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Shorter hairdo helped me discover myself: Rihanna

The 20-year-old singer went against the wishes of her record label last year (07) when she did away with her long hair in favour of an edgy pixie cut, to coincide with the release of her album ‘Good Girl Gone Bad’.

Barbadian singer Rihanna has credited her short hairdo for distinguishing her from other pop stars, and also for allowing her to discover herself.

Another plus which the Umbrella star insists the short hairdo has brought about is that the change in style helped her establish her independence.

"I felt like the whole world had long, curly, flowy blonde hair. Ciara, Beyonce, Mariah, Christina Milian,” a website quoted her as saying.

“Everybody wanted to be like everybody else. So I cut my hair and they (Def Jam) made me put my long hair back in (as extensions).

"The second time, I didn't have any discussions, nothing. I just cut it, I dyed it black, I went into the studio making music my way. “I found myself all at once. I like things strong, edgy, a little to the left. I don't like things that are expected - nothing clichéd," she added.

Biography of Fortunate Rihanna

Bajan beauty Rihanna emerged on the 'big' scene in the summer of 2005 with her debut hit single, 'Pon de Replay,' and continued to demonstrate her big music talent in the following years, launching such smash hits as 'S.O.S.,' 'Unfaithful' and 'Umbrella.' By the time of the release of her third album 'Good Girl Gone Bad,'

Rihanna was full-fledged international music star, holding number one positions in the world music charts.

ROBYN RIHANNA FENTY was born on February 20th, 1988 in Saint Michael, Barbados. One day she was just another beach-dwelling island girl, skipping school and absorbing a mix of Calypso, reggae and American hip-hop at the clubs in her hometown of St. Michael, trying to get an autograph of some superstar.

The next day she became one of the most famous Caribbean pop singers who would most probably join the hall of fame with other mega music moguls.

A fateful meeting with New York producer Evan Rogers, who produced superstars like *NSYNC, Kelly Clarkson, Christina Aguilera, Rod Steward and Jessica Simpson, absolutely changed Rihanna's life and turned her into a star.

Evan Rogers was on vacation in Barbados with his family, when someone met him with the 17 year old girl Rihanna. He saw a huge artist potential in the girl and offered her the chance to record some music.

After recording some demos, Rihanna sparked the attention of the Carter Administration - including Shawn Carter, Def Jam's recently appointed president a.k.a. 'Jay-Z'. The consequences were rather obvious. An audition which resulted in a contract deal with Def Jam which Rihanna did not miss to sign right on the spot.

In the summer of 2005, Rihanna released with Def Jam 'Pon De Replay,' which is the lead single of her first LP, called 'Music of the Sun.'

The album was produced by Evan Rogers and his production partner Carl Sturken. The album very successfully synthesizes beats with R&B songwriting and Caribbean rhythms.

Even before the official release of the album, 'Pod De Replay' hits the charts almost immediately, climbing to the number two position at The Billboard Hot 100 and competing the 2 month reign of Mariah Carey's "We Belong Together" atop the chart.

After the huge success of 'Pod De Replay,' Riri spawned the second album's single 'If It's Lovin' That You Want,' which broke the Top 40 chart. Rihanna's second album, called 'A Girl Like Me', made a huge success as well, launching three big hits: 'SOS', 'Unfaithful' and 'Break It Off.'

The last of Rihanna's albums 'Good Girl Gone Bad' was released in 2007, cementing her status at the top level of today's pop stars. The lead single from the album, 'Umbrella' brings to Rihanna many awards, including her first Grammy.

Stars like Jay-Z, Ne-Yo, Timbaland, Justin Timberlake and Star Gate worked on GGGB. The other big hit singles the album spawned are 'Shut Up and Drive,' 'Don't Stop The Music' and a collaboration with Ne-Yo 'Hate That I Love You.'

By this point it was crystal clear that Rihanna had become one of the biggest international pop stars of the mid-2000s.