Chris Brown: From Brown To Breezy

Friday 5th September 2008

The young boy from Virginia has come a long way in just three years. After smashing the US charts with his debut single ‘Run It’ at the tender age of sixteen, he is now transforming into a young mogul, with a second platinum album under his belt, an acting career, as well as a new foray into fashion designing.

Born on May 5th, 1989, Christopher Maurice Brown was raised in the small town of Tappahannock by mother Joyce Hawkins and father Clinton Brown. Influenced by the music his parents played on the radio, Brown would imitate artists such as Sam Cooke, Donnie Hathaway and Stevie Wonder. A dancer at the age of two, it wasn’t until he was eleven that he wanted to combine both his singing and dancing talents. “I was eleven and watching Usher perform 'My Way', and I started trying to mimic it. My mom was like, 'You can sing?' And I was like, 'Well, yeah, Mama!'”

At thirteen, Brown was discovered by a local production team at his father’s gas station, “My dad was working at a gas station and a dude came in and said, 'I want to find some guys that can sing or rap or dance,' and my dad said, 'My son can sing!' So he hooked it up with my mom, and I said, 'I'm going to start working with this guy.' He had connections with producers and other production teams.” After being picked up by the team, he moved to Harlem, New York and stayed with a friend’s family to work on his career. Brown soon auditioned for Def Jam’s Vice President, Tina Davis, and was sent to perform for songwriter and producer L.A. Reid. He was later signed to Jive Records when he was fifteen.

His self-titled album was released on November 29th, 2005 and shot straight to number two on the US charts. Later that year, Brown received two Grammy nominations for Best Contemporary R&B Album and Best New Artist. When asked how he felt about his first nominations he confessed, “I was actually under the weather when I first heard it, but I was so amped and excited!”

After touring with Beyoncé and Ne-Yo in 2006, Brown began working on his sophomore album, Exclusive, which was released on November 6th, 2007. A much more mature album, Brown explains, “I'm 18 in this album. I'm not losing fans, and I'm not disrespecting women, but you reach the maturity of taking it to the next level with a girl.” He adds, “I am still going to keep it so my younger fans can continue to listen to my music, but I got a couple of joints on there that's for some of the older people.”

On June 3rd, 2008, Exclusive was re-released as a deluxe edition, with four extra tracks added to the already platinum record. Brown describes the album as, “- something that not everybody can get. I feel it’s an album especially for my fans. It’s not for the critics or the haters, or people that get it just to fit in. It’s only for those who truly want to hear my music.” And with Brown’s second album comes a more hands-on approach to the creative process. “This time, I was more physically and mentally into the whole process,” Brown reveals. “I just jumped in head first and delved into everything. It’s another stepping-stone for me. Every day is a learning experience when you’re in the music industry. From day one, I’ve learned how to be a better artist, working on my music and with other people.”

Not only is Chris Brown dominating the charts, he has also made a niche for himself on the small and silver screen. In 2007, Brown made his film debut in Stomp The Yard and also appeared in the hit show The O.C. “I wanna be a mogul,” Brown explains. “I wanna be a singer, actor, entrepreneur, have a clothing line, be an executive. Everything!”

With success in both the music and movie biz, Brown is now dipping his hands into the fashion world, following the footsteps of such tycoons as P. Diddy and Jay-Z. He recently collaborated with New Era Cap Company to release his own line of fitted caps that he designed himself. “I was doing six individual hats, where they got me to personally design the hats. And so I got a chance to do something more for the kids and not necessarily go into ‘high fashion’ yet. This is more for the casual back-to-school kids, the everyday person that just wants to be casual.”

With so much talent at such a young age, it’s hard to imagine Chris Brown being anything but a star, but the nineteen-year-old insists that he’s still the same old kid from Virginia. “My personal life is the same. At the end of the day, this is just a job. I love what I do, and it's a great job, but it's like my alter ego. There's Chris Brown the singer, and there's Christopher Brown the down-home Tappahannock boy that plays video games and basketball and hangs out.”

So now, after such a rapid rise to the top, Brown reflects on his career so far. “I always imagined that I could be what I wanted to be, I just hoped that I could do it. I never knew how fast this would take off, so I’m just thankful for it.”

And Chris Brown’s advise to those budding stars? “Follow your dreams. Just make sure to have fun too.”


10 fun facts you didn’t know about Chris Brown:
•He got his first tattoo on his 13th birthday
•His favourite TV show is Heroes
•He can skateboard
•He has a pit-bull named Diamond
•He owns over 500 sneakers
•One thing he wishes he still had from childhood is his Batman pyjamas
•His favourite subject in school is maths
•His favourite dessert is strawberry cheesecake
•His zodiac sign is Taurus
•His favourite video game is Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas


What’s on Chris’s calendar?
Chris Brown has many things lined up for the future. Below are some sneak peeks into what he’s up to!

•Chris Brown is currently working on a new album entitled Graffiti, which is set to be released some time next year.

•Brown is also starring in two films - romantic comedy Caramel and sports drama Phenom. Both films are still in production and set to be released early next year.


WRITTEN FOR XCEL MAGAZINE