Lionel Richie contacted his legal team after Adele released her single ‘Hello’ to see if he had any ownership over the word.
The 66-year-old music icon – who released a chart-topping ballad of the same name in 1984 – has revealed he loves the parallels people have drawn between the two hits, even though he’s had no luck with his lawyers.
Lionel quipped: "You can’t use my word without my acknowledgement, thank you very much.
"I have been trying to figure out, from a legal point of view, can you own a word? So far all the lawyers have told me, ‘No’. I’ve tried … but the association is fabulous!"
What’s more, Lionel revealed he’s keen to collaborate with the London-born star, who recently released her new album ’25’.
He told The Sun newspaper: "We will meet. When she’s on tour I’ll catch her backstage."
This comes shortly after Lionel revealed the pair have chatted and a duet is "in the works".
He explained: "We are going to be doing something together -that’s already almost in the works … I can almost say that we are talking, but right now she has a mission."
Lionel Richie ‘contacts lawyers’ over Adele’s use of Hello
