Rihanna is calling her much-publicized incident with former boyfriend Chris Brown liberating. In a new interview with the May issue of “Elle” magazine, the chart-topping singer says Brown’s brutal attack that led to their breakup in 2009 was “embarrassing,” but also her “opening.” She says the incident gave the public more than she wanted to share about herself and at the same time, gave her “guns.” Rihanna tells “Elle,” “That was my liberation, my moment of bring it. Now you know that, so you can say what you want about it. I don’t have anything to hide.”

Much to the surprise of many, Rihanna is back in contact with Brown, even collaborating with him on two singles earlier this year. She’s offering no apologies for the reconnection, despite the violence she suffered at the singer’s hands. Rihanna says while she respects what people have to say about the matter, she believes “everyone thinks differently.” The 24-year-old Barbadian pop star says she’s still going to be the same person tomorrow, adding “I’m still going to do what I want to do.”

The “Elle” magazine issue with Rihanna on the cover arrives on newsstands April 17th. The singer is also making her acting debut in the upcoming movie “Battleship,” due out on May 18th.

RiRi shot the romantic themed shoot back in February with photographer Tom Munro, and chose to go the blonde route specifically for the shoot. And her hairstylist Ursula Stephens and the makeup artist was my homie Mylah Morales. Here’s the full interview:

On her breakup with Chris Brown: “It gave me guns. I was like, well, fuck. They know more about me than I want them to know. It’s embarrassing. But that was my opening. That was my liberation, my moment of bring it. […] Now you know that, so you can say what you want about it. I don’t have anything to hide.”

On the backlash over their reconciliation: “The bottom line is that everyone thinks differently. It’s very hard for me to accept, but I get it. People end up wasting their time on the blogs or whatever, ranting away, and that’s all right. Because tomorrow I’m still going to be the same person. I’m still going to do what I want to do.”

On having kids: “It could be tomorrow. It could be 20 years from now. I just feel like when the time is right, God will send me a little angel. But first, of course, I have to find a man. I mean, there’s a very important missing piece to the puzzle here!”

On finding that man: “I feel like it’s hard for everybody! I don’t think it has anything to do with being famous. There’s just a major drought out there. […] But I just need to find the person who balances me out, because then things like my schedule won’t matter. I’ve done it before, so I know I can do it again.”