Lionel Richie, who has won four Grammy Awards and one Oscar, rose to fame in the 1970s as a songwriter and the co-lead singer of the Motown group Commodores
Music legend Lionel Richie has shared a huge piece of advice for budding musicians.
The star said being kind to people is essential in the spotlight, and has acted as a solid foundation for his 58-year career. During this period, Richie has won four Grammy Awards, one Oscar and one Golden Globe gong, and five of his singles have topped the US charts.
But the music icon, 76, stressed in an interview this week his successes wouldn’t have been possible without humility and warmth. Richie said: “I always say to people: what comes with success are sacrifices. I hope you like people, because if you don’t like people, here’s how it’s going to sound. You spend the first half of your career going, ‘Look at me, look at me, look at me, look at me, look at me.’ And then you finally get famous. ‘Don’t look at me. Don’t look at me. Don’t look at me.'”
The American Idol judge appeared on the podcast Artist Friendly, presented by singer Joel Madden, who became Richie’s son-in-law in 2010 after marrying Nicole Richie.
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Richie, whose tune Hello was UK number one in 1984, continued: “Oh, you want to be famous and rich without the people? It doesn’t work like that. You have to be able to engage.” The father of three added that he always makes an effort to acknowledge fans in public settings.
“They’re (fans) scared to death of you. And they want to say something to you. And you can see it on their face. They want to say something. And for me to ignore them, would be the worst,” Richie, who is from Tuskegee, Alabama, said.
“There’s an old expression I have: Sometimes you meet the person you idolise the most, and you’re sorry you met them. I made a promise to myself, I’m never going to be that. Never. It takes you five seconds less to say: ‘Hey, thanks, man,’ or ‘How you doing?’ That’s it.”
During the podcast, published on Wednesday, Richie said he goes out of his way to connect with people working behind the scenes at events — from staff to crew members — often offering photos together.
But the former co-lead singer of Commodores also highlighted the dangers of having a negative reputation as, he stressed, word spreads quickly in the showbiz industry at every level. The dad said: “You know what travels fast? That guy was a freaking d**k.
“I always relate it to planting seeds. When you plant f*** you seeds, you get f*** you flowers. Nothing grows. So, if you plant a career of f*** you flowers, it’s coming back to haunt you.”
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