Transformation

Rihanna is no cookie-cutter R&B diva. When she released her first album, Music of the Sun, her record label decked her out in long wavy extensions and frilly outfits. "At the time I was, like, 'OK, I'll do whatever you want me to do.' But I love doing edgier things," she told InStyle. "So I had to grow up and figure myself out." Four years later, the Barbadian songstress is a 21-year-old trendsetter with neon nails, ever-changing locks and a love of experimentation—up to a point. "I let hairstylists and makeup artists try anything, but I'll say 'I'm not too sure if I like this' if I need to," she has said. "Because at the end of the day, my face is what's out there, so I have to make sure it's right." No worries, RiRi—it's right!

2005: "I'll never have my hair long and light brown again," the Music of the Sun chanteuse has said of this look. "It was too generic."