Chris Brown

Chris Brown (born 5.5.1989)

Chris Brown is an American singer / songwriter, dancer and actor, popular in the hip-hop / pop and R&B genres.

Chris Brown: Childhood

Chris Brown was born in Tappahannock, a small town in Virginia, USA. His parents were Joyce Hawkins and Clinton Brown. Joyce and Clinton were fans of artists such as Sam Cooke and Michael Jackson and Chris was inspired by the songs that he heard his parents play on the home stereo.

Chris began dancing at age two and was unaware of his vocal talents until he reached the age of 11. Before discovering his vocal talent, he already had aspirations to become a rapper.

Aged 13, Chris Brown was discovered by a local production team that had visited his father's garage in the search for fresh talent. His recording career began here and he later moved to New York, where he stayed for two years.

Chris Brown: Musical Career

Chris Brown left school in 2004. The next year, his eponymous debut album was released. The first single from the album was 'Run It!'. The song reached the tope spot in the US, New Zealand and Australia. The second single from the album, 'Yo (Excuse Me Miss)' was also a top 10 hit in the US and reached number seven in the UK.

Chris Brown's third single entered the US charts at number 80 but quickly climbed to 15. The single, 'Gimme That' featured Lil' Wayne in a remix version that was later included on the album. He co-directed the video for the single, as he had done with 'Yo (Excuse Me Miss).

The fourth single from the album was the track 'Say Goodbye', featured in the Step Up soundtrack.

The DVD, Chris Brown's Journey was released in 2006. The DVD footage showed Brown traveling across the UK and Japan and getting ready for his first appearance at the Grammy Awards. Later that year, Chris Brown and Ne-Yo co-headlined a 28-date tour entitled the Up Close and Personal Tour.

Chris Brown's second album, entitled Exclusive was released late 2007. The album entered the US album charts at number four. Exclusive sold almost 300,000 copies in its first week.

The first single to be released from Exclusive was 'Wall to Wall' which peaked at number 22 on the Billboard R&B and Hip-Hop Chart. It was his lowest-charting single to date.

'Kiss Kiss', which was produced by, as well as featuring, T-Pain, was the second single. It surpassed its predecessor and reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. The third single was produced by Stargate. 'With You' reached number 2 in the US Billboard charts and was also a worldwide hit.

Chris Brown: Acting Career / TV Appearances

Chris Brown has appeared on UPN's One on One and The-N's The Brandon T. Jackson Show.

Brown's acting career has also seen him play the small role of a geek in the fourth season of the hugely popular show The O.C. This was followed by his film debut in Stomp The Yard, a dance movie that also featured Ne-Yo, Meagan Good and Columbus Short. He also featured in MTV's My Super Sweet 16, which showed the singer celebrating his 18th birthday in New York.