Chris Brown: 'Prison was a humbling experience'

Chris Brown has branded his recent jail stint "humbling" and insisted his three-month stretch behind bars changed him for the better.

The troubled pop star spent more than three months in custody earlier this year (14) for a probation violation stemming from his 2009 assault on then-girlfriend Rihanna.

Brown was released from prison in June (14), and has now opened up about his life inside.

He tells Billboard magazine, "A guard wakes you up; you eat. You stay in your cell most of the time, basically 24 hours a day... It's isolation... My maturity level has risen as far as my realising what's important... At the end of the day, it's just a humbling experience.

"You're more appreciative of everything else that's on the outside. A burger tastes 1,000 times better when you're out... I just missed my family... I missed my dad and mom, all my cousins... seeing people's faces and smiles."

Brown also admits he was unable to use his time behind bars productively as he felt prison crushed his creativity.

He adds, "Jail isn't a place of many creative spirits. But as far as my creativity, I put it on hold until I got out. Jail is more of a regimen and a structure. I'm more of a free spirit when it comes to creating music, painting and art. So when I got out, I was very excited to get into the studio."

However, the star is adamant jail changed him for good: "(I feel) like this happened for a reason. There was a purpose. Maybe I was out of control too much. Or I needed something to humble me to the point where I get it. At that point, I didn't look at it as trying to get out of the situation but learn from it."