Sofia Carson And Diane Warren Deserve "Applause" For Their Ascendant 2023 Oscars Performance | GRAMMY.com (2024)

Sofia Carson and Diane Warren enchanted the Oscars tonight with an uplifting rendition of their nominated song "Applause" from Tell It Like A Woman.

"Applause" is Carson's first Oscar nomination, and it marks Warren's fourteenth. Warren has been nominated for Best Original Song every year since 2018.

Warren has taken home a golden gramophone for her songwriting, with 15 GRAMMY nominations under her belt. Actress and singer Carson funded the Latin GRAMMY 2022 Prodigy Scholarship presented by the Latin GRAMMY Cultural Foundation.

Other nominees in the Best Original Song category are “Applause” from Tell It like a Woman (Diane Warren), “Hold My Hand” from Top Gun: Maverick (Lady Gaga, BloodPop), "Lift Me Up" from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (Tems, Rihanna, Ryan Coogler and Ludwig Göransson), “Naatu Naatu” from RRR (M.M. Keeravaani, Chandrabose), and “This Is A Life” from Everything Everywhere All at Once (Ryan Lott, David Byrne, Mitski).

How Diane Warren Stepped Out From Behind The Curtain On Her Debut Album 'The Cave Sessions, Vol. 1'

There’s one Cher joke that has endured over the years: "The only thing left after a nuclear war is cockroaches … and Cher."

It’s a wry reminder of the remarkable longevity, survival and staying power that the GRAMMY-winning singer has achieved in her legendary half-century career.

First hitting the airwaves in 1964 with husband Sonny Bono, Cher has persevered in a perilous industry, one that long denied female artists autonomy, agency and artistic freedom. Not only has Cher sustained her popularity and relevance, but she has succeeded in most of her extracurricular endeavors of television, film, and fashion. One hundred million records and countless accolades along the way, Cher remains one of the world’s best-selling music artists and among its most timeless.

As a musician, Cher's career is tough to trump — from her Best Dance Recording golden gramophone for the seminal "Believe" to being the only solo artist to have a Billboard No. 1 single in seven consecutive decades. The singer’s fearlessness and tenacity has long resonated with listeners and musicians. The playbook Cher has followed — moving between genres, transforming her public image, launching countless "comebacks" — has been followed by later single-name contemporaries such as Madonna and Beyoncé.

From donning her infamous bodysuit for "If I Could Turn Back Time" to insisting producers use the Auto-Tuned version of "Believe," Cher’s outspoken backing of herself has become the singer’s trademark attitude. If Cher believes she can, she will. Even her more recent wild and sometimes incoherent tweets reflect the way Cher has always boldly narrated her own story.

Whether through provocation, ingenuity or a complete reinvention, Cher stands as one of modern music’s most trailblazing and transformative female artists. Her career has mirrored the story of popular music — from the birth of rock and roll to the disruptive changes technology offered artists in the new millennium. Despite the odds stacked against her, the singer has continued to offer a powerful story of resilience, returning each decade with a return serve.

In celebration of her new retrospective album, Forever and upcoming induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, GRAMMY.com charts Cher’s folk-rock beginnings, countless rebirths, and recent dancefloor triumphs. The songbook reveals a pioneering female entertainer whose mantra has always been to sing, create and perform on her own terms — and rebel when the naysayers so no.

A Sonny Romance During "Free Love"

When Cher began her career in the 1960s, she intertwined her solo efforts with duets featuring her musical and romantic partner, Sonny Bono. In the mid-'60s and through the end of the decade, the pair were an incredibly popular, if not saccharine, presence. In the era of free love, hedonism and rebellion, Sonny and Cher's sweet love songs celebrated sweet romance and monogamy.

A 16-year-old Cher first met Sonny when he was 27 and working as a record producer for Phil Spector. Romance and marriage followed, and the couple began to write and record together. Cher had intense stage fright and insisted that Sonny accompany her for early performances. Their debut 1965 album, Look at Us, was a smash success, hitting No. 1 in America and delivering their signature song "I Got You Babe." (The track was inducted into the GRAMMY Hall of Fame in 2017.)

Cher’s early career might have been defined by a man but this designation was only short-lived. While performing as Sonny and Cher, the young singer tried writing her own verses. (Sonny recognized her viability as a solo singer and supported his partner.) Cher’s first single, a cover of Bob Dylan’s "All I Really Want to Do," attracted minor chart success, but "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" ushered in her first big hit (and many covers). Other releases dealt with contentious social issues, from divorce on "You Better Sit Down Kids" to "I Feel Something in the Air" on an unwanted pregnancy.

