Posted by Andrew Unterberger on 08/20/2012 at 7:46 AM News

The Popdust Files: rihanna

When we heard that Oprah Winfrey was going to be doing a big sit-down interview with pop icon Rihanna for her OWN channel, we figured they weren’t going to be talking about her upcoming singles or the “Where Have You Been” video or whose idea it was to sample Billy Stewart on “Cockiness (Love It).” Nah, the subject matter was almost certainly gonna be geared towards that guy whose name rhymes with Bris Crown, and the incident that happened between the two ex-lovers (and current megastars) in Los Angeles three years ago.

Indeed, Rihanna did talk a lot of Breezy last night. Key answers included:

• Does she still think about him? “I am reminded by a lot of things…a lot of the memories we had. By the slightest things. Hotel rooms, tour, venues. Any little thing. Music, songs. And I do miss him at times.”
• What did she feel like during the public fallout? “I just felt like…he made that mistake because he needs help. And who’s going to help him?…Everyone’s going to say he’s a monster without looking at the source. And I was more concerned about him.”
• What’s her relationship with Brown like now? “We’ve been working on our friendship again, and now we’re very, very, very close friends. We built up a trust again, and that’s it. We love each other, and we probably always will. And that’s not something that you’re going to try to change.”
• Is she still seeing him? ”No. He’s in a relationship of his own. I’m single.”
• Was he one of her true loves? “I think he was the love of my life.”

Well, Brown haters and Rihanna-Chris ‘shippers (assuming they exist) must both be having a field day with this interview today. It’s nothing that we didn’t already basically know—Ri’s never made a secret about the fact that her feelings for Chris Brown linger, and that the two haven’t shut down their relationship entirely—but to still be this obviously and admittedly in love with the guy remains slightly disconcerting. I mean…didn’t she see that awful “How I Feel” video?