Rihanna Swims With Sharks For a Dangerously Sexy Photo Shoot

Updated on Feb 5, 2015 at 1:43 PM

Rihanna looks devastatingly gorgeous on the cover of Harper's Bazaar's March issue, which hits newsstands on Feb. 17. The singer was shot by famed photographer Norman Jean Roy in a truly impressive spread that also happens to be well-timed to the 40th anniversary of Jaws; Rihanna not only swam with three actual sand tiger sharks — in a Chanel swimsuit, no less — for the shoot, but she also opened up in the accompanying interview about being surrounded by metaphorical "sharks," saying, "I try my best to avoid the sharks of life, but I have had my share of experiences with them."

Rihanna's stunning photo shoot comes just days after the singer revealed the video for her new single, "FourFiveSeconds," which features Kanye West and Paul McCartney. Fans are undeniably excited about Rihanna's upcoming eighth studio album, and this interview will likely just add fuel to the fervor. Keep reading for photos and video of Rihanna's shark-filled shoot, as well as her musings on fame, fashion, and facing her fears.

On her daring style: "The way I dress depends on how I feel. I never have to psych myself up. Usually it just feels like it works. I don't like to commit to those kind of rules. You never know."
On her return to Instagram: "I … like … pictures! And that's the bottom line."
On what makes a "badgal" in 2015: "You're about to find out."
On her perfect day: "The day I wake up without cellulite? Now that would be the perfect day."

On swimming with "the sharks of life": "I try my best to avoid the sharks of life, but I have had my share of experiences with them, and in those cases I just have to handle them accordingly. But I do not swim with sharks. . . sharks swim with sharks."
On being obsessed with the movie Jaws: "It freaked me out because I was a beach baby, so every time a new Jaws came out I would take months off from the beach or just sit on the sand. If I happened to get in the water, my dad would hum the theme music, and I was right back out of it. But that was really my fault because I was obsessed with Jaws. Steven Spielberg was my childhood hero."
On her greatest adventure: "Greatest adventure? Are you kidding me? I just did a photo shoot in the midst of sharks. It's going to be pretty hard to beat that."

On being fearless: "I think I'm like most people — we fear the unknown and the things that have yet to come to pass, which are the very things that don't deserve to be feared. When you give God complete control, it's very hard not to be fearless."
On developing a thick skin: "This skin has been developing since my first day at school. It didn't happen after fame; I couldn't survive fame if I didn't already have it. So sometimes the toughest thing in life is to be vulnerable. I'm not generally a sensitive person, but I tend to be more sensitive toward others and what they're going through. I don't know if that's the healthiest thing, but it's the truth."