While Sonny and Cher had fallen out of popularity by the end of the decade due, at least in part, to their ongoing conservatism, Cher's star rose. The singer, long known for her striking features, distinctive voice, and noteworthy sartorial choices, was pitched to the public as a folk-rock singer who was unafraid to share confessional tales on controversial issues. Her appearance was considered radical, confusing and likely exciting more middle-of-the-road audiences with such androgynous looks.

Still, Cher’s own rebelliousness and singularity — namely her contralto voice, which according to her 1998 memoir The First Time, radio stations confused for the voice of a man — helped shore up a dedicated fan base. As she stepped away from Sonny and throughout her illustrious career, Cher continued to challenge popular views on sexuality and femininity. Cher's rebellion — seen on TV, in fashion circles and through music — soon made her a bold new music star on the rise.

Taking The Provocative Path Forward

Cher the solo artist soon gained a larger audience — to the tune of 30 million weekly viewers. On the primetime television show "The Sonny and Cher Show," Cher exuded performative femininity and daring sex appeal. Shielded by the figurative protection of her marriage, Cher was free to dress provocatively and showcase a more liberal side of her artistry.

Between 1971 and 1974, Cher used costumes, wigs and comedy to perform different female characters (and caricatures) often provoking shock or delight in viewers. She performed her first No. 1 solo hit, "Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves," on the show — the rolling, narrative track detailed the prejudice and poverty of travelling gypsies, alluding to Cher’s own impoverished background.

"The Sonny and Cher Show" was not without backstage drama, however. It led to a string of arguments where the singer fought the network censors, including to have her navel exposed on television. "When I was married and doing the ‘Sonny and Cher Show,’ I could get away with all kinds of double entendre stuff, and nobody took it seriously," she wrote in The First Time. "But after my divorce, all that changed."

Sonny, Cher and their child Chaz would appear as a happy family on the show. And while 1974 saw the end of her marriage to Sonny, the year had signs of continuing success. "Dark Lady" (from the album of the same name) hit the top of the charts and became her third No. 1, making Cher the first female artist with the most Billboard number ones at that time. The narrative song paired folk music with pop sensibility to deliver a gritty yet toe-tapping tale of squaring fortunes and exacting revenge. It also was another song in Cher’s growing repertoire that celebrated a woman at the margins, a major theme of Cher’s 1970s output.

Around this time, Cher also released "Half-Breed," a controversial entry in her discography. The song retold the story of a young woman with a white father and a Native American mother, with the singer donning a feathered headdress in the music video and similar clothing for live performances (even as recently as 2018). Cher has no claim to Native American ancestry and many have now criticized her appropriative costumes in live performance. Nevertheless, the divisive song hit No. 1 and helped connect Cher's sound and image with an eclectic mix of class, race and gender identities.

By the end of the decade, Cher was struggling to continue such formidable success. She released a series of flop albums — I’d Rather Believe in You, Cherished and Prisoner — before making a brief effort at disco, Take Me Home. Despite reportedly not wanting to enter the genre and stick with pop music, the 1979 release's title track had minor success. Whether that success was due to the music itself is debatable; its bold album cover featured Cher, half naked, staring right back at her audience.

The Comeback Queen

By the early 1980s, music had begun to take a backseat for Cher. A Giorgio Moroder produced song from 1980, "Bad Love," went nowhere. An experiment helming a punk band called Black Rose wrapped up only after one year. Another album, this time experimenting with new wave and soft rock, failed to chart. Cher, true to form, reassessed and reinvented, returning to acting.During a five-year hiatus from music, Cher the actor earned significant accolades — including an Academy Award for Moonstruck, a Golden Globe for Silkwood and the Best Actress gong at Cannes for Mask.

Cher emerged from this period as a successful and widely respected actor, soon proving to any skeptics that she was a truly multi-hyphenate artist. Cher’s new credentials as a talented actor did not come without naysayers, especially when musicians — including female artists — were mostly expected to stay in their own lane at the time.

Cher made what would be one of several (and successful) comebacks, returning to her roots with the 1987 rock album Cher. The genre was a safe gamble, taking on the radio-friendly rock format (aided by the likes of producers Michael Bolton and Jon Bon Jovi it), and delivering the Top 10 cover "I Found Someone." Such success again — after 20 years in the music business — was an early providence of greater things to come.

