Dionne Warwick Wants Words with Controversial Twitter CEO Elon Musk About His 'True' Intentions

The music legend shares her thoughts on the new Twitter CEO Elon Musk in this week's issue of PEOPLE

Dionne Warwick, Elon Musk
Dionne Warwick, Elon Musk. Photo: Manny Carabel/Getty; Taylor Hill/Getty

Twitter queen Dionne Warwick has a few things to tell the social media platform's new CEO Elon Musk.

"I have to meet him," Warwick says of the controversial executive in this week's issue of PEOPLE. "I know a lot of people have walked away from Twitter. That's prior to knowing exactly what he's going to do. He's new to the game."

She continues: "His attitude is freedom of speech, which is mine as well. However, there's a way to do it. That's one of the conversations I'm going to have with him. What is your true intent? I understand your freedom of speech attitude but how are you going to contain it, so it does not get out of hand?"

Warwick, 82, is the subject of a new CNN Films Documentary titled Dionne Warwick: Don't Make Me Over, which is set to premiere on New Year's Day.

The film offers fans a look back at her one-of-a kind life, from her earliest days as a 6-year-old singing gospel and her 1957 debut at the Apollo Theater on Amateur Night, to meeting and collaborating with composer Burt Bacharach and lyricist Hal David on such magical songs as "Walk On By," "Alfie" and "I Say a Little Prayer." It also covers more recent collaborations with Chance the Rapper and an upcoming release with Dolly Parton.

For more on Dionne Warwick, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday, or subscribe here.

Dave Wooley, who wrote, directed and produced the documentary, says the film "is emblematic of Dionne Warwick's iconic career and will also introduce Dionne's legacy to the next generation of young stars."

In recent years, the five-time Grammy Award winner has charmed a new generation of fans thanks to the unfiltered riffs she shares on Twitter (or "Twotes" as she calls them), which comment on everything from Taylor Swift's red scarf to the possibility of dating Pete Davidson.

Warwick tells PEOPLE she hoped her playful posts would influence others to tone down the negativity on the social media platform.

StarTracks Dionne Warwick
Dionne Warwick. Noam Galai/Getty

"That is the reason I got on Twitter in the first place," she says. "I saw all my grandbabies and my nieces and nephews looking at what was not palatable. When I got on Twitter, I let them know, a grown-up is in your midst now. I do not play the games that you guys are playing. Bashing people and calling people names."

She continues: "I believe you can say what you have to say and always end it with a smile. [Twitter cofounder] Jack Dorsey called me before he left Twitter and said 'You have really turned this thing around.'"

The mom of two sons—singer-songwriter David Elliott, 53, and music producer and manager Damon Elliott, 49, (who just produced the Diane Warren-penned single "Applause" from the Jennifer Hudson film Tell It Like A Woman)—says watching her documentary was a powerful experience.

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"I learned a lot about me," she says. "I thought 'Okay, kid, you done good.'"

As her son Damon says: "There's no one quite like her. She does what she wants, how she wants. I'll put it this way, we're all trying to catch up to her."

Dionne Warwick: Don't Make Me Over will premiere on Jan. 1 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT, and will also be available via HBO Max next year.

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