Lionel Richie acknowledges it was a "surprise" that King Charles of the United Kingdom picked him to play at his Coronation Concert.
The 73-year-old singer, named The Prince's Trust's first worldwide ambassador in 2019, will perform with Katy Perry and Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, 64, who will duet with 57-year-old Welsh opera classic Sir Bryn Terfel.
And, of all the "names" he might have selected, the 'Hello' hitmaker couldn't believe it when he learned the king wanted him to perform for him.
He told 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 just never comes up.
[It's] A, a surprise. B, what an honour. And C, the fact of all the names that are out there that he could have had for this, he called my name.
He continued:
"I really do celebrate his now stepping into the king role."
The 'All Night Long' hitmaker expects more "pomp and circumstance" than a concert by The King of Pop, the late Michael Jackson, or The Queen of Pop, Madonna.
Lionel added:
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 grandiose of grandiose right here.
The performance will take place on the grounds of Windsor Castle on May 6, a day after Charles, 74, and his wife, Queen Consort Camilla, 75, are crowned at Westminster Abbey.
Soul pianist Alexis Ffrench, 53, and singer-songwriter Freya Ridings, 28, will also perform at Charles' event.
Lionel, 52, Gary Barlow, 54, Howard Donald, 54, and Mark Owen, 51, were announced as the headliners when it was confirmed Lionel had signed up.
They will be accompanied by musicians such as a 70-piece orchestra, the Massed Bands of the Household Division, and the Countess of Wessex's String Orchestra, as well as a 300-strong Coronation Choir.
It comes less than a year after the concert to mark the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, which included music by Queen, Duran Duran, and Diana Ross.
