Bree Runway

Bree Runway – Life, Career, and Famous Quotes

Bree Runway (born Brenda Wireko Mensah, 18 November 1992) is a boundary-pushing English singer, rapper, and songwriter. Explore her biography, musical journey, influences, key achievements, signature quotes, and lessons from an artist redefining pop and identity on her own terms.

Introduction

Bree Runway is an English musician whose bold, genre-fluid music and vivid visual identity have made her one of the most exciting voices to emerge from the U.K. over the past decade. Born in Hackney, London, she has embraced vulnerability, defiance, and self-creation in her art. Her work fuses pop, rap, hyperpop, R&B, and more, resisting simplistic categorization. In doing so, she challenges industry norms around race, genre, and authenticity. Her story, struggles, and triumphs hold relevance for anyone pursuing creativity, identity, and resilience.

Early Life and Family

Bree Runway was born Brenda Wireko Mensah on 18 November 1992 in the borough of Hackney, London, England. Ghanaian descent, and her cultural roots and familial heritage surface in her identity and creative sensibilities.

Growing up in Hackney, she lived on a street which had garnered the nickname “Murder Mile” due to high crime rates and social challenges.

From a young age, family gatherings became her stage. She recalls organizing talent shows for her cousins, a youthful instinct toward performance and control.

One pivotal moment in her early years: when Michelle Obama visited her school and heard her sing. She later shared that Michelle encouraged her to keep performing — a validation that lingered in her mind as she embarked on a musical path.

During her school years, Bree struggled with bullying and colourism. At around age 9, she experimented with bleaching her skin, which led to a negative chemical reaction — a painful moment, but one she later described as formative in realizing she must own her identity.

Later, while studying in South London, she met model Leomie Anderson, who encouraged her to take photos of herself and assert agency over how she was seen. That encouragement helped shift her self-perception.

She also studied music technology in her education, learning production basics and beginning to make beats and experiment with studio equipment.

Youth and Education

Although much of Bree’s formal education is less documented in interview transcripts, music remained her consistent interest. In school she gravitated toward musical subjects and creative outlets.

Her engagement with music technology in school allowed her to transition from being a listener to a maker — sketching beats, freestyling, and building her own home studio setup using earnings from early jobs.

That early DIY mindset stayed with her: in interviews she describes how early works such as RNWY 01 were self-produced in her own makeshift setup.

Career and Achievements

2015–2019: Beginnings and Be Runway

Bree Runway entered the music scene independently. In November 2015 she released RNWY 01, and in May 2016, Bouji, both EPs she self-released.

In November 2016, she released “Butterfly” as her debut single, with a music video shot in Dubai (coordinated by model Leomie Anderson, who had been a mentor) and directed by Bree herself.

September 2017 saw her release “What Do I Tell My Friends?”, accompanied by a video addressing exploitation of young women in fashion — a socially conscious angle early in her career.

She was also featured on “Word of Mouth” with electronic duo Metroplane in early 2018.

In 2018, Bree signed to Virgin EMI Records (a major label).

In 2019, she released the lead single “2ON” (May), which drew attention and was included in Paper magazine’s Top 50 Songs of 2019 list.

She followed with “Big Racks” (featuring Brooke Candy) in July. Then on 16 August 2019, she put out Be Runway, her first major-label EP.

The EP was supported by singles “2ON”, “Big Racks”, and “All Night”.

2020–2022: 2000and4Eva, breakout moments

In March 2020, she dropped “Apeshit”, which was critically acclaimed and compared to Missy Elliott’s energetic style.

That same year, she released “Damn Daniel” (with Yung Baby Tate) and “Gucci” (with Maliibu Miitch).

Later in 2020, she released Little Nokia, which Time ranked among its best songs of 2020 (fourth place).

On 6 November 2020, she released her debut mixtape, 2000and4Eva, via Virgin EMI, compiling her genre-spanning experiments.

The mixtape was supported by singles: “Apeshit,” “Gucci,” “Damn Daniel,” “Little Nokia,” and “ATM” (which featured Missy Elliott).

In January 2021, the music video for “ATM” (with Missy Elliott) dropped, and Bree also released a solo “Breemix” of the song.

March 2021 brought “Hot Hot.”

In May 2021 she partnered with Glass Animals on “Space Ghost Coast to Coast.”

By late 2021, she appeared in the Dawn of Chromatica remix project (Lady Gaga) and featured in Chlöe’s “Have Mercy” video.

In early 2022, she released singles “Pressure,” “Somebody Like You,” and later “That Girl,” which led into her EP Woah, What a Blur! (December 2022).

2023–present: Independence and new chapter

In 2023, Bree Runway supported Lizzo on select European dates during The Special Tour.

She released the single “Be the One” (with Khalid) in April 2023.

