Chris Brown to release new album X in November

Chris Brown will issue his sixth album, X, on November 19.

After a handful of delays – the disc was originally set for summer -– the singer took to Twitter on Monday to announce the new release date.

Brown has spent the better part of the year working on the album. The oft-embattled, polarizing R&B singer previewed the album – which features production from Polow Da Don, Timbaland, Pharrell, Drumma Boy and Danja – for The Times earlier this year.

X has several meanings, according to Brown. It’s the numbers in his birth date, added together and converted to a Roman numeral. It’s also the 24th letter in the alphabet, corresponding to the age he’ll be when the album is released.

But there’s more to it for Brown, who says X will show him at his most vulnerable.

“ X is almost .... the reject,” he says. “X defines who I am – whether it means X being forbidden or blunt. It’s who I am now, transitioning as a man and not trying to focus on the past stuff and trials and tribulations. It’s the unspoken voice from me.”

The record’s more honest approach is not a bid to win over a disapproving public, he noted.

“I think it’s about me having a clear head – me actually being humble about it,” he says. “People are just going to have to like me for it. Or don’t. I don’t really focus on the negative anymore. I know there’s always stories or this or that out about Chris Brown.... [but] whatever you think you know about me, just listen to the album.”