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Initially hesitant to speak out about Chris Brown‘s assault on her, Rihanna says that her personal pain helped her delve into the creative process of conceiving and recording her new album, Rated R.

The singer tells People, “I’m usually a very guarded person, so having to go in and reach your emotions and personal things to say, it was very vulnerable.” More specifically, she says the feel of the music derives from “personal experiences mixed with rock and hip-hop.”

Set heartache to a catchy beat and I’m totally on board.

Gallery Info: Rihanna visits MTV’s The Alexa Chung Show in NYC.