Chris Brown has announced plans to release a new album later this year.

Instead of continuing the Euro-pop sound of his previous efforts, X will draw inspiration from Brown’s past experiences and take a more serious tone.

In an interview with RollingStone.com, the singer said, “Making X, I found out who I am. This album has a lot of substance, from the subject matter and the situations to how it deals with love. It’s really derived from personal experiences.”

Brown worked with producers Timbaland, Danja, Diplo, Verse Simmonds and Drumma Boy on the project, which he hopes will draw comparisons to Quincy Brown’s work with pop idol Michael Jackson. Thus far, the only confirmed collaboration is with Compton-bred rapper Kendrick Lamar.

“I tried to stay away from the Euro beats, and not go totally pop,” Brown said. “I wanted to put that classic essence of R&B and soul with the new age of music now. There’s a lot of live instruments, and a lot less auto-tune. I really wanted to demonstrate my vocal ability, creating the vibe of me singing along with the band.”

As for the album title, the 23-year-old suggested that in many ways it refers to moving from the past and laying it all bare so nothing stands in the way of the future.

“Fine China,” the first single off of the forthcoming album, debuted on Monday. Watch the video below.