Rihanna worried she "blended in" when she first started her music career.

The 22-year-old singer 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.

She said: "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 per cent or even 75 per cent in control of my image or my sound. I said, 'If you guys keep this perfect image of me, people will never notice me.'

"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."

Despite her problems, the 'Only Girl (In the World)' hitmaker believes she would still advise her younger self to continue working hard to achieve her goals.

She told Britain's GQ magazine: "I'd tell her to go for it. Nothing in life comes easy. Everything comes with a sacrifice. If this is what I love to do most then I have to put up with the s**t that I don't love that comes with it. And I have to work."