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Rihanna recently sat down with contact music to discuss her early career. She says she was concerned about being a 'formulaic' pop star when she began her career because she was not in control of her image.

The 22-year-old says she had little control over her early image and insisted things changed when she released her third album, 'Good Girl Gone Bad' in 2007.

'I had a ridiculous schedule. It was kind of unfair. But I kept going. I was focusing on getting people to respect me as an artist, making my stamp in the industry. I wasn't 100 percent or even 75 percent in control of my image or my sound. I said, 'If you guys keep this perfect image of me, people will never notice me',' she said.

'I kind of blended in. It was safe, the blonde, curly hair. It was a formula. I didn't want to be like all the other artists. I wanted to stand out. And the only way I could do that was by taking charge of my image and sound. And it worked. 'Good Girl Gone Bad' was a big turning point for me,' she added.