Chart-topper Rihanna rebels with haircut

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Chart-topping Barbados singer Rihanna says she is going through a rebellious stage.

But unlike some of her celebrity peers, she has not been arrested for driving while under the influence, checked into rehab or spent time in jail. Instead the 19-year-old cut her hair -- without asking anyone first.

"I just wanted to get a little edgy and cut my hair and I didn't really ask anybody to do it," Rihanna told Reuters in a interview.

"I just did it, changed myself completely, my image and everything. I just did it like a bad girl would do it."

She said the "Good Girl Gone Bad" title of her third album, which was released this week, reflects where she is at in her life and her career and how she feels.

"I just got a little rebellious -- I think it's about time. I just had to breakaway from that innocent girly image that I used to have," she said. "Everybody rebels in their own way and this is my way of being rebellious."

But as Paris Hilton was sent back to jail on Friday and actress Lindsay Lohan recuperates in rehab, a publicist for Rihanna stopped the singer from answering a question on what sort of example she thought they were setting for their fans.

As for her own image, Rihanna, whose single, "Umbrella" is currently No. 1 in both the United States and Britain, said, "I'm setting a great example for young girls, I just want to lead them in the right direction."

"Right now I am a very fun-loving person. I am very focused and ambitious. When I want something I get dedicated and I work towards it. I have a big work ethic," she said.

She admitted that she was still not used to all the attention that came with being a chart-topping singer.

"It's definitely awkward, sometimes all the attention, it can be weird," she said. "But I guess it's a great thing considering the new album 'Good Girl Gone Bad' just came out. I think it's great I am getting all the attention."

Reuters/Nielsen