Chris Brown Talks Losing His 'Dignity' After Rihanna Assault

Chris Brown is out to prove he's a changed man. The singer told MTV News he's "open book" on his new album, X, and he also got candid about his on-again, off-again romance with Rihanna in a brand-new interview.

After assaulting the pop star in 2009, he noted he "didn't know" if she would ever give him a second chance. But, Brown told Ryan Seacrest on Tuesday (March 26) that he's "eternally grateful and thankful" she did and refuses to make any excuses for what he did to her four years ago.

"Being at that young age, I can tell you I was arrogant and definitely hotheaded. Everybody has a temper, but for me, it was not knowing how to control it when I thought I had the world in my hands."

In the time since, he says he "tried my best to be the best man I could be over the years and just show her how remorseful and sorry I was for the incident. Being that she has [forgiven me] and she's a wonderful person, I'm eternally grateful and thankful. It's still like we're kids. I try not to be too grown and be like, 'Let's have candlelight dinner every night.' I try to make sure everything is fun. It has to be fun and it has to be genuine."

These days he says he's focused on being "humble," sharing his post-assault revelation: "You can lose it ! all. And I'm not just saying fame or stardom because that's not what it's about. I'm talking about dignity, integrity. You know, you lose yourself in a way. So that process of me having to deal with any trials and tribulations I went through at that time, it was a learning step for me... I'm getting better as the days come."

In addition to addressing his relationship with Rihanna, he also opened up about his verbal altercation with a parking valet in L.A. earlier this month. A video of the incident showed the singer yelling at a valet over the price of a spot after he attended a charity event.

He explained, "By all means, I'm a great tipper. [It] was five dollar parking at the place... but before we went in, I gave the man $100 dollars. We had two cars. It's five dollar parking. Okay, do the math. So when we came out he was like, 'You know what? We need $20 for each car.' And I said, 'Sir, I just gave you $100.' So he was like, 'No, no we need $10.' So he was just going around trying to see if he could get more money and I was like, 'no,' so by that time it was a situation."

Next time, he said, "I've got to just shut up and be like, 'Security go get the keys! I'll be by the car.' " Brown is now focused on music again. His single,