(Cover) - EN Showbiz - Rihanna enjoyed being "one of the boys" as a youngster.

The songstress is famed for her risqu stage routines, controversial dance moves and highly-sexed lyrics.

Despite her femme fatale image now, Rihanna was a tomboy growing up and surrounded herself with male friends.

The 23-year-old Barbadian star says her best female friend changed her perspective.

"I was one of the boys. I never saw the need for having girl friends until I met Melissa [Forde]. Melissa taught me how to be a girl," she told the UK edition of Vogue.

Rihanna has discussed her favourite school subject. The international superstar says although she loved English lessons, she never really understood their significance.

"I was really interested in grammar, like memorising tenses and conjunctions, and all that, but at school I was like, Why do we have to learn English when we speak the language?'" she quipped. (C) Cover Media