What followed in 1989 would attract equal parts public notoriety and critical acclaim. Heart of Stone was another rock foray, featuring the sweet Peter Cetera duet "After All" and forceful rock anthem "Just Like Jesse James." Its greatest and most iconic track, however, remains the Diane Warren-penned pop rock anthem "If I Could Turn Back Time" and its infamous music video.

In the video, Cher — wearing a leather thong sitting astride a cannon — serenades real-life sailors on a naval warship. Few female entertainers at the time were baring all, but Cher was an unapologetic provocateur who knew how to stir up controversy. MTV first banned the video before compromising by playing it only after 9 p.m.; news outlets and the U.S. Navy went into a frenzy for her outrageous outfit. Risqué or not, Cher continues to don the ensemble that helped underscore her skill at using shock to her advantage.

Purveyors of Cher’s lore will also recognize the title track "Heart of Stone" as an autobiographical entry that nods to a string of relationships with younger men (from Tom Cruise to Val Kilmer). While those relationships became intense tabloid fodder, the song's music video stressed Cher’s fearlessness as she stood before a series of blinking televisions broadcasting key moments (and political events) from her career.

Cher thrived amidst the controversy around her third "comeback" and achieved some of her biggest hits in a decade. This combination galvanized her image as a defiant and brash rock star — now with serious acting creds to boot.

Singing The New (Auto-)Tune

Before there was Believe, Cher released two respectable, if safe, albums: Love Hurts and It’s a Man’s World. The '90s would represent her fourth "comeback" (but who’s counting?). Cher would achieve chart domination by using Auto-Tune, catapulting her to global superstardom again and forever changing the music industry and expectations of an aging pop-rock star.

The decade did start with personal setbacks, including doubts about her film career (after difficulties with 1990's Mermaids) alongside chronic health problems (leading to a string of notorious and much parodied infomercials). Love Hurts delivered a series of middle-of-the-road ballads and covers, including "The Shoop Shoop Song (It’s in His Kiss)" and Bonnie Tyler soft rock anthem "Save Up All Your Tears."

It was followed up by clever and inventive It’s a Man’s World, which saw the singer embrace soul songs from male artists associated with the Deep South. Remaking music first popularized by men fulfilled a personal belief of Cher’s: that she could do anything a man could, perhaps even better. Much like her often-quoted response to her mom on needing a rich man for marriage, Cher rebutted by saying she was "a rich man."

The album featured the standout cover "Walking in Memphis" — including a video of Cher impersonating a young aspiring Elvis-esque man — that saw the singer push herself vocally and musically where she hadn’t yet ventured before. Although the song didn’t chart in the U.S., the second breathy single "One by One" gained traction on the dance charts. In it, Cher’s high falsetto broke with her trademark husky register and made for intoxicating listening. Unfortunately, it didn’t fare well commercially, so Warner Brothers suggested she try dance for her next album.

So begins the story of "Believe" and Cher’s transformative use of Auto-Tune. While the technology was typically used to mask vocal inaccuracies in recordings, Cher employed it for stylistic purposes. Embedding the digitized vocals into an anthemic Eurodance-inspired song about finding inner strength from past heartache helped Cher — in her early 50s, no less — radically revolutionize the music landscape. Soon others were adopting Auto-Tune for their tracks while aging female peers were embracing dance music to reinvigorate their careers. The manipulated sound wasn’t meant to remain on the final version until Cher insisted it stay even when the record label wanted it cut.

Believe was a cohesive, innovative and joyous dance record that once again pushed the singer to new sonic frontiers. Its declarative messages on freedom and self-knowledge ("I need time to move on/ I need love to feel strong") and transformative modern dance sounds exported from Europe (captured on "Strong Enough") took Cher’s career to new and unexpected heights. Soon enough, the album scaled the charts worldwide, hitting No. 4 in the U.S. and No. 7 in the U.K.

"Believe" eventually became the U.K.’s best-selling single ever from a woman, sold 11 million copies worldwide and won Cher the GRAMMY for Best Dance Recording.

Read More: 10 Ways Cher’s "Believe" Changed Pop Music

Inventing the "Farewell" Tour

Then came her "farewell."

Pegged to promote her 2001 album Living Proof — another entry embracing Auto-Tune and dance music — Cher embarked on the Living Proof: The Farewell Tour that ran for three years. It retrospectively became known as the "first" farewell tour as two more tours would follow, plus a Las Vegas residency in between. The residency's opulence and campiness underlined both Cher’s grandiosity and perseverance; decades in, Cher had a powerful mythology that embodied rule-breaking, brashness and survival.

