Karrueche Tran helped Chris Brown before his performance at the BET Awards

LOS ANGELES, July 1 (UPI) -- Prior to his performance at the BET Awards on June 29, recently incarcerated singer Chris Brown was nervous.

Brown, 25, was released from jail on June 2 and his appearance at the award show was his first post-jail performance. Luckily for Brown, girlfriend Karrueche Tran was on hand to help calm his nerves.

"He wanted it to be a surprise and that alone made him nervous," an insider told HollywoodLife.com. "But he was relaxed and calm about 20 minutes before he went on. Karrueche told him, 'Don't worry, don't forget who you are babe,' and that relieved him."

Tran, 26, and Brown have had their ups and downs, but they have been expressing their feelings more publicly of late.

"It feels good. Regardless of if it's behind the scenes or in public, it doesn't really matter," Tran said at a pre-BET awards dinner. "We have our connection, we have our relationship and I love it."

Tran wasn't the only one who showed up to help support Brown.

"Plus, Wayne, Bow Wow, Terrance J and other friends saw Chris before he went on and gave him a hug and shout out -- and told him they all were behind him and looking forward to seeing him out there getting it," the insider added.