How Zendaya got Chris Brown to sing on 'Something New'

Zendaya's new single Something New, which samples TLC's Creep, features Chris Brown.

At Essence's Black Women in Music pre-Grammy event Thursday, Zendaya talked on the carpet about meeting up with Brown, and coolly asking him to collaborate.

"I was with my parents," said Zendaya, 19, "and I was like, 'Hey bro, just want you to play my music. Whichever one you like.'"

The one he liked?

"It happened to be the one I wanted him on, so bam!"

And so he sang on Something New, the first single from her forthcoming album.

As for crafting the rest of her record, the process has been rewarding for Zendaya.

"It's about finding out who I am, learning about myself and becoming a young woman," she said.