What you need to know
Having been in the music business for over half a century, Lionel Richie is better equipped than most to tell you what the keys to success really are.
The legendary multi-hyphenate performer, 76, spoke with PEOPLE at the American Idol Season 9 press line in Nashville in November 2025, where he revealed the unique thought process he’s utilized as a driving force for success over his long career, and it may be a little more unconventional than you first imagine.
“I think the message I wanted to give people is fear,” Ritchie said. “Fear comes slowly at the beginning of life, in the middle of life, and towards the end of life.”
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The “All Night Long (All Night)” singer added, “My dad always said, ‘What’s the difference between a hero and a coward? They were both scared to death. One stepped forward and one fell back.'” My message here is that I started out as a scared to death kid and I’m still scared to death every day. But the important thing is that this is a new day, a new adventure, and anything that can be a little scary is the right direction. ”
In addition to maintaining a healthy dose of fear, Ritchie is cognizant of the fact that the scope of the media landscape has changed dramatically since his early days as a star. As a result, he believes that the ability to become a chameleon of sorts is as essential as maintaining power in today’s world.
“I think the ability to change is the secret to this whole business,” Ritchie said. “And adapt to change. What’s going on with us? What’s going on with Luke? Carrie, in the beginning, she said, ‘Oh my God, when I first auditioned, we didn’t have that problem.’ And you’re right. I started with something small and simple, a radio, and everyone says, “Radio?” What is it? It’s really morphed into this huge media…What’s happening now is they’re starting to say, “Where did you get your experience from?” “Tik Tok”. TikTok, are you kidding? ”
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Ritchie added, “That’s the way it is now. That’s where we go to find talent,” acknowledging the importance media plays in building careers today.
But Ritchie praised the internet for democratizing the process of almost anyone’s rise to stardom, saying, “That’s why we’re finding all these amazing, unique voices. They don’t have to find us, we’re finding them.”
Following this week’s American Idol premiere, episodes will air every Monday at 8pm ET on ABC. Please see here for the release schedule.
