Rated-R girl talk
By Seow Jia Min, TODAY | Posted: 20 November 2009 1253 hrs

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We know what you're thinking. You want all the goss on Chris Brown.

Unfortunately that's the one question that was off-limits. He Who Shall Not Be Named was never directly mentioned during our 10-minute chat with Rihanna at London's upscale Metropolitan hotel in Mayfair, but you know when she talked about "change" and a "new chapter", she had her then-boyfriend's physical assault in mind.

With the whole Chris Brown hoo-hah, it's easy to forget that Rihanna has already churned out three albums, sold over 12 million records, won a Best Rap/Sung Collaboration Grammy for Umbrella, and, just recently, was honoured as one of Glamour magazine's Women Of The Year.

And she's only 21.

Promoting her new album "Rated R", which hits stores next week, had put her in a chatty mood. On that wet and windy Saturday afternoon, Robyn Rihanna Fenty was sweet and likeable. Chatting with her was talking to a girlfriend, where you gab about fashion (she loves playing dress-up), moaned about laying off the carbs (Italian food is her weakness) and discussing your favourite guilty pleasure TV programmes (reality shows for our Ri-Ri).

In fact, if you discount the fact that most 21-year-olds don't walk around immaculately made-up in beautiful grey swirly Rodarte dresses and killer heels, Rihanna seemed downright normal.

Of course, that all changed when she took the stage. Unveiling a handful of songs from her new album at an exclusive launch event sponsored by Nokia at the Brixton Academy on Monday - simultaneously streamed worldwide - there wasn't a trace of the bubbly girlfriend persona. In its place was a stage professional who knew how to work the screaming crowd with her spot-on vocals and naughty dance moves (she pulled some Michael Jackson crotch grabs and fondled a mannequin).

Whether it's PG girl talk or a "Rated R" live show, Rihanna is just simply likeable. Your loss, Mr Brown.


You're in London to launch "Rated R" through a gig that will be streamed live to the world by Nokia. How cool is that?

Rihanna: It's the first time I'm ever doing this. It's great that my fans all over the world don't have to feel left out. You get to see it live from London. I perform live in the venue but you are all part of the concert. I think that's awesome.


You're blonde! Was it time for a change?

I get bored with one look really quickly so I wanted to try something new ... I said we have to go completely different. We're either going really, really red or really, really blonde.


So is it true that blondes have more fun?

(Laughs) I'm definitely having more fun being a blonde.


What was it like being named one of Glamour's Women Of The Year?

It was such an honour and the event itself was so beautiful. I'd never been to it - I'd only heard of it and being there was so surreal for me. Being there with all those great women, powerful women ... It felt so amazing. There were all these beautiful, sophisticated, strong women, iconic women who I look up to - and there I was being honoured.

And I had just become a woman ...


You've just turned 21, haven't you?

It was like a turning point in my life. It was like everything just happened in that very moment, and I knew that everything happened for a reason, because I was about to start a whole new chapter.


And is your new album part of that chapter?

Yeah, it's an extension of that chapter. This is a part of it. It's definitely more fearless. You hear a lot more things in there that might shock you. I talk a lot about things, I talk about sex ... We use a lot of bad words and a lot of metaphors. We had some fun with words. Like the song Russian Roulette might throw people off, but really and truly, the songs are real love songs. It's different but it's the natural step from the last album. I didn't want to repeat myself so we kinda changed the sound up.


You'll be going on tour next year. Are you looking forward to it?

I love it. I like performing a lot - every night is something different, like, even though I'm performing the same show and the same order, it's a different audience, they receive it a different way. A different song is their favourite, like, you never know what you'll get. That's the excitement in it for me.

"Rated R" is in stores November 23. Watch highlights of the showcase at www.nokia.com/rihanna.

- TODAY/rs