Rihanna was surrounded by her closest friends as she celebrated her 21st birthday this weekend in Los Angeles.

“Rihanna, accompanied by some pals, first went to an early showing of Tyler Perry’s Madea Goes to Jail in Santa Monica,” an insider tells Life & Style. “She looked beautiful. She was wearing glasses, so you couldn’t see her eyes, but she looked fine to me.”

After the movie, the singer attended a party in her honor in the Hollywood Hills. “People were scrambling at her feet to make sure her every wish was granted. There was birthday cake, champagne, you name it!” says one guest.

Rihanna has kept a low profile since news broke that she was allegedly attacked by Chris Brown, but she let her hair down at the party. “She was a bit shy at first and kept her glasses on most of the night. But once she saw her old crew and got used to being out, she really got into it. She was even dancing! You could tell she was happy to be out. She needed it.”

Editor’s note: The photo above is from Rihanna’s 20th birthday in 2008.