Rihanna has talked about her decision to dye her hair bright red, saying she did it to maintain an “edgy” look even as she toned down her outrageous outfits.

The “Only Girl (In The World)” singer has been known to sport less-than-modest, figure-hugging and flesh-flashing garb to show off her toned body, but has since decided to dial things back fashion-wise.

However, the superstar still wanted an exciting look.

“With my hair I was ready for something new, something loud, something expressive and something fun,” she said. “I'd had blonde hair and it was so boring for me. Black is still my favourite colour, but this time I wanted something edgier because I don't like the edgy clothes any more. I guess I had to take the edge to somewhere else - my hair!"

As for clothes, Ri-Ri says she’s looking at more subtle inspirations and cites Stella McCartney as a favourite designer.

She said: "With fashion the simplest thing like a star, or a flower, can inspire you. I'm into a lot of stuff to do with nature and colours now, just things that are really expressive. I wear a lot of Stella McCartney because what she does is great - she's a top, top designer."

See Ri sporting the talked about 'do in her video for "Only Girl (In The World)" below: