EXCLUSIVE: Sofia Richie Says She's 'Very Thankful' Dad Lionel Denied Her a Record Deal at 13: I 'Needed To Gro

At 17 years old, Lionel Richie's daughter, model Sofia Richie, has established herself as a stylish star with an eye for fashion. But years before she fell in love with couture, she was chasing her dream of a career in music.

"When I was 13, I was saying that I wanted to be signed to a label," Sofia told ET's Deidre Behar during an exclusive sit-down interview. "I was begging my dad to get me signed with somebody."

However, the music icon chose not to help secure a music deal for his little girl -- a decision Sofia has come to appreciate.

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"I'm glad he held me off, because I really found myself and found what I truly wanted to do," she shared.

Although, Sofia admitted, "At the time, it was heartbreaking."

"I was determined that I was so ready, and I was in the perfect spot to do all these crazy things," she recounted. "But I just needed to grow up and learn about life and that wasn't going to be as easy I thought it was going to be."

Now that's she's had the opportunity to grow a bit, she says she's "very thankful" that she wasn't thrust into the music spotlight at such a young age. As she points out, being a child star has its challenges.

"I just feel like you have to go through this crazy transition if you're going to continue on with your career, from a child star to an adult star," she explained. "I didn't understand that at the time, but my parents really tried to make me understand. Now I get it and I'm like, 'I would not have wanted to go through that.'"

"I just want to come out and be the person that I am," she added. "I don't want to have to go through a transition in front of the whole world."

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It seems the sky's the limit for Sofia, whose modeling career has been taking off. She recently made her runway debut at New York Fashion Week last month. But with her increasing popularity, there are a few things you won't be seeing from the young celeb: sexy selfies and skin-bearing snapshots.

Unlike many teenage stars, Sofia says she has no interest in posting revealing photos to her Instagram, where she's followed by nearly a million people.

"It's not intentional, I'm just not trying to be something that I'm not," Sofia said. "I just want to post what I think is cool and what I enjoy. I'm not trying to post some revealing picture to get more followers or more attention."

Which is the same reason she says she'd have no interest in appearing on a reality show such as The Simple Life, like her sister, Nicole Richie. And according to Sofia, the opportunity did present itself.

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Sofia says that a reboot of the popular reality series was considered three years ago and she was offered a starring role. "[They] came to my dad and wanted to do it," she recounted, adding that she doesn't think it's the sort of thing she'd be interested in."

"I don't think I'd be interested at all," Sofia said. "I just feel like that's not me. I'm not crazy like that, to run around and live in people's homes."

However, with her modeling career blowing up, she's got her sights set on one of her life's goals -- appearing on the cover of Vogue magazine.

"A Vogue cover, that's a big one," said Sofia, who shared that her other long-term goals include getting her own clothing line and eventually getting married.