Rihanna struggled with 'figuring out who she was' in her early career.

The pop star rose to fame after signing with record label Def Jam at the age of 17 in 2005.

At the beginning of her stardom, Rihanna had a difficult time getting to grips with her musical identity.

'I feel like I was really, really protected, really guarded with myself. I felt like they were giving me a blueprint,' she revealed in an interview with Oprah Winfrey on Oprah's Next Chapter. 'They had a brand, they had an idea of what they wanted me to be without figuring out who I was and then working with that.'

The now 24-year-old Rihanna has since amassed a number of accolades for her work including Grammy Awards, American Music Awards and MTV Video Music Awards.

The star is happy that she managed to pave her own trail.

'I felt stifled because I don't even know who I am at 16 and 17 years old,' she explained. 'I was uncomfortable with that. The only way I could do that was by bursting out of it.'