AceShowbiz - Rihanna was drawn to duet with Eminem on his powerful new track "Love the Way You Lie" - because she "connected" with the song's references to an abusive relationship. The "Umbrella" hitmaker lends her vocals to the rapper's new single, which focuses on domestic violence, and features the lyrics, "I laid hands on her/I'll never stoop so low again/I guess I don't know my own strength."

And Rihanna admits she instantly "understood" the song because of her experiences with ex-boyfriend Chris Brown - who famously attacked the singer last year. She tells Access Hollywood, "It's something that, you know, we've both experienced... on different sides, different ends of the table. He (Eminem) pretty much just broke down the cycle of domestic violence and it's something that people don't have a lot of insight on."

"I knew if he sent me a record there must be something to it. It couldn't just be, 'Oh, Duh! She was in that relationship so we have to get her. The lyrics were so deep, so beautiful and intense. It's something that I understood, something I connected with."