'Shorter hairdo helped me discover myself': Rihanna

Washington, May 25 : Barbadian singer Rihanna has credited her short hairdo for distinguishing her from other pop stars, and also for allowing her to discover herself.

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'.

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," Contactmusic 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 cliched," she added.

ANI