Most frequent collaboratorNickolas Ashford · 31 tracks
GenresR&BSoulPopDisco
Singer / Performer
10%
Authorship
Holds writing credit on 11 of 109 tracks
Did Diana Ross write her own songs?
Mostly no. Diana Ross is celebrated as a performer and interpreter rather than a songwriter, and her solo hits were written by outside writers and producers. 'Ain't No Mountain High Enough' came from Ashford & Simpson, and her biggest album Diana was written and produced by Chic's Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards, so her catalog is a study in performance rather than authorship.
By the Numbers
11
Studio Albums
109
Tracks Credited
10%
Self-Written
over 100 million
Records Sold
56
Years Active
137
Collaborators
Authorship Breakdown 11 / 109 self-written
Who wrote the songs?
Across all 109 tracks: how many Diana Ross wrote alone, how many they co-wrote, and how many were written by others. The bracket marks every track they hold any writing credit on.
Diana Ross has a writing credit10%
10%
90%
Sole author0tracks0%
Co-written11tracks10%
Outside writers98tracks90%
Role Fingerprint how they contribute
Diana Ross's roles across the catalogue
Share of all 109 tracks where they are personally credited, by role.
Lyricist (words)10%
Composer (music)10%
Producer17%
Performer100%
Authorship Over Time writing credit per album
Diana Ross's writing credit per album, in release order. Hover any bar for the album.
avg 10%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
11%
10%
0%
0%
69%
1970Diana Ross
1971Surrender
1973Touch Me in the Morning
1976Diana Ross
1979The Boss
1980Diana
1981Why Do Fools Fall in Love
1984Swept Away
1989Workin' Overtime
1995Take Me Higher
2021Thank You
Early · 0% written
Mid · 6% written
Late · 26% written
Authorship by Decade track-weighted
0%
1970s
Diana Ross, Surrender +3 more
5%
1980s
Diana, Why Do Fools Fall in Love +2 more
0%
1990s
Take Me Higher
69%
2020s
Thank You
Authorship Spectrum pure performer to complete author
Where Diana Ross sits on the scale from a pure performer (0%, sings songs written by others) to a complete author (100%, writes everything). The bright marker is their catalogue authorship score, plotted against other artists on the site.
Diana Ross
Other artists on the site
Reference artists spread across the scale, closest by genre and era.
Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)
Diana Ross
Written by Gerry Goffin, Michael Masser
Outside writers
Love Hangover
Diana Ross
Written by Pam Sawyer, Marilyn McLeod
Outside writers
The Boss
The Boss
Written by Nickolas Ashford, Valerie Simpson
Outside writers
It's My House
The Boss
Written by Nickolas Ashford, Valerie Simpson
Outside writers
Upside Down
Diana
Written by Bernard Edwards, Nile Rodgers
Outside writers
I'm Coming Out
Diana
Written by Bernard Edwards, Nile Rodgers
Outside writers
Endless Love
Why Do Fools Fall in Love
Written by Lionel Richie
Outside writers
Why Do Fools Fall in Love
Why Do Fools Fall in Love
Written by Frankie Lymon, Morris Levy
Outside writers
Mirror, Mirror
Why Do Fools Fall in Love
Written by Michael Sembello, Dennis Matkosky
Outside writers
Missing You
Swept Away
Written by Lionel Richie
Outside writers
Swept Away
Swept Away
Written by Daryl Hall, Sara Allen, Diana Ross
Co-wrote
All of You
Swept Away
Written by Cynthia Weil, Julio Iglesias, Tony Renis
Outside writers
Workin' Overtime
Workin' Overtime
Written by Nile Rodgers, Christopher Max
Outside writers
Take Me Higher
Take Me Higher
Written by Sally Jo Dakota, Nikita Germaine, Narada Michael Walden
Outside writers
I Will Survive
Take Me Higher
Written by Dino Fekaris, Freddie Perren
Outside writers
Thank You
Thank You
Written by Diana Ross, Amy Wadge, Christian Paul Wossilek, Nathaniel Ledwidge, Troy Miller
Co-wrote
None of the signature songs above fall in this category.