The Living Proof album itself galvanized Cher’s image as a pop music maker, one that delivered a series of dance song anthems celebrating empowerment and emancipation. "Song for the Lonely," originally a dance song on love, was quickly recut as a heartfelt tribute to the devastation from the September 11 attacks. Legions of fans have since taken comfort in this redemptive upbeat track on overcoming loneliness and loss.

The Farewell Tour may not have been her final farewell, but it did break countless records by its end. Running between 2002–05, the tour had an incredible 325 dates and earned the singer $250 million, soon becoming one of the highest grossing tours of the decade. It was an incredible feat for an older female entertainer on the brink of irrelevance a decade earlier. ("Follow this, bitches!" she regularly told tour audiences.)

Cher may have entertained the idea of a retirement (keeping a low profile between 2005–08) but returned to the spotlight with a long overdue and campish performance in 2010’s Burlesque. The cheesy movie-musical co-starred Christina Aguilera and introduced Cher to a whole new generation, one perhaps not familiar with her diva-ish, outspoken and exaggerated public persona. (A status perhaps most iconically captured on-screen when Cher calls for Aguilera to perform "Wagon Wheel Watusi.")

Diane Warren also penned a new emotive ballad for the singer, aptly titled "You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me." Another declarative "comeback" track, it proved — vocally and musically — Cher was far from retirement, even at 64. The song attracted yet another Golden Globe Award and was nominated for a GRAMMY, achieving musical acclaim in a musical that has divided critics.

Capitalizing on the renewed interest, Cher hit the studio for her 25th album. Pulling in other successful artists as collaborators, including Timbaland and Lady Gaga, the dance pop genre came calling again with the release of 2013’s Closer to the Truth. After meeting Gaga at the 2010 VMAs, Cher worked with the singer on the duet, "The Greatest Thing." The track never made it into the final album after an apparent disagreement over the final vocals but a leaked version remains available.

With its Playboy centerfold style cover, Cher reminded the masses of her sex appeal, self-mockery and age-defying talents in her sixties. The song "Woman’s World" was a playful dance-pop chart declaring the importance of female empowerment, sincerely. "I Hope You Find It" saw Cher at a more tender side, offering a rawer ballad that reminded many of her vocal prowess and emotive abilities that were not always seen in her dance music.

Remember, You Haven’t Seen The Last Of Cher

Seven decades into her career, Cher maintains her Midas touch. The diva herself has reminded us that rules, records and conventions (like on aging and gender) are there to be broken — and she remains determined to shatter them.

After an appearance in the Mamma Mia movie sequel, the entertainer again welcomed her dance diva appeal with an album of ABBA covers, Dancing Queen. The 2018 record not only jump-started another world tour for the singer but also saw her garner some of her best critical reviews since Believe. Chart success also achieved with placings of No. 3 in the U.S. and No. 2 in the U.K.

In 2023, Cher set another music frontier to conquer: the Christmas album. The first single, "DJ Play a Christmas Song," was a pop-dance banger that continued the singer’s record as the only solo artist to secure No. 1 song on a Billboard chart in seven consecutive decades (from the 1960s to the 2020s).

After more than a half century making music, Cher’s songbook — one that traverses folk rock and disco, R&B, dance and rock, ABBA to holiday music — remains a lesson in ingenuity and perseverance. Cher’s enduring message has remained one about empowerment and rebelling against expectations.

Throughout, Cher has demonstrated an unparalleled ability to reinvent and persevere. Era after era, decade after decade, Cher has adapted (and mostly thrived) by challenging us to question and rebel against cultural, social and political biases against women, especially in the entertainment industry.

Through comebacks, farewells and reinventions, Cher remains living proof that it’s possible to succeed by breaking life’s rules — you just need to do it time and time again.

Living Legends is a series that spotlights icons in music still going strong today. This week, GRAMMY.com spoke with Belinda Carlisle, singer of the groundbreaking rock group the Go-Go's and a solo act. Carlisle is currently on tour, supporting a new EP, Kismet.

Belinda Carlisle first fell in love with music when she was about 10 years old. Her family lived in the L.A area, and Carlisle would wile away the hours listening to records by the Beach Boys, the Animals, and Cat Stevens. Fast forward four years and Carlisle was a full-blown angsty adolescent, prone to skipping school and seeing what trouble she and her friends could get into. Though she managed to graduate high school, she bounced from job to job after, ultimately (and fortunately) leaving home around 19 to pursue music, thanks in part to a few nudges from Lorna Doom, bassist for foundational punk band the Germs, who she’d met in high school.

