Lionel Richie - Lionel Richie's Hello Ice-breaker

Lionel Richie's Hello Ice-breaker

Lionel Richie finds his song 'Hello' often helps ''break the ice'' with strangers.

The 62-year-old singer claims the 1984 hit - which features the lyrics, ''hello, is it me you're looking for?'' - is often repeated to him when he goes into a meeting and thinks it instantly breaks down any awkwardness people feel when he meets them.

He said: ''Sometimes I'll walk in and say, 'Hello' and they'll say, 'Is it me you're looking for?'

''It breaks the ice immediately, if there was ever the best way to walk into a place with major CEO's of major corporations, and the air could not be more crisp, and all of a sudden they' crack a joke and I'll say, 'Hello' and they'll go, 'Is it me you're looking for?' and we're automatically amongst old friends!''

Despite being best known for his 80s disco pop, Lionel believes country is where his heart really belongs.

Discussing his new album 'Tuskegee' on Magic 105.4's 'Breakfast' show, he said: ''Country is the best link for me, they wanted me to do Lionel does Gershwin and I kept saying, 'Guys, no, no, guys its gotta be believable'. I left the country to go to the big city, where did I write those songs; Tuskegee, Alabama. So let's give a tribute to that.''