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A Helluva High Note: Surviving Life, Love, and American Idol
Over the years, award-winning hitmaker, savvy record executive, successful music publisher and former American Idol judge Kara DioGuardi has worked with the best. Her songs have been recorded by such superstars as Pink, Carrie Underwood, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Kelly Clarkson, Gwen Stefani, Santana, Steven Tyler, Celine Dion and many others. But success wouldn’t have happened for this songwriter, artist and producer without the darker times of defeat. Now, in this daringly honest memoir, DioGuardi reveals everything she’s learned about living, creating, loving, stumbling, picking herself up again and ultimately succeeding. And, of course, she hares behind-the-scenes stories from her years on American Idol , including the real truth about her departure from the show. Passionate, wide and funny, A Helluva High Note inspires readers to find, develop and follow their own true voice.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published April 6, 2011
7 people are currently reading
98 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
May 8, 2011
Reads like the winner of the 10th grade essay contest, but I love Kara.
June 16, 2011
I love Kara, I really do. Hearing her sing the songs she's written, the emotions she puts into it moves me. She has a mentality that I really connect with, and that's why I got this book -- to learn more about her life in the music business, her struggles, and so forth. Her story is an inspiration for women in general. Her message is a powerful one: to not give up on your dreams because with hard work and a little bit of luck, you can achieve anything.
Appendix A is full of great advice, not just for aspiring songwriters but for anyone in a field that requires creativity and networking. And her stories behind the making of certain songs are very interesting, I enjoyed reading them. The chapter about her mom's struggle with cancer is very moving. She's at her best when she recounts specific events.
Having said that, as an autobiography I felt it was a bit lacking. It's a quick read (less than 200 pages). It left out one thing that I was interested in reading more about. Particularly being in Platinum Weird and the whole concept behind it; it was so viral. The book rambled or felt a bit preachy at times, but her voice always shines through. I felt like she was a bit too defensive about her time on American Idol when she didn't have to be. Haters are still gonna hate.
All in all, a decent book.
Appendix A is full of great advice, not just for aspiring songwriters but for anyone in a field that requires creativity and networking. And her stories behind the making of certain songs are very interesting, I enjoyed reading them. The chapter about her mom's struggle with cancer is very moving. She's at her best when she recounts specific events.
Having said that, as an autobiography I felt it was a bit lacking. It's a quick read (less than 200 pages). It left out one thing that I was interested in reading more about. Particularly being in Platinum Weird and the whole concept behind it; it was so viral. The book rambled or felt a bit preachy at times, but her voice always shines through. I felt like she was a bit too defensive about her time on American Idol when she didn't have to be. Haters are still gonna hate.
All in all, a decent book.
May 5, 2011
After reading Kara DioGuardi's book "A Helluva High Note: Surviving Life, Love and American Idol" I now know who she really is. When I first saw Kara as a judge on Season 8 of American Idol, I was like "who is this chick?" I had no clue. Now after reading her biography, she is one helluva song writer. She has written tons of hit songs with the likes of Pink ("Sober"), Gwen Stefani ("Rich Girl"), Celine Dion ("Taking Chances"), Carrie Underwood ("Mama's Song"), Katy Perry ("I Do Not Hook Up"), Kelly Clarkson ("Walk Away"), Christina Aguilera ("Ain't No Other Man" ~~ which Kara sang to her husband on their wedding day by the way), and many many others. She is one talented woman, and she can sing but decided at an early age she was going to stick with the song writing. Kara is no holds barred in this biography. She gives you a behind the scenes glimpse into the American Idol world (she felt awkward and out of place) as well as what is was like to write these amazing songs with the artists mentioned earlier. I absolutely loved this book, and now have a better understanding of how awesome Kara DioGuardi really is.
July 2, 2011
It's too bad; I really like Kara DioGuardi and she has a lot of interesting stories to tell; however, ironically, she should've had someone else write this book for her. It was very poorly written and constructed with interesting tidbits glossed over and uninteresting parts expanded upon. She could have used a writer and an editor for this endeavor. She has had a really interesting life, is an amazing songwriter and an inspirational woman. People could learn a lot from where she came from and who she is today. I'm still a fan.