Carlisle’s stint in the Germs was quick and dirty thanks to a bad case of mono, but she bounced back with aplomb, teaming up with a few friends, to form the group that would become the Go-Go’s. The group’s 1981 debut LP, Beauty And The Beat, hit No. 1 on the Billboard charts — the first record by an all-female rock ‘n’ roll band to do so. Two more hit records followed, with singles like "Our Lips Are Sealed," "We Got The Beat," and "Head Over Heels" helping The Go-Go’s cement their place in the pantheon of popular music.

The Go-Go’s broke up in 1985 and Carlisle set out on a solo career. She snatched early success with singles like "Mad About You" and "In My Wildest Dreams,"but really hit it big with her second solo effort, 1987’s Heaven On Earth. That album's power pop production, boldly infectious title track and the Diane Warren-penned "I Get Weak" earned Carlisle a GRAMMY nomination. (The Go-Go’s also got one, for Best New Artist in 1982.)

Carlisle’s relationship with music has been on an interesting trajectory ever since. Her four pop records were tepidly received in the States and her two most recent solo full-lengths — 2007’s Voila and 2017’s Wilder Shoes — contained only French standards and Sikh chants, respectively.

But on her new EP, Kismet, Carlisle is re-entering the pop space. A collaboration of sorts with Diane Warren, who penned all of the record’s tracks, Kismet is joyful and modern, with lead single "Big, Big Love" landing atop the charts for the UK’s Radio 2. It’s a welcome surprise for Carlisle, who’s currently out on the road doing live dates, including stops in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and New York.

GRAMMY.com spoke to Carlisle about her new record, her thoughts on the future of the Go-Gos, and why she thinks people need pop music now more than ever.

It’s been reported that this record is called Kismet in part because it came out of a chance encounter your son had with Diane Warren at a coffee shop. What really made you want to get back into the studio and release this record?

The songs. It’s as simple as that. I wasn't really planning to go back into the studio before, because I didn't really think that it would happen. Great songs usually go to artists that are already in the charts or younger artists, you know? And when I got the call, I was "Do I really want to do this?"

It's a big commitment. But I felt like I needed to give it a chance, at least, and when I heard the songs, that's really what got me excited to do another English-language pop project in the vein of my older albums.

And it’s doing well! You’ve got the No. 1 single on the Radio 2 charts!

It's totally unexpected. It's so weird.

I had no expectations but I knew it was a really good project, and really good solid pop songs. My attitude has always been, I had a blast doing it, I know it's good work, the fans will love it, and we'll see what happens. And I've been totally surprised that, in countries around the world including the U.S., it has debuted in the top five.

Tell us about your relationship with Diane Warren. Do you think a song like "Big Big Love" would work for anyone, or do you two just really just get each other?

Diane and I clicked when we first met. Through the years, we’ve run into each other on occasion, but when this whole thing started happening and I went to the studio to start working with her, it was like… you know how with certain friends you can just pick up where you left off and there's no feeling uncomfortable, no weirdness, and no getting to know each other? It’s like that.

I have a really good sense of myself. She has a really good sense of my voice. Weirdly enough, I loved every song that she presented to me. I mean, I'm normally very fussy. I don't just want to sing anything for the sake of doing it.I have to absolutely love it both lyrically and melodically, so it's tough.

How was that sense of self that you have changed over the years? Do you see yourself differently now than you did in ‘87? Or even in ‘97?

I was really insecure in the mid-‘80s when I embarked on my solo career. I was really lucky to work with [Producer] Rick Nowels on Heaven On Earth, because I was kind of like his muse and he took me under his wing. And it just so happened that I loved his songwriting and Ellen Shipley’s and Diane’s, so I was lucky in that way but I still was insecure about my voice and insecure in a lot of different ways.

I think as I've gotten older — and especially after I got sober like 18 years ago — it’s gotten a bit better. I thought, Okay, this is really what I'm meant to be doing and obviously, I'm good at what I do. It may not be the best voice but it's distinctive. And I’ve been really working on my voice and not taking it for granted, too.

I just think overall now I have confidence that I didn't have when I was younger, and even when I was younger and successful.

I wanted to ask about the Go-Go’s being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame a few years ago. You were quoted after the fact saying that you didn’t think the experience would be that amazing but that, in reality, it really was. Tell me what you meant, and why it meant so much to you all in that moment.

