Lionel Richie Asked His Children for Advice on His New Fragrance Line: 'They're Brutal!'
Lionel Richie’s three kids will always keep it real with him.
While working on his new fragrance collection, the “Hello” singer, 70, tapped Sofia, 21, Miles, 25, and Nicole, 38, for some honest feedback.
“They are so brutal! Without saying what I was doing and that this was mine, [I asked] them ‘What do you think about it?’ [They said] ‘Yeah dad, I like this! What is it?'” he told PEOPLE at the launch party for the line of his and her scents, titled “Hello by Lionel Richie.”
Richie kept the details of the fragrance top secret as he worked on it — “I wanted to make sure this was true to me,” he says about tuning out others’ opinions during the creative process — but getting the seal of approval from his family was certainly the cherry on top.
“It’s called the blind test. You don’t ever put or say your name is on it ’cause then they’ll really mess you up. If they’re police, that’s the worst. They’re lying,” he says. “Once I put [it past their test], I knew we had something.”
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While Sofia had the most enthusiastic response out of all his kids, the American Idol judge says his longtime girlfriend Lisa Parigi was also an important part of the creative process.
“She was there from the beginning. I was in my little room by myself because I didn’t want anybody to influence me. It’s like writing a song,” he says. “But Lisa was the first line of attack.”
Available on Amazon and Walgreens, the fragrance was inspired by Richie’s love of travel — and of course, music.
“When I leave my house and check into a hotel suite, I’m spraying everything. I bring home with me,” he says. “It’s the basic tour of the smell in my home.”
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Turning 71 this summer, the star is enjoying life to the fullest with his loved ones while making decisions that allow him to embrace his biggest passions: music, romance and family.
“It starts from the inside-out. You want to make sure that you are in the mood and essence of it. That’s called passion, you got it?” he says about keeping things sexy. “What is the business I’m in? Love. It’s gotta tingle. If it’s not vibrant, if it’s not turning you on. then it’s not happening.”
Often asked how he stays so ageless, Richie says his answer is simple. “Again, it starts from the inside. There’s a love for yourself, and if that happens, then we find the right things to go with it.”
