. My first nomination was 1988 and I'm still here. How cool is that?"

RELATED VIDEO: Legendary Songwriter Diane Warren Celebrates Her 11th Oscars Nomination with 'Breakthrough'

Warren also told PEOPLE she is looking forward to the 94th Academy Awards, given that they are taking place as COVID-19 cases and restrictions begin to lessen.

"It feels better, you know, that it's getting back to normal," she said. "I was at Union Station last year, because I was nominated for my song 'Seen' with Laura Pausini, and it was the weirdest Oscars ever."

RELATED GALLERY: Celebrities at Oscars 2022 Pre-Parties: Photos

"It was still great to be nominated, but this feels like, okay, it's getting back to kind of the way it was," Warren continued. "Hopefully we'll all use common sense, but I'm excited. I can't wait till Sunday, whatever happens. I made history this year."

Regina Hall, Amy Schumer, and Wanda Sykes host the 2022 Oscars this Sunday from Hollywood's Dolby Theatre on ABC.

Related Articles