She explained: "My sexiness now is more flirtatious, not so defensive and aggressive. It's more feminine."
The 'Only Girl (In The World)' hitmaker – who shot to fame aged just 17 - regularly questions whether she has tried to do too much too young, but admitted she is highly ambitious and has many things she still wants to achieve.
She said: "It's a very repetitive thought. Especially when I think about what I want to achieve. I always over-challenge myself and beat myself up. 'I haven't done enough. I haven't done enough.' And then I think, 'What the hell — you're 22!' "
Toning down her sexiness is just one way in which Rihanna feels she has matured - she has set up her own company, Rihanna Entertainment, now that she feels old enough to handle the business aspects of her career properly.
She added in an interview with USA Today newspaper: "You can't have too much responsibility without being able to handle it in a responsible way.
"So I just waited until the time was right. It was now. Business is something I need to be a lot more serious about. I feel, like, really old doing it. It has made me grow up."