LIONEL RICHIE - LIONEL RICHIE TURNS 60

LIONEL RICHIE TURNS 60

Just like his 1983 album, LIONEL RICHIE can't slow down as he reaches 60 on Saturday (20Jun09) - in fact he's planning to snare younger fans with a new fresh sound.
Richie insists he'd be bored stiff if he ever quit singing, because music is his only hobby.
The birthday boy says, "I like doing this. I don't like fishing. This was my hobby when I started. This is how I got into the business when I started because it was a place to go to get away from everything. So I still love doing it... and my life is better now than it has ever been ever.
"What’s behind you really doesn’t count. It is what is in front of you and where you are going. I am always intrigued with what’s next.”
Richie is still setting himself new goals for his seventh decade and is intent on keeping his sound fresh and young.
He recruited chart-topping hitmakers The-Dream and Akon to help him produce his latest album, Just Go, and he insists there are great parallels between soul and rap: "Akon and Ne-Yo and all these guys... what do we all have in common? Melody. As long as they don't rap and ask me to rap we have showbusiness."
Richie promises fans won't catch him rapping on future tracks - because he tried it and made a terrible MC.
The Hello star reveals, "I rapped a couple of times. And it was clear to me, it was told to me from some of the greatest rappers in the world: 'Don't even think about it'.
"(Public Enemy star) Flavor Flav... years ago, I went to him and I said, 'You know, I'm thinking about doing some rap on my album. What do you think?' And he said, 'Are you out of your mind?' He said, 'The only reason I'm rapping is because I can't sing.'"