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This is a bit of a recap of Chris Brown and his amazing career thusfar. It’s a very well written article, and offers a lot of insight to fans that are new to the world of Chris! Enjoy!

By Cameron Adams

PRODUCT placement has long infiltrated movies and is now an annoyingly permanent fixture of reality television. This year it has hit the pop charts.

Chris Brown‘s global hit Forever features the line “double your pleasure, double your fun” as part of its catchy chorus.

If it sounds familiar, it’s because the line is the tagline of ads for Doublemint chewing gum.

It’s no coincidence that Brown features in new US TV ads for a rebranding of Doublemint, singing that same line over a brief grab of the Forever tune – the company hired him to update their 40-year-old slogan for a new generation.

However, he baulks when asked whether he gets paid by Wrigley’s each time Forever puts their advertising slogan all over the radio.

“Nah, they paid for a studio to redo the jingle for the commercial, not the song,” Brown says.

Despite internet claims to the contrary, Brown insists Forever started life as a song and became a jingle, not the other way around.

He says he wrote the song with producer Polow Da Don (author of Usher’s similar-sounding but confectionary free Love in this Club before he signed the deal to appear in the Doublemint ad.

“People get that mixed up,” Brown says. “I recorded Forever for the re-release of the album Exclusive. Wrigley’s came to us and asked us to do a jingle. I thought I could incorporate the song I’d already done into the jingle.”

Mission accomplished.

US radio features a mutant version of Forever as a straight gum ad, where Brown sings “I’m a take you there, so don’t be scared. Double your pleasure; double your fun. It’s the right one, Doublemint gum”.

“I actually thought it would take longer to write a jingle they would like,” he says. “But they said it was a perfect fit after the first try.”

Justin Timberlake recorded I’m Lovin’ It as a McDonald’s jingle in 2003, but never included the song on one of his albums.

Brown’s busy year

Wrigley’s hunting of Brown to tap into the youth market is no accident. This year Chris Brown has been unavoidable. He’s had his own hits (Kiss Kiss, With You), added star power (and undeniable vocal chops) to Jordin Sparks’ No.1 duet No Air and T-Pain’s Shawty Get Loose and the repackaged version of his second album Exclusive (now home to Forever) has returned the album to the right end of the charts.

He’s also branching out by writing music for other artists, having just knocked off tunes for the Jonas Brothers and former Destiny’s Child member LaToya Luckett.

“I like hearing myself sing a song I’ve written, but when you hear someone else sing a song you wrote it’s actually a better feeling for me,” Brown says.

“When I write songs for other artists I don’t just give them my hand-me-downs,” he continues. “I feel like every artist deserves the best record people. I don’t just give them a song I didn’t use, I’ll start from scratch.”

Collaboration with ‘good friend’ Rihanna

He’s just scored a US No.1 as co-writer of Rihanna‘s Disturbia, her fourth American chart-topper, one he actually prepared earlier.

“I was working on a bunch of songs, she came into the studio and heard that one and liked it,” Brown says of Disturbia.

“I told her it was an open record, she said she wanted it, so she recorded it.”

Disturbia has been playing leapfrog with his own Forever on global charts ever since.

If you believe the rumours – and the passionate holiday shots through the paparazzi – Brown and Rihanna are sharing more than Top 5 chart positions.

At the start of the year the pair trotted out the “just good friends” line when asked about their close relationship – a phrase up there with “exhaustion” as an over-used celebrity excuse.

These days they don’t even go that far.

“No offence, but I think it’s nobody’s business,” Brown says when asked directly if he’s dating Rihanna.

“I know everybody’s going to talk about it, but you can choose to respond or not and I choose not to.”

Industry sources suggest another old chestnut has been dusted off – his record company insisting Brown be seen as single and available for his young female fans, not as one half of the hottest couple in pop.

“Nah,” Brown says. “At the end of the day I’m going to be myself. I’m not worried about who’s talking about me, what the label says, what anybody says. My label has never said that, I don’t think they’d ever come at me like that. I just think in general people need to notice me for my music and not worry about my personal life.”

Run-ins with the paparazzi

Earlier this year Brown joked he had “the worst luck with photographers” when constantly snapped being particularly friendly with Rihanna in the ocean at Barbados.

These days the jokes are over. “Paparazzi are like roaches, they’re everywhere,” Brown spits. “The problem I have with paparazzi is not the pictures, it’s the negative side that comes with the pictures. You never see the paparazzi taking pictures of people visiting a youth hospital or doing something positive.

“But they’ll take pictures of me walking and say the most random, dumb stuff. I feel like it’s unnecessary negativity. Who cares? It’s like everybody’s in high school again. Fifty-year-old men chasing me down the street like a little girl. It’s sad.”

Brown has grown up fast since his first US No.1 hit Run It as a 16-year-old in 2005.

His management renegotiates his contract with his record label Jive after each album. After the success of Exclusive you’d imagine he’s in a good bargaining position. “Mmm hmm,” he offers.

Working on his third album

Brown already has a title for his third album – Graffiti - and is about to crunch some numbers before he starts working on it.

“We make sure we do it smart,” Brown says of his business side. “At the end of the day I could care less about the charts, as long as my fans like the records I make and support me.”

Though he’s far from allergic to bling, he’s also learnt from music-industry horror stories of fortunes won and lost.

“I have a lot of investments,” Brown says. “I try to keep my money situation as safe as possible.”

He’s also learning how to play it safe when it comes to unreleased music – last month a swag of work-in-progress songs leaked on the internet.

“It’s frustrating, but it’s cool though,” Brown says. “Sometimes the people you work with, they get too excited and play new stuff for other people, or give them a copy. Then it ends out not turning out well. From now on I’ve got to keep my own record to myself.”

Like Rihanna, Brown’s been acquiring a collection of tattoos. However, he says the inking has stopped – temporarily.

Ambitions to feature on the big screen

“I’m done for right now,” he says. “I’ve got to do movies.”

Hollywood make-up artists may breathe a sigh of relief, with Brown admitting he’s fending off many scripts.

“Right now I’m open to different ideas, I just like great roles. I’m getting a lot of scripts, hopefully in the future I’ll do something incredible.”

First up is a tour of Australia – with Rihanna – possibly saving promoters money on hotel rooms. Or not.

Brown is equally cagey about whether he’ll perform with a live band.

“I don’t want to give any hints to my fans, I want them to come to the show and be surprised.

“If I tell them what I’m going to do there’s no mystique.”

As far as working on stage with Rihanna, Brown says no.

“Me and her are co-headlining, doing our thing as two big artists. End of story.”

Indeed.

Chris Brown and Rihanna play Brisbane Entertainment Centre October 31.

Exclusive: The Forever Edition

(Sony BMG) out now.

SOURCE: News.com.au