June 3, 2011
Too much foul language for my taste, but I loved reading about her writing process and experiences with other artists and singers. An interesting glimpse into the music industry.
September 23, 2011
Could not get into it.
December 2, 2016
Much better than I thought it would be. I really only knew her from Idol, but I had no idea she wrote some of my favorite songs! She is a real ball buster. I like her attitude. I hate we didn't get to see that side on Idol. She has been through a lot and has a huge career. I hate Idol treated her so bad.
January 5, 2023
This personal memoir from the original 'fourth judge' of American Idol often feels like a casual chat between girlfriends, or on other occasions a mentor to a mentee, reviewing accomplishments, misfires, and everything that fits in between. DioGuardi approaches telling her stories with heart, humor, respectfulness (names were changed in certain situations) and candor.
June 14, 2019
Loved reading how she rose to success, the writing itself was just so-so....
June 17, 2011
“A helluva note” is a memoir by Kara DioGuardi, best known as the fourth judge on American Idol series eight and nine, as well as a song writer known for hits like “Escape,” “Ain’t no other man,” “Sober,” “Walk away,” and “Spinning around,” among many others.
After growing up as a wannabe singer and even temporarily singing in an independent band “Gramma Trips,” Kara gets a lucky break when she gets hired as an executive assistant at Billboard magazine, after her friend who was offered the job turned it down. It is during her time working there, that Kara makes some connections and gets into music publishing. Her first star client becomes Paula Abdul, who Kara co-writes “Spinning Around” for. After Abdul’s success with the song, Kara eventually quits her position and tries to make a living as a songwriter—barely making any money at first, and on the verge of going back to her old job, when an up-and-coming producer by the name of Steve Morales gets introduced to her. Thanks to him, Kara gets involved with Enrique Iglesias’s second studio album “Escape,” which goes on to become a multi-platinum record. From there on, Kara witnesses new door opening in front of her—doors that were previously closed.
Interspersed throughout the chapters are Kara’s experiences working with artists like Pink, Christina Aguilera, Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Katy Perry, the above mentioned Enrique Iglesias, Paula Abdul, and many others. Kara also describes her personal issues: living with an eating disorder, losing her mother, being molested as a child, enduring date rape by a producer acquaintance, surviving as a woman in a mostly male music industry, finding her husband, and getting fired from American Idol.
The end of the book includes Kara’s advise to people who dream of also become songwriters, as well as full lists of all the U.S. and international singles she has worked on, in addition to top ten albums.
Before starting this book, I only knew Kara from her stint on American Idol. Most songwriters always stay behind-the-scenes and remain largely unknown outside the industry. Because of Kara’s experiences, she ends up being the exception. For the wannabe songwriters out there, or simply curious American idol fans.
After growing up as a wannabe singer and even temporarily singing in an independent band “Gramma Trips,” Kara gets a lucky break when she gets hired as an executive assistant at Billboard magazine, after her friend who was offered the job turned it down. It is during her time working there, that Kara makes some connections and gets into music publishing. Her first star client becomes Paula Abdul, who Kara co-writes “Spinning Around” for. After Abdul’s success with the song, Kara eventually quits her position and tries to make a living as a songwriter—barely making any money at first, and on the verge of going back to her old job, when an up-and-coming producer by the name of Steve Morales gets introduced to her. Thanks to him, Kara gets involved with Enrique Iglesias’s second studio album “Escape,” which goes on to become a multi-platinum record. From there on, Kara witnesses new door opening in front of her—doors that were previously closed.
Interspersed throughout the chapters are Kara’s experiences working with artists like Pink, Christina Aguilera, Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Katy Perry, the above mentioned Enrique Iglesias, Paula Abdul, and many others. Kara also describes her personal issues: living with an eating disorder, losing her mother, being molested as a child, enduring date rape by a producer acquaintance, surviving as a woman in a mostly male music industry, finding her husband, and getting fired from American Idol.
The end of the book includes Kara’s advise to people who dream of also become songwriters, as well as full lists of all the U.S. and international singles she has worked on, in addition to top ten albums.
