“I was a pop-music junkie. My parents were into Frank Sinatra and Doris...” — Kara DioGuardi Quote

“I was a pop-music junkie. My parents were into Frank Sinatra and Doris Day. They weren't too excited when I had Aretha or the Stones pumping.”

“I'm a native New Yorker, so I'm edgier; I kind of tell it like it is.”

“The thing that's tricky is sometimes the best voices - just because someone hits the big notes and sounds amazing - it doesn't necessarily mean they make the greatest artists.”

“I was fortunate enough to meet Aretha Franklin but I was so overwhelmed that I just burst out crying.”

“I think the most-played record in our house was the 'Big Chill' Soundtrack - so Smokey Robinson, Aretha Franklin, the Temptations, Otis Redding. I think that's where I got my love for a good hook, a good soul hook - really smooth and warm and from the heart.”

“Aretha Franklin was as important to the civil-rights movement as Malcolm X and Medgar Evers. Artists can choose to take on the tremendous amount of responsibility we have, or choose to ignore it.”