Lionel Richie Reveals the One Promise He Made to Himself: ‘I’m Never Going to Be That’

“American Idol” judge Lionel Richie is sharing the one promise he made to himself when becoming famous, and it has to do with his fans.

During an interview with his son-in-law, Joel Madden, on the “Artist Friendly w/ Joel Madden” podcast where Richie opened up about success and sacrifice, the singer also discussed the importance of liking people when going into the entertainment industry. He went on to explain why he didn’t want to become the person that made his fans believe in the adage, “never meet your heroes.”

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Richie Encourages Stars to Engage With Their Fans

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The Artist Friendly podcast promises “honest conversations with artists from all genres, and at every level of success in their fields, as they talk about the experiences that have shaped them, the obstacles they’ve overcome, and the methods, tools, and insights they have gained and used on their paths to achieving success,” per the official website.

Madden delivered on this promise when he sat down with Richie to discuss the advice he gives to people when breaking into the entertainment industry. “There’s one thing you didn’t calculate. I hope you like people,” Richie said. “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 “Say You, Say Me,” singer continued, “I’m going, ‘Okay now, the universe gave you what you were asking for. Now, what is it about people you don’t like? Oh, you want to be famous and rich without the people?’ It doesn’t work like that. You have to be able to engage!”

“I see you acknowledge people,” Madden praised, giving an example of Richie greeting his fans at a restaurant. “As you walk through, you see someone if they look at you, and instead of looking away, you acknowledge them. It’s interesting that you do that.”

Richie attributed this to being “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,” Richie continued.

“There’s an old expression I have. Sometimes you meet the person you idolize the most, and you’re sorry you met them,” Richie explained. “I made a promise to myself, I’m never going to be that. Never.”

Watch the full interview above from the official “Artist Friendly w/ Joel Madden” YouTube account.

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A Look Back at Richie’s Rise to Stardom

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Richie is one of two songwriters in history to achieve the honor of having #1 records for nine consecutive years, according to Songwriters Hall of Fame. The singer has over 100 million albums sold worldwide, an Academy Award, four Grammy Awards, and a Golden Globe.

In 1968, the Tuskegee, Alabama native joined “The Commodores,” where he penned hits such as “Three Times A Lady,” “Stuck on You,” “Still,” and “Easy.” Richie also wrote “Lady” for Kenny Rogers, which was nominated for Song of the Year at the Grammy Awards, according to The Boot.

In 1981, Richie pursued a solo career and quickly became one of the most successful artists of the 80’s. He earned 13 top ten hits between 1981 and 1987, including nine #1 singles, according to Songwrites Hall of Fame. The first was “Endless Love,” a ballad that he wrote and sang as a duet with the legendary Diana Ross. The single garnered both Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations.

His 1982 self-titled debut would earn Richie his very first Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for the song “Truly.”

Richie and Michael Jackson teamed up to write and record the charity single “We Are The World,” in 1985. That same year, Richie’s song, “Say You, Say Me” would achieve an Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song.