Although he started out as an aspiring rapper, Chris Brown's early discovery of his singing talent inspired him to follow in the footsteps of influences like Michael Jackson, Tevin Campbell, and Usher. The 16-year-old Virginia native made his debut in summer 2005 with the Scott Storch-produced, Juelz Santana collaboration "Run It."

His self-titled debut album was a huge success and has sold more than 2.1 million copies in the U.S. and 3 million worldwide.It also scored Brown three Billboard Awards in 2006, one of them being the most prestigious, Artist of the Year. The album had also received a nomination for a Grammy, in the Best Contemporary R&B Album category.

Click here to know more about his latest album "Exclusive"!

Did You Know?

- Brown acted as a band geek in one of the season of The O.C.

- He co-wrote singer Rihanna's song, Disturbia.

- Chris has a bunch of tattoos: Jesus with music notes, "C" with a hand under it and two stars on the sides, a spray can with a 2 ups and 2 downs sign which stands for "VA", which means Virginia, his hometown, 3 stars behind his right ear and a skull with a halo on his right hand.

- Evita Saldanha