Chris Brown sings his way to superstardom

Chris Brown

At a very young age, Chris Brown (born Christopher Maurice Brown, May 5, 1989), already knew that he wanted to sing and dance. And the boy was pretty talented at it. Today, he is one of the most recognizable performers in the industry, selling millions of albums, appearing on TV and movies and performing in concerts worldwide.

Brown was born in Tappahannock, Virginia, to Joyce Hawkins, a former day care center director, and Clinton Brown, an officer at a local prison. With Michael  Jackson as his inspiration, Brown taught himself to sing and dance. He joined the local church choir, as well as local talent shows, which did him well to nurture his talent and passion for performing.

When he was 13, Brown’s talent was discovered by Hitmission Records, a local production team, who arranged for Brown to audition for a record deal. Tina Davis, a record executive, was so impressed with him that she agreed to become her handler.

In 2004, Brown signed with Jive Records and he was launched with his self-titled debut studio album in 2005. The album was an overnight success. It reached the second spot at U.S. Billboard 200 and was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

His first single "Run It!" reached the no. 1 spot at the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, making him the first lead male debut singer (since Diddy in 1997) to reach the top of the charts.

In 2007, his second album, Exclusive was released. "Kiss Kiss", "With You" and "Forever" all reached the Billboard no. 1 spot and the album got certified as double platinum.

2009 was a tough year for Brown, who was sentenced to five years of probation and six months community service after pleading guilty to felony assault of his then-girlfriend, singer Rihanna.

But that didn’t temper Brown’s popularity. He soared back to the limelight in 2011 with the success of his third album Graffiti. The same year, his fourth album F.A.M.E. was released. It peaked at the no. 1 on the Billboard 200, his first number 1, spawning hit singles "Yeah 3x", "Look at Me Now", and "Beautiful People".

With F.A.M.E.’s success, Brown won his first Grammy Award for Best R&B Album at the 54th Grammy Awards.

In 2012, he released his fifth studio album Fortune.

Aside from singing, Brown parlayed his popularity in acting. In 2007, he Brown debuted in Stomp the Yard, and made a guest appearance on the TV series The O.C.  Brown was also featured in This Christmas (2007), Takers (2010) and Think Like a Man (2012).

Aside from winning the Grammy, Brown also bagged two NAACP Image Awards, three American Music Awards and nine BET Awards.