Lionel Richie Is Surprised And Honored At Being Chosen As One Of The Performers For King Charles’ Coronation Concert

In less than a month, the history of the UK will change as the coronation of King Charles III and his wife, Queen Camilla, is set to take place on May 6, 2023. The days before and after the historical event are packed with activities, with one of the major events being the Coronation Concert.

Lionel Richie revealed that he was surprised but honored to be selected and named as one of the performers for the event.

While attending the Breakthrough Awards at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles last Saturday, the 73-year-old music icon shared with People, “I mean, you don’t get in the business and say, ‘You know what? I’ll be at the King’s coronation.’ You know, that never comes up.”

The legendary singer continued, “[It’s] A, a surprise. B, what an honor. And C, because of all the names out there that he could have had for this, he called my name.”

Recall that in 2019, Lionel became The Prince’s Trust’s first global ambassador.

 Lionel was invited to perform alongside Andrea Bocelli, Katy Perry, and Take That. The We Are The World singer has known King Charles closely for a long time and admitted that he genuinely celebrates the new milestone of King Charles officially stepping into the king role. 

The singer is excited to witness all the pomp and pageantry expected from the upcoming coronation. Despite King Charles III changing some things and keeping the grandeur at a limit, it is one of the exciting things to look forward to next month. 

Lionel gushed, “I want to see the pomp and circumstance because I don’t care what you thought Michael Jackson did. I don’t care what you thought Prince did. I don’t care what you thought Madonna did. Nothing’s going to be like this. This is the grandiose of grandiose right here.”

The Coronation Concert scheduled for May 7 also includes Freya Ridings, Sir Bryn Terfel and Alexis Ffrench.

Around 20,000 members of the public will be invited to attend the concert, and the event will also be aired on BBC1 and Radio 2, together with catch-up services. As per the BBC, the show is intended to celebrate the new chapter in the UK’s history. It will have themes of love, optimism, and respect and will celebrate the four nations and the Commonwealth.

The musical celebration will be supported by a 70-piece orchestra and a house band composed of the Countess of Wessex’s string orchestra and the Massed Bands of the Household Division. There’s also The Coronation Choir, which is made up of a diverse group of musical performers, ranging from farmers, cab drivers, reggae choirs, and sea shanty singers.

Part of the festivities will see critical landmarks and UK locations being lit up with lasers, illuminations, and drone displays. Locals, visitors, and those watching from their homes can be confident that it will be a night of entertainment and joyous celebrations.