We may have first met her as a judge on American Idol, but Kara DioGuardi is so much more than an arbiter of good performance. She’s a GRAMMY-nominated songwriter, producer, and co-founder of Arthouse, a music publishing company based on talent and development. Her quick wit, sharp business acumen and creative intuition have led her to sign creatives like 3x Grammy nominee Ingrid Andress; Jon Bellion, who co-produced Justin Bieber's latest album Justice; Mark Holman, who co-wrote several tracks on Morgan Wallen's latest album Dangerous: The Double Album; and Feli Ferraro (Chloe x Halle, Chris Brown). She also works very closely with NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Her non-profit, Inspired Nation's mission is to amplify the voices of our youth by giving them a platform to tell their story through music for the betterment of themselves and those in their generation. Here we sat down to talk to Kara about all of this, plus, of course, songwriting tips! Check out this lively conversation.