Earlier this year, Diane Warren became the first songwriter in Oscar history to be nominated for best original song nine years in a row. Can she possibly extend that streak to 10 consecutive nominations?
We won’t know for sure until the nominations are announced on Jan. 21, but as of today (Aug. 21), you can hear the song that she hopes will make it happen: “By Any Means,” which she wrote for a feature film of the same name starring Mark Wahlberg. The soulful, midtempo ballad is performed by David Kushner, whose “Daylight” reached No. 33 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2023, in tandem with the legendary The Isley Brothers, who have had 40 Hot 100 hits, including three that made the top 10: “It’s Your Thing,” “That Lady (Part 1)” and “Fight the Power Part 1.”
Here’s a link to the soundtrack version of the song, which is available on all streaming platforms. The music video will be released on Aug. 28. Here’s a link to the slightly longer film version.
Warren has amassed 17 Oscar nominations for best original song, more than any other woman. One more nod and she will tie the legendary Johnny Mercer for second place on the all-time leaderboard. Another all-time great, Sammy Cahn, has long led the list with 26 nods.
Warren has yet to win a competitive Oscar, but in 2022 she received an honorary award which was inscribed: “To Diane Warren, for her genius, generosity and passionate commitment to the power of song in film.”
By Any Means is directed by Elegance Bratton with a script written by Sascha Penn. Inspired by a true story and set in the 1960s, a young Black FBI agent (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) is sent to Mississippi to investigate a wave of brutal killings targeting civil rights leaders. He is forced to work alongside notorious hitman Greg Scarpa (Wahlberg).
Two of Warren’s recent Oscar nominations are for songs from period films that dealt with the civil rights struggle. She and co-writer Common were nominated in 2018 for “Stand Up for Something” from the film Marshall, which starred the late Chadwick Boseman as Thurgood Marshall, the first Black Supreme Court Justice. She was nominated in 2025 for “The Journey” from The Six Triple Eight, which told the story of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, an all-Black, all-female battalion in World War II.
In a statement, Warren explained her inspiration in writing the song, “I wanted to write a song that captured the spirit of the film which is about those who go beyond the rules to do what is necessary. My idea was to take an iconic artist who came from that era and pair them with an artist from this current era. Having the legendary Isley Brothers come on board was a dream come true. They are as amazing today as they were when they were performing during the time of these events, they are so authentic to this story. David Kushner is a great young singer who sounds like he could have come from that era too. He is a young guy with an old-soul voice. The combination of him and the Isleys is pure magic, and together they have created a song that could live in many eras to come. I’m proud to be a part of it.”
Ronald Isley explained his connection to the story. “Having lived through the Civil Rights era, this story is personal. We saw firsthand the courage, sacrifice and struggle it took for change to come. Music has always had the power to speak to what people are going through, and Diane Warren has written a song that carries that kind of meaning. It was an honor for Ernie and me to be a part of it and to lend our voices to a film that remembers this history while reminding a new generation why it still matters.”
Ernie Isley further explained, “I believe the film and the song will have a major impact. Ronald and I are happy to be involved with this project.”
Kushner, 25, added: “It’s an honor to be a part of the music that soundtracks a powerful film like By Any Means. I’m a huge fan of Mark Wahlberg and being part of this song alongside Diane Warren, a songwriter I’ve looked up to since I fell in love with music and began writing songs, as well as musical legends like The Isley Brothers, is beyond surreal and has been an incredible experience.”
By Any Means, The Album soundtrack is being released by AB Records/The Orchard on Sept. 18 and features two versions of the original song. The single version is produced by Jacob Olofsson, with Ron Isley’s vocals produced by PooBear. Veteran music supervisor Bonnie Greenberg served as executive music producer for the song. By Any Means is distributed domestically by Paramount Pictures and is scheduled for theatrical release on Sept. 4.