Of course, it's great to get recognition. What we did was amazing. There's no doubt about that. I don't really care about awards, but it's the whole thing about how when you actually get an award, it's pretty cool. It feels really good.

That night was a great way to cement the legacy of the band and the hard work that we put into it for 40-odd years. I don't think I've ever felt such an enormous wave of love for the band. It really kind of took me aback, actually. I knew that people liked us, but this was like this amazing, energetic sort of wave. And of course you’re performing in front of your peers and people like Paul McCartney, which was, in the end, even more amazing than I expected.

You've known Diane Warren for almost 40 years. You've known the women in the Go-Go's for longer than that? How have your relationships changed in that time?

There are very complicated dynamics in a band full of five women that have been together for that long, for sure. But I think that when we all were sitting at the Sundance festival, when the documentary [about The Go-Go’s] was being premiered… Some people didn't look up to the band as ground breakers or whatever, but when we saw what we did on the big screen, it was like, wow, we did that.

When you see it kind of encapsulated in the story that was told really well and that captured the essence of the band, I think it made all of us have a new respect for each other. Maybe through the years, we might have taken each other for granted, but that changed seeing that documentary.

It's family. It's not even friends or colleagues. We know each other like the back of our hand. We might not see each other for years and years but whenever we get back into the rehearsal studio, it’s like riding a bike. We pick up where you left off.

The same goes with Diane. You pick up where you left off, and not just work-wise but friendship wise. She's not a good friend, but she's still a friend and we just really gel. Even if she wasn't the greatest living songwriter at this moment, I would still probably have her as a friend because I like her a lot as a person.

**Let’s talk about your time coming up in the L.A. punk scene in the late ‘70s. It is sort of staggering to think all that was happening around the same time Laurel Canyon was still churning and Fleetwood Mac was releasing Rumours. Talk to me about what it was like to be with the Germs and in that scene at that time. Sometimes, the actual group of people who start something like that can be very small, but in the end it turns out to be so significant.**

In retrospect, everything around the world was different. London was angry and political and New York was sort of dark and junky. Detroit was hardcore working class. But in L.A. and in Southern California, there wasn't a whole lot to be angry about really in the late ‘70s.

It was kind of a sparkle. I don't know how to put it into words, because it was an energy that was very much about art. That was a big part of the punk scene. It was kind of sparkly, somehow, and that was probably because of the magic that California had back then.

I was one of the original punks. I met Darby [Crash] and Pat [Smear, of the Germs] trying to get Freddie Mercury's autograph at the Beverly Hilton back in 1977. That was at the very beginning of the punk scene and the Germs did the very first punk show or one of the very first punk shows in L.A. at a horrifying theater on Holloway Drive in West Hollywood. It's not there anymore but we knew that it was something special.

It exploded really fast. It was 50 kids then all of a sudden it was 500 kids and then 5,000 kids. There were beach punks, Hollywood punks, Valley punks… There was an energy in the air. Everything was so exciting. I lived in this punk rock crash pad called Disgraceland that’s kind of infamous — but I remember saying, "It's so lucky that we can realize this in the moment and know that we're part of something that is really special." Those kinds of movements don't come along very often and we were there at the very beginning. It was an incredible, incredible experience.

And to have the fortitude and foresight to say, "I don't play an instrument, but I'm going to figure it out and we're going to put something together." I mean, the Go-Go’s really happened pretty fast, from inception to No. 1.

Well, we were kids and, of course, it was the American dream where anything is possible. We were prime examples of that. Everybody was in a band, really, because the scene was so small, but not everybody was that good. We didn't have to be good.

That was part of the beauty of the punk scene is that we didn't really have to be musicians. We could learn as we went along, and that's what we did. We were lucky to have gotten a lot of guitar lessons and vocal lessons along the way from other bands, too.

Are you still in touch with Pat Smear?

Yes, because Pat and I were in our first band together so when [Smear’s current band] the Foo Fighters got into inducted into the Rock Hall, the Go-Go’s were the same year, so we had a conversation on the phone, like, "Isn't it weird to go from the Germs to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?" It was very sweet and funny.

How do you define your musical style at this point? If you had to say put Belinda Carlisle in a subsection of music, what would it be?

Sort of anthemic, melodic pop, I think. Maybe romantic pop songs with complicated melodies? There's a little bit of sadness in a lot of my songs and especially in my earlier catalog, but, really, I guess I would just say "good solid pop songs," which people may write off, but they're really important.

