She claimed it in an interview.
Q: You’ve had a great year - how are you feeling about everything? Overwhelmed? Happy…?
A: I feel great about my year. I’ve had a great year so far. I’m very grateful and feel very excited and feel I’ve accomplished a lot. I can’t wait to go on tour.
Q: What would you say is the highlight of your year so far, considering everything that’s happened, with Umbrella (a recent single)..?
A: The highlight for me would definitely be having the biggest song of the decade. I think that’s a huge title. To be up there with Whitney Houston is one of the biggest honours, so that’s the highlight for me this year.
Q: Are you a big fan of Whitney Houston?
A: Very much so. Huge fan.
Q: It’s been a successful few years for you, in fact. Is this what you’ve always wanted to do and a dream come true?
A: Definitely. I’ve always dreamed of becoming a singer and entertainer and now I’m fulfilling my dream. So, yes.
Q: And does it meet your expectations?
A: I didn’t really know what to expect. I was in Barbados so I was far away from seeing what this could be like. All I knew is that I love to sing and wanted to do this. Now I’m able to stick with it and put up with all the hard work because I love what I do so much.
Q: You’ve worked with lots of exciting people, too. Can you pick out any collaborations that were particularly special for you?
A: Favourites? Justin Timberlake and Timbaland were definitely two of my favourites. Also The Dream - the singer songwriter. Yes, he’s good.
Q: And was that exciting or was it just like another day at work…? Any surprises?
A: It was definitely exciting. The energy in the studio was fantastic. Just being around such great people and great musicians and creative minds all in one room. We had a blast, too. They made it fun. And at the same time we were making great music.
Q: Your songs have sampled Soft Cell and New Order. Is New Order the kind of group you would normally listen to? What’s your usual taste?
A: I wasn’t really very aware of them until I did the songs. I listen to more…let me see…you know what? My taste in music is very vast so it’s hard to say what type of music I like. I wasn’t a fan of New Order before because I didn’t know a lot of their music, but now I know more.
Q: Have you played many concerts in Britain yet? Are you excited about playing in Britain? What do you make of the country in general?
A: I’ve done a lot of performances but I’m looking forward to doing more. I love it here and I love performing here. I’m in London right now - I’ve been here many, many times. It’s great.
Q: You’ll be very busy touring. When do you get to celebrate Christmas?
A: I’ll be spending Christmas in Barbados. I think I stop work a couple of days before Christmas. Do I like being busy? Well, sometimes you get exhausted and you just want to rest. But it’s okay.
Q: What are your hopes for the future? You’ve fulfilled your dream to be a singer. Do you want more of the same?
A: There’s definitely much more I want to do. I want to act; I want to set up some of my own businesses. But I also want to continue with music.
Q: What kind of businesses are you thinking of?
A: Fashion lines and stuff like that.
Q: And have you started thinking about those things yet, or is it a case of one thing at a time?
A: One thing at a time.
Q: You’ve got a new single coming out here soon. Can you tell me a little about it?
A: Shut Up and Drive is the new single right now. It’s been phenomenal so far. It’s about to hit stores on Monday. It’s a high energy song and a different kind of song for me because I’ve never done a real rock song before. It’s very cool and I had a lot of fun recording it.
Q: Now you’re very well known and fans can read about you and decide what they think about you - but their ideas might not always have much to do with the real you. What might surprise your fans to know about you?
A: Hmmm. Well I like tattoos. I have four. (Where are they?) Most of them hidden. One is a Sanskrit word, one is a star, one is a music note (on my foot) and the other is a Pisces sign (I’m Pisces).
Q: And I take it they all mean something special to you…
A: Rihanna *laughs*
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