Discography 11 albums
Diana Ross has a very large solo catalog of more than twenty studio albums recorded between 1970 and 2021, so this entry covers the most significant and most-searched solo studio albums in full rather than the complete discography. Covered here: Diana Ross (1970), Surrender (1971), Touch Me in the Morning (1973), Diana Ross (1976), The Boss (1979), Diana (1980), Why Do Fools Fall in Love (1981), Swept Away (1984), Workin' Overtime (1989), Take Me Higher (1995), and Thank You (2021). Not yet covered are her remaining solo studio albums, including the early Motown records Everything Is Everything (1970) and Last Time I Saw Him (1973), the late-1970s run Baby It's Me (1977) and Ross (1978), the 1980s RCA and Capitol era To Love Again (1981), Silk Electric (1982), Ross (1983), Eaten Alive (1985), and Red Hot Rhythm and Blues (1987), and the 1990s and 2000s albums The Force Behind the Power (1991), Every Day Is a New Day (1999), Blue (recorded 1972, released 2006), I Love You (2006), and Diana Ross Sings Songs from The Wiz (2015). The duet album Diana and Marvin with Marvin Gaye is a collaboration and is also outside this entry. The Supremes albums are a separate act and are excluded by design.
Bubble size = tracks worked on together. BE Bernard Edwards · TM Troy Miller · GA Gil Askey
The Authorship Story
Data Insight
Diana Ross sits at the low end of the songwriting authorship scale, which is the interesting story in her data. She is one of the great interpreters: the lyricist and composer columns across her catalog are filled almost entirely with outside writers and producer-songwriters, from Ashford and Simpson on her earliest albums to Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards on Diana and a rotating cast of pop and R&B writers later on. Her own name appears only on scattered co-writes, such as 'Work That Body' and the spoken intro to 'Swept Away,' until the 2021 album Thank You, where she is credited as a co-writer on most tracks for the first time. The performer column is the constant: Diana Ross on lead vocals, carrying songs written by others.
Quick Facts
Day jobFormer lead singer of The Supremes before going solo in 1970
Solo No. 1sSix US number-one singles as a solo artist
Peak albumDiana (1980), produced by Chic's Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards
HonorsPresidential Medal of Freedom (2016) and Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award
Records soldOver 100 million as a solo artist
Studio albumsOver two dozen, from Diana Ross (1970) to Thank You (2021)
Creative Fingerprint
A definitive interpreter: Diana Ross built her solo career singing material from outside writers and producers like Ashford & Simpson and Chic, shaping the songs through her voice rather than the pen.
The Story
Diana Ross is an American singer and actress who became one of the most successful and influential vocalists in popular music. After leading the Supremes to a long run of number-one hits in the 1960s, she launched a solo career in 1970 with Motown and reinvented herself across decades of soul, pop, and disco. Her catalog runs from the Ashford and Simpson productions of her early years through the disco-era landmark Diana with Chic's Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards, into 1980s pop, and on to a late-career return with the 2021 album Thank You. Ross is best understood as an interpreter rather than a writer: across most of her records she sings material supplied by outside songwriters and production teams, with only occasional co-writing credits of her own. That interpreter's profile, paired with a voice and presence that defined an era, makes her one of the signature performers of her generation.
Awards & Recognition
Presidential Medal of Freedom (2016)
Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (2012)
Kennedy Center Honors (2007)
Frequently Asked Questions Diana Ross
Did Diana Ross write her own songs?
Mostly no. Diana Ross is celebrated as a performer and interpreter rather than a songwriter, and her solo hits were written by outside writers and producers. 'Ain't No Mountain High Enough' came from Ashford & Simpson, and her biggest album Diana was written and produced by Chic's Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards, so her catalog is a study in performance rather than authorship.
Who wrote 'Ain't No Mountain High Enough'?
'Ain't No Mountain High Enough' was written by Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson, not by Diana Ross. Her dramatic 1970 solo version became her first solo number one on the Billboard Hot 100.
Who wrote 'I'm Coming Out' and 'Upside Down'?
Both 'I'm Coming Out' and 'Upside Down' were written and produced by Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards of the band Chic for Diana Ross's 1980 album Diana. The album became her most successful solo release.
How many number-one singles does Diana Ross have?
Diana Ross has 18 number-one singles across her career: 12 with The Supremes and six as a solo artist. Her solo chart-toppers include 'Ain't No Mountain High Enough,' 'Touch Me in the Morning,' 'Love Hangover,' and 'Upside Down.'
How many records has Diana Ross sold?
Diana Ross has sold over 100 million records worldwide as a solo artist, on top of her earlier success with The Supremes. Her 1980 album Diana is among her best sellers.
Was Diana Ross in The Supremes?
Yes. Diana Ross was the lead singer of The Supremes, one of Motown's most successful acts, before launching her solo career in 1970. The group scored 12 US number-one singles during her time as frontwoman.
What awards has Diana Ross received?
Diana Ross received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016, the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and Kennedy Center Honors in 2007. She is regarded as one of the most successful and influential entertainers of her era.
Who wrote 'Endless Love'?
'Endless Love' was written by Lionel Richie, who also sang it as a duet with Diana Ross for the 1981 film of the same name. It became one of the biggest duets of all time and appears on her album Why Do Fools Fall in Love.
Diana Ross