Before starting this book, I only knew Kara from her stint on American Idol. Most songwriters always stay behind-the-scenes and remain largely unknown outside the industry. Because of Kara’s experiences, she ends up being the exception. For the wannabe songwriters out there, or simply curious American idol fans.
October 26, 2013
This book says almost nothing--very much like the love songs she has written. They are a bunch of words on a page that claim to have deep inner meaning but when you look beyond the surface they say nothing significant.
DioGuardi may have had an interesting, emotionally-challenged life. But we don't get much more than the surface here, filled with excuses and her dodging acceptance of responsibilities. She had an eating disorder that she laughs off as just having too many pizza boxes under her dorm room bed. She checks herself into a psych ward, then claims she didn't understand what kind of place it was and that she only went there because insurance wouldn't pay for office counseling visits. She breezes past mentions of the heavy drug culture of rock music, though she implies that she participated. And her rebellious teen years get excused away by, "I can't figure out how I convinced my parents to...."
She does sections throughout the book that discuss her co-writing songs with famous singers. Yet even then we get little of substance. She talks about someone being late or how surprised she is that another star wants to write with her, but she explains little of the actual process of creating a song together. Many of the songs she mentions as "hits" I've never heard of and as you look through the list of her songs in the back of the book you realize that she really hasn't done much.
Probably the only interesting part of the book is that she explains a bit more about her relationship with Paula Abdul, which was much deeper than the audience was led to believe when they were on American Idol together. But even then Kara is careful to choose her words and doesn't reveal enough to offend Abdul.
This book is full of avoidance. She sets herself up as a strong-willed female empowerment role model, yet what's on paper is all image and no substance. Just like her song lyrics.
DioGuardi may have had an interesting, emotionally-challenged life. But we don't get much more than the surface here, filled with excuses and her dodging acceptance of responsibilities. She had an eating disorder that she laughs off as just having too many pizza boxes under her dorm room bed. She checks herself into a psych ward, then claims she didn't understand what kind of place it was and that she only went there because insurance wouldn't pay for office counseling visits. She breezes past mentions of the heavy drug culture of rock music, though she implies that she participated. And her rebellious teen years get excused away by, "I can't figure out how I convinced my parents to...."
She does sections throughout the book that discuss her co-writing songs with famous singers. Yet even then we get little of substance. She talks about someone being late or how surprised she is that another star wants to write with her, but she explains little of the actual process of creating a song together. Many of the songs she mentions as "hits" I've never heard of and as you look through the list of her songs in the back of the book you realize that she really hasn't done much.
Probably the only interesting part of the book is that she explains a bit more about her relationship with Paula Abdul, which was much deeper than the audience was led to believe when they were on American Idol together. But even then Kara is careful to choose her words and doesn't reveal enough to offend Abdul.
This book is full of avoidance. She sets herself up as a strong-willed female empowerment role model, yet what's on paper is all image and no substance. Just like her song lyrics.
May 5, 2016
The book's narrative is disjointed and frustrating to read. Kara spends too much time skimming the surface of her life events leaving the book with very little depth. Why even write a memoir if you're ultimately a private person who doesn't really want to tell your story to the world? I don't expect any person to tell everything about their life in a memoir but it works better to focus on only a few segments of your life and go into detail about them instead of talking about a lot of different events and leaving the reader with little insight.
In fairness, I did not finish the book and maybe it gets better, but I'm guessing not. I read most of the chapter endings where Kara talks about songwriting experiences and those were as non-descriptive as the first few chapters.
One experience she wrote about really irked me. When Kara described a scene in her college years where a man died, she talked about the indecency of all the people who walked by and didn't help. I can't understand why she was so mad. I have walked by tragic events and not offered to help because a) there was already a crowd of people surrounding the person in need and b) I am not a medical professional and am unable to offer more help than the average bystander. It isn't always a lack of caring that keeps people from stopping... it's a sense of practicality and a desire to not get emotionally involved in a potentially disturbing situation if your help is not needed. Kara was an admirable first responder and I respect that, but her anger isn't entirely warranted. In fact, she strikes me as an emotionally volatile person, but I suppose that helps fuel her songwriting.
