Lionel Richie contacted his legal team after Adele released her single 'Hello' to see if he had any ownership over the word.

Lionel Richie

Lionel Richie

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."


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