Bree Runway facts for kids

Brenda Wireko Mensah (born on 18 November 1992) is a British singer and rapper. She is known professionally as Bree Runway. She signed with EMI Records in 2018.

After signing, she released her first EP, Be Runway, in 2019. Her first mixtape, 2000and4Eva, came out in 2020. This mixtape included the popular song "ATM" with Missy Elliott. Bree Runway won the Best New International Act award at the 2021 BET Awards. She was also nominated for the 2022 Brit Award for Rising Star.

Early Life and Music Start

Brenda Mensah was born and grew up in Hackney, London. Her family comes from Ghana. She lived on a street that was known for being a tough area. Bree says these experiences made her strong and resilient.

When she was 9, Bree faced bullying and unfair treatment. These tough times helped her become the person and artist she is today. Later, at a college in South London, she met model Leomie Anderson. Leomie encouraged Bree to be confident and take charge of her life.

Bree was very interested in music at school. She took a Music technology class. This class taught her the basics of how to make music. She started creating beats and freestyling with her friends.

With her first paycheck, Bree bought equipment for a home studio. She began singing over her own beats and writing her own songs. Her early music, like RNWY 01, was made in this home setup. This helped her discover her unique musical style.

Once, Michelle Obama, the former First Lady of the United States, visited Bree's school. Bree performed for her. Michelle Obama told her to keep making music. She even said she wanted to see Bree perform at the White House someday!

Music Career Highlights

Early Releases and Be Runway (2015–2019)

Bree Runway started her solo career by releasing EPs on her own. These were RNWY 01 in November 2015 and Bouji in May 2016. Her first official single, "Butterfly", came out in November 2016.

She also released a music video for "Butterfly". It was filmed in Dubai by model Leomie Anderson. Bree herself directed the video.

In September 2017, Bree released "What Do I Tell My Friends?". The music video for this song got a lot of attention. It was praised for its important message about how young women can be treated unfairly in the fashion industry. In February 2018, Bree was featured on the song "Word of Mouth" by the British electronic music group Metroplane.

Bree Runway signed with Virgin EMI Records in 2018. Her first song with a major label was "2ON", released in May 2019. This song was named one of the Top 50 Songs of 2019 by Paper magazine. The car company Toyota also used "2ON" in an advertisement.

In July 2019, she released "Big Racks" with Brooke Candy. Bree Runway's first major-label EP, Be Runway, came out on 16 August 2019. It included "2ON" and "Big Racks". A video for the song "All Night" was released soon after.

2000and4Eva and Woah, What a Blur! (2020–2022)

On 5 March 2020, Bree Runway released "Apeshit". This song was highly praised. It was compared to the music of Missy Elliott, who even supported the song on social media. A clean version of the song, "Ain't It", was featured on the FIFA 21 VOLTA Football soundtrack.

In April 2020, Bree Runway was on the cover of Notion magazine. Her song "Little Nokia" came out in September 2020. Time magazine later called it the fourth best song of 2020.

In October 2020, Bree was the cover star for Hunger magazine. She then announced her first mixtape, 2000and4Eva. It was released on 6 November 2020. The music video for "ATM" with Missy Elliott came out in January 2021. A solo version of "ATM" was also released.

On 31 March 2021, Bree Runway released the single "Hot Hot". In May 2021, she worked with the band Glass Animals on "Space Ghost Coast to Coast". In September 2021, she was featured on a remix of "Babylon" by Lady Gaga. She also appeared in the music video for "Have Mercy" by Chlöe.

In December 2021, Bree performed at the MOBO Awards. She sang "Hot Hot" and teased her new song "Pressure". "Pressure" was released in February 2022. The song "Somebody Like You" followed in March. On 29 September 2022, she released "That Girl". This song was the main single from her fourth EP, Woah, What a Blur!, which came out on 8 December 2022.

Becoming an Independent Artist (2023–Present)

In February 2023, Bree Runway was a supporting act for Lizzo's "The Special Tour" in Europe. She released the song "Be the One" with Khalid in April.

By July, Bree announced that she had left EMI and Universal. She decided to release music on her own as an independent artist. In June 2024, she released "Just Like That". This was her first song as an independent artist. She talked about her experiences with major labels in an interview with Vogue.

Her Unique Music Style

Bree Runway describes her music as "genre-bending" and "genre fluid". This means she mixes many different styles. Her songs include elements of pop, trap, dance, R&B, rock, and hyperpop.

Even when she was with a major label, Bree was fully in charge of her creative process. She likes to study different music genres to find new ideas. Bree doesn't like to be put into just one music category, like "rapper" or "R&B sensation". She prefers to be called a "popstar" because her music is so varied.

She looks up to many artists for inspiration. Some of her biggest influences are Foxy Brown, Lil' Kim, Britney Spears, Madonna, Missy Elliott, Pharrell, Kelis, and the Neptunes.

Discography

Mixtapes

• 2000and4Eva (2020)

Awards and Nominations

Tours

Supporting

• Lizzo – The Special Tour (2023)

Images for kids

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  A robot for kids

See also

In Spanish: Bree Runway para niños