In fairness, I did not finish the book and maybe it gets better, but I'm guessing not. I read most of the chapter endings where Kara talks about songwriting experiences and those were as non-descriptive as the first few chapters.
One experience she wrote about really irked me. When Kara described a scene in her college years where a man died, she talked about the indecency of all the people who walked by and didn't help. I can't understand why she was so mad. I have walked by tragic events and not offered to help because a) there was already a crowd of people surrounding the person in need and b) I am not a medical professional and am unable to offer more help than the average bystander. It isn't always a lack of caring that keeps people from stopping... it's a sense of practicality and a desire to not get emotionally involved in a potentially disturbing situation if your help is not needed. Kara was an admirable first responder and I respect that, but her anger isn't entirely warranted. In fact, she strikes me as an emotionally volatile person, but I suppose that helps fuel her songwriting.
August 4, 2012
I'm going to have to start my music auto biography reviews with this book that I picked up out of the blue last year at the library. Kari DioGuardi (a well know song writer for stars from Janet Jackson to Katy Perry) reflects her writing skills in is truthful, reflective book. The book also portrays an interesting perspective of being a contemporary, pop music songwriter in the music industry in this day and age. As many musicians realize, just being in the music industry alone is a lot of hard work. Kari comes over much adversity in her life, along with be being a virtually unknown celebrity getting a judge position on one of the biggest TV shows in America would not be easy task. She did end up lasting on the show for two seasons; that's more than Ellen can say. I do have to point out she is Italian, good looking, intelligent, and has learned from her mistakes and always be at the top of her game. This is a truly inspiring book for any up and coming song writer that wants to fulfill their dream in the music industry.
July 11, 2011
I have always been a fan of Kara's writing, I'm sure many of you think you don't know her but she's written songs for everyone, from Celine Dion to Paula Abdul. So when I heard she was going to be on Idol I was ecstatic. Althought I didn't find too many people that felt the same way, I guess we are a rare breed. But anyways onto the book, I was very excited to read about her time on Idol and to find out more about the person. It felt like you were reading her diary, the entries were enlighting and heartfelt.
You realize that behind that rough exterior is a very sweet person whom just like everyone else has insecurities and doesn't like to air them out. But her vulnerability comes out through her writing and that is how she truly decides to share it with the world....and for that I am thankful.
You realize that behind that rough exterior is a very sweet person whom just like everyone else has insecurities and doesn't like to air them out. But her vulnerability comes out through her writing and that is how she truly decides to share it with the world....and for that I am thankful.
August 11, 2011
Decent fast read... I didnt know much about Kara as I dont watch the full season of American Idol, only the auditions as I like the "funny" ones!!
I didnt know that she was just a song writer and has had so much success and some pretty awesome hits (most of them I have liked and/or owned the cds)!!!
I didnt know that she was just a song writer and has had so much success and some pretty awesome hits (most of them I have liked and/or owned the cds)!!!
May 5, 2011
I love her so much, but I was hoping for a more exciting American Idol story, although if that's the way it really happened I guess it's not her fault. Also she spends far too much of this book defending herself and trying not to offend people.
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August 10, 2015Not a bad book. I hadn't realized that she was as popular in the music business as she was. Like most people who write their own stories she came out with some of her past personal problems but did so without dwelling on them. I would recommend this to others.
August 23, 2011
Great book. Gives me a new outlook on life. I now have a more respect for Kara.
August 11, 2011
I really enjoyed learning about Kara's life and her musical career. I think music lovers will really enjoy this. The American Idol part of her career just makes up about a chapter, though.
December 7, 2011
Shockingly good! I liked reading about the creative process that goes into writing a song. She has so many hit songs, it surprized me.
December 25, 2011
liked it she a gutsy girl lots of talent,was sad to read of her moms cancer kara was there all the way. good fast read
May 9, 2012
Boring and full of herself. Didn't bother reading the whole thing.
August 23, 2012
Great read, she is talented and honest and I loved it!
March 21, 2013
Kara DioGuardi is Awesome and so inspiring!!!
December 19, 2016
One of the best autobiographies I've ever read
January 26, 2013
Soooo self absorbed. Ugh.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews