Let the Chris Brown revamping begin…
After almost an entire year of refusing to do interviews, photo shoots and features in an effort to maintain control over his image, Chris Brown has turned over a new leaf. Now that he has a new manager, Bu Thiam, guiding his career, as well as a new style team, he has been more receptive to making appearances and opening up to the press on his own terms.
Last week, MTV aired their This Is How I Made, series featuring Chris Brown, which focused on his rise from a teenager in a small town in Virginia to an international superstar. That special was followed by news that he had just shot the cover of XXL, and now he’s also featured in a new photo shoot and interview in Hong Kong’s Prestige magazine. Inside, Chris poses in a Prada trench coat as well as pieces by Roberto Cavalli, Tom Ford and Armani while chatting about the positive things he has going for himself that are rarely highlighted.
Peep a few photos from the shoot, plus learn about Chris’ passion for painting, giving back to humanity and his new foundation, Symphonic Love below:
On what he has been up to lately
Honestly, my day-to-day life is the most fun right now because I get a chance to not focus on “the artist” Chris Brown. Going through the regular things, like going to the grocery store. I’m also running a label right now, so I have different artists, four or five different acts, shooting videos that I’m directing and coming together.
On Painting
I’ve been painting secretly since I was a kid. A lot of people didn’t know that it was my hobby. I focused on doing the bad stuff at first with graffiti and vandalizing. But as you get older, you start studying art books and sketchbooks in the libraries. I started getting better, like maybe three or four years ago. I met Ron English and Kid Zoom [Ian Strange] and they were just teaching me different techniques for painting. So my art started growing and I started doing it on my own. I finally got people to recognize it and I did a couple of art galleries – one in LA and one in New York – and I sold four out of my seven paintings. You know, I’m new. But my feet are in the water and that’s all it takes. I don’t think I want to conquer painting. It’s just something I love to do.
On donating to charities such as St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital and Best Buddies.
I’ve been involved with [those] since I was 15, 16. It’s not about recognition, because that’s not what satisfies me. The satisfaction is people that are getting helped or are benefiting from whatever I donate, whatever I contribute to their lives. I don’t like it to be publicized. If there are cameras around, it’s cool. But I do it from the heart. When I go on TV and do my videos, that’s the artist Chris Brown. But when I go and do [charity work] it’s just me – it’s just Christopher.
On his foundation Symphonic Love
Symphonic Love does programs in schools, like with my school back home. Musical programs and helping kids with disabilities. I do a lot of stuff with Best Buddies that coexists with that. The name comes from a tattoo that I’ve got [runs hand across his chest] – something that’s over my heart right now. So my heart is where it’s at. The tattoo “symphonic love” encompasses the positivity of what I’m trying to do – uplifting humanity.
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