Pop veteran Lionel Richie has warned anyone wanting to be famous has to “like people” because success comes with “sacrifices”.
Lionel Richie has warned anyone wanting to be famous they have to “like people” because success comes with “sacrifices”.
The 76-year-old Hello hitmaker has been in the public eye since he launched his music career back in the 1960s and he’s now insisted anyone wanting to become a success in the industry should really think about whether they can cope with the loss of privacy that comes with being a superstar because they have to be “able to engage” with fans.
During an appearance on the Artist Friendly with Joel Madden podcast, Lionel explained: “I always say to people: what comes with success are sacrifices …
“[I always say] 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’.”
He went on to add: “Oh, you want to be famous and rich without the people? It doesn’t work like that. You have to be able to engage.”
Podcast host Joel – who is married to Lionel’s daughter Nicole Richie – pointed out his father-in-law is always gracious when meeting fans and the singer insisted he would never want to “ignore” someone.
He explained: “You know what it is? I was invisible once. There’s a person who … they’re 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 …
“There’s an old expression I have: Sometimes you meet the person you idolize the most, and you’re sorry you met them. I made a promise to myself, I’m never going to be that. Never.”
He went on to insist he’s also kind to staff and crew members, adding: “It takes you five seconds less to say: ‘Hey, thanks, man,’ or ‘How you doing?’ That’s it …
“You know what travels fast? That guy was a freaking d***. 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.”
Lionel Richie warns anyone wanting to be famous must ‘like people’
