March 22, 2007

Chris Brown Primes New LP, Gets Ready To Conquer Australia With Beyonce

By Jayson Rodriguez, with reporting by Yasmine Richard (MTV.com)

Although Chris Brown's latest single is called "Poppin'," the title is a bit of a foregone conclusion for the teen singer. Ever since his self-titled debut dropped, he's rocked two Scream Tours, made his big-screen debut in Stomp The Yard and showed off some electrifying dance steps as a part of the James Brown tribute during the Grammy Awards last month.

And while Brown's kept busy with a heavy slate of acting roles and just announced his latest film exclusively to MTV News, he said he's definitely ready to return to music with his sophomore album, Exclusive, which is slated for release in August on Jive Records.

"It's kind of like a back-to-school present for everybody," Brown told MTV News at Dub magazine's Custom Auto Show & Concert in Los Angeles last weekend. "We coming with more videos, more explosive dance moves and more vocal abilities. So we gonna have fun."

The album's first single is still up in the air, according to Brown, but he's debating between two tracks: "Picture Perfect" and "Throwed." Brown didn't want to give up too many details about the two songs, but he said fans should be able to hear one of them soon, possibly within the next two weeks.

Currently, the Virginia native is gearing up to join Beyoncé as the opening act on the Australian leg of her tour. Initially Brown had hopes of pairing with Justin Timberlake, but when those plans didn't materialize, he quickly jumped at the chance to team up with B. He hastened to say that he has no intention of upstaging her.

"For the most part, I don't try to outdo anyone or try to make my show to the point where I kill myself trying to shine over someone else," he said. "She's incredible at what she does and I'm incredible at what I do. I know she's gonna kill it on her side as a female, and as a young male, I'm gonna try to do my thing."

Asked whether the time on the road with Beyoncé could lead to a collaboration between the two, Brown was more than excited by the idea.

"I hope so!" he enthused. "I'm trying to holler."