By mid-2023, Bree publicly announced that she had parted ways with EMI/Universal and would operate as an independent artist under “Free Runway” records.

In June 2024, she dropped “Just Like That”, her first single as an independent artist, and shared reflections on her journey, the cost of self-assertion, and the freedom she now holds.

Historical Milestones & Context

• In 2021, Bree won Best New International Act at the BET Awards.

• She was nominated for the Brit Award Rising Star in 2022.

• She was longlisted in the BBC Sound of 2021 poll.

• Her music and image are often contextualized in the evolution of Black British pop and how Black women assert identity through music.

• Her collaboration with Missy Elliott on “ATM” represents a meaningful cross-generational link, especially given her early inspiration from Elliott.

• Bree’s evolution from DIY indie to major label to independent artist reflects broader industry conversations about creative control, authenticity, and the costs of mainstream exposure.

Legacy and Influence

Although still relatively young in her career, Bree Runway is already influencing how we see genre, race, and representation in modern pop:

• She refuses to be boxed into a single genre or label, preferring the term “genre-fluid”.

• She speaks openly about the double standard in how Black women are labeled (e.g., as rappers or “urban” acts) versus how white artists are treated.

• In her creative sets, she emphasizes representation of dark-skinned women, ensuring they are visible and central, never relegated to “background.”

• Her music, visuals, and public statements offer inspiration to younger artists who wish to be unapologetic, self-directed, and fearless. Her transition to independence signals a model for artists seeking creative sovereignty.

• Her influence extends into fashion, visual art, and performance. Her bold aesthetics, styling, and visuals contribute to reshaping the visual vocabulary of contemporary Black pop.

Personality and Talents

Bree Runway is often described as visionary, daring, and uncompromising. Her public persona balances swagger and vulnerability. Interviewers cite her appetite for *“extra”—*she wants her art to feel alive, cinematic, intense.

She is deeply hands-on in her work — writing, producing, directing, conceptualizing. She rejects simply being a voice — she wants to control the vision.

Her musical influences are wide-ranging. She has cited Foxy Brown, Lil’ Kim, Britney Spears, Madonna, Missy Elliott, Pharrell, Kelis, and The Neptunes among her inspirations.

Her sound is eclectic: she blends rap, pop, hyperpop, R&B, trap, even touches of rock. She experiments with texture, rhythm, sonic surprises — often shifting tone mid-song.

She has emphasized that inspiration is everywhere — she studies genres she doesn’t typically listen to, expanding her palette.

Her stage presence is theatrical: she leans into visual storytelling, costume, movement, and theatricality.

Famous Quotes of Bree Runway

Here are some notable quotes that reveal her mindset, struggles, and philosophy:

“I saw so many crazy things growing up. I’ve seen friends go to jail and come out, and now they’re thriving. So it’s made me really resilient.”

“You can’t call me crazy for wanting to express myself a certain way.”

“Music is joy; music is healing for someone; music is happiness.”

In interviews she also notes:
— “It’s a big dream that I’m trying to achieve here.” — On her artistic identity: she rejects genre labels: “If she weren’t Black — she argues — she might not be labeled a rapper.”

These quotes reflect her mix of vulnerability, ambition, and resistance — the balance she strives to maintain.

Lessons from Bree Runway

1. Creative sovereignty matters.
   Bree’s insistence on controlling her image, sound, and direction — even as part of a major label — shows that creative ownership is central to longevity and authenticity.

2. Resilience is forged, not given.
   Her upbringing in a challenging environment and experiences of bullying and colorism have become part of her artistic identity, not liabilities.

3. Genre boundaries are porous.
   Instead of being confined by expectations of “pop,” “rap,” or “R&B,” Bree blends elements freely — her music is a reminder that innovation often comes from refusal to conform.

4. Representation is power.
   Her deliberate inclusion of dark-skinned Black women in her visuals, and her challenge to industry labels, foregrounds that who is seen matters as much as what is heard.

5. Vulnerability and ambition can coexist.
   Bree is neither a victim nor a caricature. She owns her wounds, her ambitions, her flaws — and merges them into art that’s raw, bold, and unapologetic.

6. Success is iterative, not final.
   Her shift from indie DIY work to major label signing, then returning to independence, shows that careers are not linear — they ebb, pivot, and evolve.

Conclusion

Bree Runway—Brenda Wireko Mensah—stands as a modern exemplar of what it means to claim identity, art, and vision on one’s own terms. Her life, from Hackney’s “Murder Mile” to international recognition, underscores the power of resistance, self-definition, and creative audacity. Her discography, aesthetics, and public ethos continue to inspire emerging artists and audiences alike to push boundaries.

If you’d like, I can also gather a more extensive list of Bree Runway quotes, or analyze her discography track by track. Do you want me to do that next?