Tag Archives: Kara DioGuardi

Candy & Jacy: Looking Back on 2022



Our goal has always been to take you with us as we go inside the homes and onto the back porches of country music icons as we discover what makes these talented people tick! 
-Candy O’Terry & Jacy Dawn Valeras    
Welcome to a recap of some of Candy and Jacy’s favorite 2022 interviews. Chockfull of behind-the-scenes stories that didn’t make the final cut, this episode includes Jacy’s terrifying flight from Nashville to Palm Springs, California to visit Candy, what it was like to be served espresso in a room full of guitars at Anthony Resta’s 1920’s hunting lodge/studio in Laurel Canyon and the thrill of interviewing industry heavyweights TK Kimbrell, Mike Borchetta, Julian Raymond and Kim Campbell LIVE from the Rhinestone Stage at the Glen Campbell Museum. Plus, there’s the trip to the craftsman-style home of songwriter/producer and former American Idol judge Kara Dioguardi, the green room meeting during CMA week with actress and singer Rita Wilson (which ended in tears), and the revealing 2-part interview with multi-Grammy winner Pam Tillis who Jacy met in an elevator ten years ago. Download this fun episode for your next car ride.   You’re welcome!  

Kara DioGuardi: Grammy Nominated Songwriter (Kelly Clarkson, Celine Dion, Britney Spears) & former American Idol judge



I really want to help artists who want to help themselves. If you give me 100%, I’m gonna give you 100%. If you’re only in at 20, that’s all I can meet you at.  – Kara DioGuardi 
When you’ve got record sales of 160 million worldwide, the chances are pretty high that you know the words to the mega-hits Kara DioGuardi has written. Superstars like Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, Miley Cyrus, Celine Dion, Pink, Christina Aquilera, Britney Spears, Hilary Duff, Katharine McPhee and so many more know that collaborating with Kara DioGuardi is like discovering buried treasure.  In this up-close and personal interview, you will learn exactly what makes Kara tick. Recorded in the living room of her craftsman-style home in Nashville, lovingly restored by she and her husband, Kara talks openly about everything from a childhood where she hated being asked to sing on the spot for family and friends, to her days fronting a garage band called “Grandma Trips”  to her first job at Billboard Magazine, and her realization that songwriting and producing hit records might be the strongest of her many talents. Her climb to the top was steady, but it has not been without roadblocks. In this interview, Kara shares some #metoo stories saying: “I don’t know if its about bravery or stupidity.  There were times when I was so determined, I may have ended up in situations that were not the best for me.”  Happily married and the mother of one son, Kara takes parenting seriously and speaks openly about the heartbreaking loss of her mother to cancer years ago.  These days, the former American Idol judge is using her wisdom as a music industry pro to help aspiring songwriters with BRIIDGE, the first music platform that matches music creators based on their skillset, location and personality. The app is exploding worldwide, forming a community of support, all under Kara’s watchful eye. Be sure to listen all the way through this podcast to hear Jacy’s chat with one of Kara’s BRIIDGE singer/songwriters, Christiana Alaire who makes her debut as this week’s emerging artist.