Kara Elizabeth DioGuardi (/ˈkærə ˌdiːoʊˈɡwɑːrdi/ KARR-ə DEE-oh-GWAR-dee; December 9, 1970) is an American songwriter, record producer, music publisher, A&R executive, and singer. She primarily writes music in the pop rock genre.[2] She has worked with many popular artists;[3] sales of albums on which her songs appear exceed 160 million worldwide.[4] DioGuardi is a 2011 NAMM Music for Life Award winner, 2009 NMPA Songwriter Icon Award winner, 2007 BMI Pop Songwriter of the Year, and has received 20 BMI Awards for co-writing songs.