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Diane Warren Says She 'Meant No Disrespect' to Beyoncé After Epic BeyHive Dragging
Songwriter Diane Warren apologized on Twitter after commenting on 24 songwriters who contributed to new Beyoncé song "Alien Superstar."
The BeyHive backed songwriter, musician and producer Diane Warren into a corner after allegedly referencing new Beyoncé track "Alien Superstar." Days after Bey released her seventh album Renaissance, on Monday (August 1), Warren tweeted "How can there be 24 writers on a song?" Although Warren didn't mention any artist by name, the BeyHive promptly responded, as third Renaissance track "Alien Superstar" has 24 songwriters listed in the credits.
Warren, whose career as a songwriter began in the 1980s, has written monumental hits in R&B and pop, including "Un-break My Heart" by Toni Braxton, "For You I Will" by Monica, "Have You Ever?" by Brandy, "The One I Gave My Heart To" by Aaliyah and more. Warren even wrote Beyoncé's 2011 track "I Was Here" from her fourth album, aptly titled 4.
On Twitter, Warren attempted to clarify that her initial tweet wasn't "meant as shade," but with the BeyHive's feelings still raw after Kelis backlash, the swarm ensued. Some Beyoncé fans even pulled up the fact that Warren has had 13 nominations in the Best Original Song category at The Oscars but has yet to win.
None— ladidai \ud83d\udd1c Eternal Garden \ud83d\udc90 (@ladidai \ud83d\udd1c Eternal Garden \ud83d\udc90) 1659405249
\u201c@Diane_Warren Same way you have 13 nominations and no wins.\u201d— Diane Warren (@Diane Warren) 1659368437
\u201cPeople like Diane Warren perfectly showcase the attitude of the older white generation of big artists towards Black women in the music industry. And it\u2019s not a good look.\u201d— BEYTHOVEN is HEATED | non-affiliated fan account (@BEYTHOVEN is HEATED | non-affiliated fan account) 1659389679
\u201c@Diane_Warren @TheKingDream Sure, Diane \ud83e\udd28\u201d— Diane Warren (@Diane Warren) 1659368437
\u201cOk, it's prob samples that add up the ammount of writerrs\u201d— Diane Warren (@Diane Warren) 1659368437
Singer-songwriter and producer The-Dream even jumped in to defend Renaissance, as he c0-wrote ten songs on the album, including lead single "Break My Soul." Without mentioning the song's title, The-Dream promptly clarified that "Alien Superstar" contained samples and interpolations.
\u201c@Diane_Warren Btw I know it\u2019s not a one on one writing contest you looking for from no one over here\u2026\u2026 you don\u2019t want that smoke And you know I love you, but come on. Stop acting like your records haven\u2019t been sampled \ud83d\udc40\ud83d\ude02\ud83d\ude80\u201d— Diane Warren (@Diane Warren) 1659368437
He also shared that the song included a number of "young writers" and that songwriting is "more fun together."
\u201cIt\u2019s about Art, not one artist or writer me or them. With all due respect and love for those who came before and will come after. Im truly Sorry if I disturbed the force today that\u2019s not my purpose. Peace\u201d— THE-DREAM (@THE-DREAM) 1659395253
Ultimately, Warren apologized, claiming that she meant "no disrespect" to Beyoncé.
Beyoncé also made an apology on Monday after some listeners took offense to her usage of the ableist word "spaz" on track "Heated." The Grammy-winner made a statement that the lyric would be removed. “The word, not used intentionally in a harmful way, will be replaced,” a statement from the singer's team reads. “The road to success is always under construction.”
