Singer Lionel Richie admits he used to be terrified being on stage and it took him five to eight years to get over the fright and be comfortable.

Richie brought up the subject on "The Drew Barrymore Show", when host Barrymore asked: "I actually heard a story that when you were in the (band) Commodores you were sort of hesitant to be a front man. Is this true?"

The singer replied: "That is so true. To show you how terrified I was during the Freshman talent show when the curtains opened, I literally walked off with the curtains,"

He added that his fright would be severe.

"It took me about maybe five to eight years to really get comfortable on stage, but I suffered from a tremendous amount of stage fright. Actually, it was the Jackson 5 tour that took me out of that little nervousness," Richie said on the show, which airs on Zee Cafe in India.