Bree Runway

Bree Runway blends a strong pop sensibility into her output as an outspoken rapper, vocalist, and composer from East London with Ghanaian roots, incorporating elements that span experimental trap and meandering guitar-driven rock. Her first mixtape, 2000AND4EVA, arrived in 2020, followed in 2022 by the EP Woah, What a Blur!, after which a series of singles and joint releases emerged, among them the successful 2023 Khalid pairing “Be the One.”

Born Brenda Wireko Mensah in Hackney in 1992, she derived her stage name from a relative’s nickname, using it to evoke persistent efforts to launch and elevate her path. As a teenager she received motivational feedback from Michelle Obama after performing for her, while a 2010 journey to Accra to see extended family further fueled her artistic drive.

She independently put out her opening EP, RNWY 01, near the end of 2015; the candid-lyric project was largely shaped by Nastylgia, who later contributed to the 2016 follow-up Bouji. After issuing standalone tracks—“Butterfly” in 2016 and the pure-pop “What Do I Tell My Friends?” in 2017—she joined electronic duo Metroplane on “Word of Mouth.” Virgin EMI released her first solo single under their banner, “2ON,” in May 2019; the cut later featured on her pivotal third EP, Be Runway. An early-2020 appearance on a remix of Rina Sawayama’s “XS” preceded the November arrival of 2000AND4EVA, which included work from Missy Elliott, Yung Baby Tate, and Maliibu Miitch. In 2021 she received the BET Award for Best New International Act, issued the Glass Animals collaboration “Space Ghost Coast to Coast,” and guested on Jimmy Edgar’s remix of Lady Gaga’s “Babylon.”

Non-album singles “Pressure” and “Somebody Like You” opened 2022, while “That Girl” appeared on Woah, What a Blur!. The pop-inflected Khalid duet “Be the One” surfaced in 2023 and spawned multiple editions and remixes. Returning to harder-edged hip-hop, she dropped the hardcore track “Just Like That” in 2024.