Washington, July 21 (ANI): Barbadian singer Rihanna has given credit to her prejudiced peers for helping her find success in her singing.

Rihanna says that the bullying she went through as a child prepared her for the entertainment industry by forcing her to develop a thick skin.

The singer had first experienced difficulty at her school, where her lighter complexion had her feeling like an outsider.

As it turned out, all the taunts she had to endure turned out to be a blessing in disguise for the Barbados-born beauty, as it was what eventually drove her to seek out the limelight.

It (prejudice) made me angry. It made me want to fight in my younger years. Having lighter skin wasn't a problem in my household, but it was when I went to school - which really confused me at first. For the first six years of school, I would go home traumatised, Contactmusic quoted her as saying. (ANI)