'I need to put the old 'b******t behind me!'- Chris Brown talks his relationship with Rihanna

Chris Brown and controversy are two things which always seem to go together but he is determined to change that.

The 25-year-old singer - who was famously arrested for beating up his then-girlfriend Rihanna in 2009 and had a massive bust-up with love rival Drake in 2012 - has revealed a calmer, more gentle side to himself as he promotes his latest album X.

Speaking about Rihanna, Chris told Access Hollywood: 'Me and her are friends. We have a great understanding, there's no issues. We've been friends for almost 10 years and I don't think that's ever gonna change.'

And when asked about him and Drake burying the hatchet after their infamous bust-up in a New York nightclub two years ago, Chris was equally enthusiastic, saying he wants the focus to be on his music and not his previously chaotic personal life.

He said: 'I think for me it was more of a mature thing. What I portray in my music is all positivity and who I am as an artist is all positivity because in the world there is so much negativity on a day to day basis.

I just fe]el like it was necessary to put all the old b******t behind us.'

Brown has had a tough time in the past year after being arrested and jailed for violating his probation - stemming from the attack on Rihanna - when he was charged with assault for punching a man who tried to take a picture with him outside a Washington D.C. hotel last October.

Earlier this month, he appeared in court and pled guilty to the misdemeanour assault, telling the judge: 'I'm sorry, I am very sorry.'

He told Access Hollywood: 'The past year has been God's way of showing me what was necessary. You think you're invincible and I needed to look at my life and see it.

'I need to be more of a role model. I wanna be an icon for what I do with my talent.

'I want to be legendary for what I do with my music not for what happens in my personal life.'

While he is going for a gentler approach these days, Chris admitted he still likes to party even when he is working.

He said: 'I didn't write in jail. I need the vibe of the studio. I feed off people's energies. I like to pack my studios with females because that's my core audience.

'I like to see their vibe so it lets me gauge if I am doing something right.'