( L - R ) Nicole Richie, Lionel Richie

Bangshowbiz:

Lionel Richie says his daughter, Nicole, does not need to apologise for her bad behaviour.

The singer believes his adopted daughter - who will stand trial on Wednesday as a result of her arrest for DUI (driving under the influence) last December - is just acting like any typical 25-year-old.

He said in an interview with the USA Today newspaper: "She keeps apologising to me.

I told her, "You're doing exactly what you're supposed to be doing to your father at this age."

Not guilty

The Simple Life star, who pleaded not guilty to the charge at a preliminary hearing, could be jailed if she is found guilty because of a previous DUI conviction from 2003.

Lionel, 57, added: "She's just in an unfortunate situation."

The pop legend also thinks today's stars are subject to far more scrutiny than he ever was when he shot to fame in the '70s with Motown band, the Commodores. He said: "There's just so much information out there right now, MySpace, cellphones, the Internet. If we had had all that when the Commodores were around, God only knows what my mother and father would have seen."