She continues: "Because it never occurred to me how this was going to be a problem. It really didn't.
"I thought people were gonna be surprised that we finally did a record together, but I didn't see how people could think it was a bad thing. In my mind, it was just music."
And then things get awkward.
"Some people felt it sent the wrong message," states the Esquire journo.
"What was that? What message would that be?" asks Rihanna.
"You'd gone back to someone who put you in the hospital," the interviewer adds.
"Oh really? Did I?" Rihanna fires back. "Did I? Did I? Did I? ... Okay. In a completely professional environment. And on a complete professional note. I mean, if I went back to him [as a girlfriend], then that's a whole different discussion.
"And if I ever do, then that's something that y'all have to talk to me about when - if - that ever happens. Until then, look at it for what it is. I think a lot of people jumped to an assumption that was incorrect and they ended up looking stupid."
Rumours that the pair had rekindled their romance surfaced after the tracks were released.
"Because of a song. How stupid," she says. "If I was together with every collaborator I worked with... f**k my life."
Explains the journo: "Maybe the thing is that as an artist your personal and private life are intertwined, and you've already played on this. The first song you put out after the beating incident was Love the Way You Lie, about domestic violence."
The writer then continues to press the singer about the collab.
"There's a lot of sh*t y'all can't get over. Y'all holding your breath on a lot of stuff that doesn't matter," she snaps. "When you realise who you live for, and who's important to please, a lot of people will actually start living. I am never going to get caught up in that. I'm gonna look back on my life and say that I enjoyed it - and I lived it for me - and God."
She concludes: "This is turning into a tacky interview. What do you really want to talk about? I'm not here to [talk] about messy sh*t.
"It upsets me that you keep asking the same kind of questions about stuff that's trivial. What's there to talk about? Are all your questions like that?"
Check out a behind-the-scenes video from her Esquire shoot here.
In related Chris Brown news...
Chris Brown has nipped a brewing feud with pop diva Cher in the bud.
Brown reached out to the singer after a fake tweet purporting to be from his official Twitter account appeared to threaten Cher over her "opinion against [President] Obama."
"That damn GRANNY bitch CHER needs to keep her mouth SHUTTTT about her opinion against obama !!! smh she needs a beating (sic)," the tweet curculating on the social media platform read, MTV reports.
Cher's fans swiftly alerted the singer to the tweet.
Asked one of her fans, "Cher, how do you feel about Chris Brown saying he was gonna hit you." Cher retweeted the question and replied: "I don't know. Is that something he's particularly good at?"
Brown later clarified the situation.
"@cher if this is your real twitter I would like to say that some of ur fans are spreading false accusations" Brown tweeted.
"I have the utmost respect for u as an artist! @cher. Just to clear this up," he added.
Cher responded: "Thanks Chris,Appreciate The Sentiment!As artist I'm Always Impressed by u!No war!no throw 'n Shade!Just peace Goin C Pres.2morrow,Am excited (sic)."
A rep for Brown tells RumorFix, "It is a fake tweet; it was not written by Chris Brown."
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