I just did a big tour in the UK that was sold out every night. In the UK, 20 years ago, I was doing little clubs where maybe 20 people would show up because I really had some serious issues going on, but now I’m doing these big shows? And so when I was doing this tour that was packed with people, I just realized that people need pop music. It brings joy to people. People can escape, and especially in this world right now, that’s really, really important.

Since its founding in 1969, the Songwriters Hall of Fame has been celebrating the great songwriters and composers of our time. In 2010, it found a physical home at Downtown Los Angeles' GRAMMY Museum.

Now, the GRAMMY Museum is adding to that legacy with a special expanded exhibit, which dives deep into the history of songwriting and recorded music in the United States — as well as the Songwriters Hall of Fame and its inductees' role in it. Whether you're a songwriter or musician who loves the creative process, a history nerd, or simply a music lover, this exhibit is for you.

When you enter The Power Of Song, you'll hear the voices of legendary Songwriter Hall of Fame inductees and GRAMMY winners — including Nile Rodgers, Carole King, Diane Warren, Smokey Robinson and Jimmy Jam — discussing their creative process and some of the biggest songs they've written. Take a seat on the couch to absorb all their wisdom in the deeply informative and inspiring original short film.

Turn to the right, and you'll find a timeline across the entire wall, explaining the origins and key points around songwriting and recorded music in the U.S. On the other wall, pop on the headphones provided to enjoy a video of memorable Hall of Fame ceremony performances. One interactive video interface near the entrance allows you to hear "song highlights," and another allows you to explore the entire Songwriters Hall of Fame database.

The exhibit is filled with a treasure trove of handwritten song lyrics from Taylor Swift, Cyndi Lauper, Tom Petty and many more, as well as iconic artifacts, including Daft Punk's helmets, a classy Nile Rodgers GRAMMY look, and guitars from Bill Withers, Tom Petty, John Mellencamp and Toby Keith.

Below, take a look at five things we learned from The Power Of Song: A Songwriters Hall Of Fame Exhibit, which will be at the GRAMMY Museum from April 26 through Sept. 4.

Daft Punk Rerecorded "Get Lucky" To Fit Nile Rodgers' Funky Guitar

Legendary funk pioneer and superproducer Nile Rodgers is the current Chairman of the SHOF and has an active presence at the exhibit. One case features the disco-esque lime green Dior tuxedo Rodgers wore to the 2023 GRAMMY Awards, along with the shiny metallic helmets of French dance duo Daft Punk, who collaborated with Rodgers on their GRAMMY-winning 2013 album, Random Access Memories.

Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo of Daft Punk and Rodgers had forged a friendship and been wanting to collab for years prior to 2013's Record Of The Year-winning smash "Get Lucky." When they finally connected and Bangalter and de Homem-Christo played the CHIC founder the demo for "Get Lucky," he asked to hear it again with everything muted except the drum track, so he could create the perfect guitar lick for it.

Bangalter and de Homem-Christo decided to essentially re-record the whole song to fit Rodgers' guitar, which joyously drives the track — and carried it to No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, Daft Punk's first Top 5 hit.

***Photo:**Rebecca Sapp*

Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis Set Up Their Studio The "Wrong" Way Because Of Prince

In the exhibit film, Jimmy Jam tells several stories about working with — and learning from — Prince. He recalls how he and Terry Lewis watched Prince work and record everything "in the red," so they set up their Minneapolis studio to follow his lead. A sound engineer told them it was too loud, but that ended up being the sound that artists like Janet Jackson and Usher came to them for. It was a "happy mistake," as Jam put it, that helped their legendary careers as a powerhouse production duo take off.

Prince's dogmatic, tireless work ethic also rubbed off on the powerhouse pair. One rehearsal, the Purple One kept pressing Jam to do more, which resulted in him playing two instruments, singing and hitting the choreography from behind his keyboard. "He saw that I could do more than I thought I could; he saw me better than I saw myself," he reflected.

"God Bless America" Composer Irving Berlin Didn't Read Music

In his 50 year-career, Irving Berlin wrote over 1000 songs, many of which defined American popular music for the better part of the 20th century. Along with penning "God Bless America," "White Christmas," "Puttin' on the Ritz," and "There's No Business Like Show Business" (among many other classics), he wrote 17 full Broadway musical scores and contributed songs to six more plays.

Berlin also wrote scores for early Hollywood musicals starring the likes of Ginger Rodgers, Fred Astaire, Marilyn Monroe, and Bing Crosby. He made a lasting, indelible mark on music, theater, film and American culture writ large.

