Lionel Richie: 'Miley Cyrus + Bieber are amateur and won't last'

Lionel Richie has criticised stars like Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber for failing to have a musical back-catalogue that's strong enough to back up their theatrics.

Speaking to The Evening Standard, the singer said: "The beautiful part of where we were - we had shock value. But what came with shock value was hit after hit after hit. Madonna was outrageous - but she had a catalogue of music that was unbelievable.

“At the end of all the theatrics with Michael [Jackson], he had nothing but the most fabulous catalogue. Now, we’ve got a lot of theatrics - but where’s the song that is going to stick around forever?"

He continued: “Twenty years from now, let’s take anybody - where’s the body of work? I’m going to judge you not by your popularity but by your longevity, your staying records. I’m thinking about Miley, Justin Bieber.

“We’ve made amateur music mainstream. There’s a difference between a stylist and a singer - everybody can sing! Go to karaoke - there are some guys seriously singing their asses off! But do they have a unique voice, or distinct voice?”

Lionel Richie is embarking on a full UK tour in February. Tickets are on sale now. For tickets and more information, visit here. 

Saturday 28th February Manchester Arena
Sunday 1st March The O2, London
Wednesday 4th March First Direct Arena, Leeds
Friday 6th March The SSE Hydro, Glasgow
Saturday 7th March Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle
Friday 13th March Echo Arena, Liverpool
Saturday 14th March NIA, Birmingham
Monday 16th March Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff
Tuesday 17th March Capital FM Arena, Nottingham