Rihanna Named As Glamour 2009 Woman of the Year

As we already stated, we are in Rihanna Overload, but it finally seems like we are going to actually hear Rihanna speak and give her side of the story about not only about the happenings of this past year, but a lot more. Glamour recently named Rihanna a 2009 Woman of the Year. Check out snippets from her Glamour interview below.

On relationships:
“I want to find love in the next 10 years—that will be pretty annoying if I am 31 and still have never been in love!”

On her personal growth over the past year:
“I am stronger, wiser and more aware. You don’t realize how much your decisions affect people you don’t even know, like fans.”

On feeling alone:
“My friends and family have been extremely supportive, and everyone has been there for me. But at some point you are there alone. It’s a lonely place to be—no one can understand. That’s when you get close to God.”

On her new album:
“I’ve put everything I’ve wanted to say for the past eight months into my music. [My new album] is super fearless—which is exactly how I feel right now. I am in a really good place.”

Here a snippet of the interview:

Glamour: Let’s first talk about life before you made it: You are one of the few pop stars in recent years to come from the islands.
Rihanna: I would have never dreamed that my career would be this successful. I grew up in an average home in Barbados, and we didn’t live in the best neighborhood. But I was never aware that we were poor; my mom never made us feel that way. She loved me unconditionally. She made us feel anything was possible and instilled in me such confidence.

Glamour: Did you sing a lot as a kid?
Rihanna: Always—in the shower, to pillows and stuffed animals, my cousins. But I knew I wanted my music to be heard worldwide. That was my dream. I was able to make demos whenever I had vacation time, but my mom always said, “You are not stopping school until you get signed.” And even when I got signed, she still made me go to school.

Glamour: You auditioned for Jay-Z at Def Jam. What was that like?
Rihanna: I was nervous as hell. The night before, I couldn’t sleep. I was trying on a million different outfits and makeup. I remember seeing Jay-Z and starting to shake. I thought he would be in a suit, sitting behind a desk with a cigar. But he was totally chill, wearing sneakers and a T-shirt. Then I went into audition mode. I knew it was all or nothing. Right away, the Def Jam people said, “You can’t leave the building.” They closed the door, and the lawyers stayed until 1:00 or 2:00 A.M. to do the deal.

Glamour: That literally is the definition of overnight success!
Rihanna: In a matter of weeks, the first single [“Pon de Replay”] went to radio. Then we shot a video, and the song just took off. I was in the Top 10 with huge artists who I looked up to. Jay-Z kept telling me, “This never happens, so don’t get used to it.” I saw how special that moment was.

Glamour: What’s the most valuable piece of advice Jay-Z’s ever given you?
Rihanna: In the beginning of my career, he said, “You must be a good person, because good things are happening for you, but you have to stay humble.” One thing that intrigued me about him was that he was such a huge artist and really down-to-earth. I felt like if he was saying this, it must work.

Glamour: Let’s talk about this past year—you’ve obviously been through some difficult things. How did the people around you help you cope?
Rihanna: My friends and family have been extremely supportive, and everyone has been there for me. But at some point you are there alone. It’s a lonely place to be—no one can understand. That’s when you get close to God.

Glamour: Are you referring to the [Chris Brown] incident?
Rihanna: I am talking about starting with the night [before] the Grammys and then on. That was not the only thing that occurred this year. The picture leaking…it was one thing after another.

Glamour: You’re talking about the photo [reportedly of Rihanna’s injured face taken by police after Brown assaulted her] that was allegedly leaked by cops. You handled that so well; you kept silent in the press.
Rihanna: It was humiliating; that is not a photo you would show to anybody. I felt completely taken advantage of. I felt like people were making it into a fun topic on the Internet, and it’s my life. I was disappointed, especially when I found out the photo was [supposedly leaked by] two women.

For more of this interview please visit Glamour @ www.glamour.com.