Rather astonishingly, the widely celebrated American Tin Pan Alley-era composer was self-taught and didn't read sheet music. His family immigrated to New York from Imperial Russia when he was 5 years old, and when he was just 13, his father died, so he busked on the streets and worked as a singing waiter to help his family out.

In 1907, at 19, he had his first song published, and just four years later penned his first international hit, "Alexander's Ragtime Band." Berlin had a natural musicality and played music by ear in the key of F-sharp, with the help of his trusted upright transposing piano, a rare instrument that had a mechanism allowing him to shift into different keys. His "trick piano," as he called it, where many of his unforgettable songs first came to life, is on display at the exhibit.

Read More: GRAMMY Rewind: Smokey Robinson Accepts A GRAMMY On Behalf Of The Temptations In 1973

Smokey Robinson Didn't Expect "My Girl" To Become A Timeless Hit

Smokey Robinson was an important part of Motown's hit-making factory as a singer, songwriter and producer. In the exhibit film, he discusses "My Girl," one of his classic tunes, which he wrote and produced for the Temptations in 1965.

"I had no idea it would become what it would become," he said.

He says that people often ask him why he didn't record the unforgettable song with his group the Miracles instead of "giving it away" to the Temptations, but he never regretted his decision. Instead, he's honored to have created music that stands the test of time and means so much to so many people.

Robinson joked that the Temptations' then-lead singer David Ruffin's gruff voice scared girls into going out with him. Really, he loved Ruffin's voice, and thought he'd sound great singing a sweet love song like "My Girl." Safe to say he was right.

After World War II, Pop Music Changed Forever

Prior to World War II, American music operated as a singular mainstream market, and New York's Tin Pan Alley songwriters competed to make the next pop or Broadway hit. In a post-World War II America, especially when the early Baby Boomer generation became teenagers and young adults in the '60s and '70s, tastes changed and new styles of pop and pop songwriting emerged. As rock shook up popular culture, Tin Pan Alley gave way to a new era of young songwriters, many who worked out of just two buildings in midtown Manhattan, 1619 Broadway (the Brill Building) and 1650 Broadway.

In this richly creative and collaborative environment, powerhouse songwriting duos began to emerge and reshape pop music, challenging and balancing each other — and creating a ton of hits in the process. The hit-making duos of this diversified pop era included Burt Bacharach and Hal David (Dionne Warrick's "That's What Friends Are For"), Carole King and Gerry Goffin (Little Eva's "The Loco-Motion"), Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil (the Righteous Brothers' "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'") and Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich (the Ronettes' "Be My Baby" and the Crystals' "Then He Kissed Me," both in collaboration with Phil Spector). In fact, there are far too many classics penned by these four prolific songwriter duos to list here.

While there are still songwriters that pen big hit after hit for pop stars (Max Martin is still at it, as is his protege Oscar Görres), the dynamics in the industry have continued to shift with singers taking on more creative power themselves. Today's pop stars — including Ariana Grande, Dua Lipa and Taylor Swift — have found success co-writing with their own trusted teams of songwriters and producers. But as this new exhibit shows, it doesn't matter who is behind the pen — the power of song is mighty.

Meet Tobias Jesso Jr., The First-Ever GRAMMY Winner For Songwriter Of The Year

Composer M.M. Keeravani and lyricist Chandrabose took home the Oscar for Best Original Song at the 2023 Oscars, winning for "Naatu Naatu" from RRR.

"Naatu Naatu" beat out nominees "Applause" from Tell It like a Woman (Diane Warren), "Hold My Hand" from Top Gun: Maverick (Lady Gaga, BloodPop), "Lift Me Up" from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (Tems, Rihanna, Ryan Coogler and Ludwig Göransson), and "This Is A Life" from Everything Everywhere All at Once (Ryan Lott, David Byrne, Mitski).

The win follows the electrifying performance of the RRR tune, where singers Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava brought deep Tollywood energy to the 2023 Oscars.

GRAMMY winners have previously struck gold in this field. Billie Eilish, FINNEAS, and Adele won for their respective haunting James Bond themes in recent years, and Lady Gaga earned an Academy Award for "Shallow" from A Star Is Born alongside a nomination for Best Actress. Among others, H.E.R. and D'Mile won for "Fight for You" (Judas and the Black Messiah), and John Legend and Common won for "Glory" (Selma).

The Soundtrack Hit Makes A Comeback: How 'Encanto