Black Artist of The Week: Bree Runway

British pop star Bree Runway is the embodiment of sugar and spice and everything nice. The star is eccentric yet daring. She turns her keen visionary skills into reality. All of it began in her Hackney, London bedroom, which is hard to believe. Since then, she has performed in front of Michelle Obama, garnered a loyal fan base through Twitter, and even collaborated with some of the music tycoons like Missy Elliot. Runway is on the path of becoming an icon for gen-Zers.

In a 2020 interview with I-D, Runway shares her upbringing as a Hackney girl. “It wasn’t as colorful, quirky, and eccentric as it is today. Where I used to live was called Murder Mile… I mean, you do the math! Everything I’ve seen and experienced has given me thick skin, made me resilient, and has instilled a fight in me that I’m thankful for. The industry is tough, and so are the critics, but I feel armored up and prepared for it all because of how I was raised,” she told I-D.

Runway is a huge advocate of acceptance of individuality and owning who you are. Runway told I-D, she wants to lead the wave of alternative Black girls. “For black girls making music, we tend to only get reduced to soul or R&B, but I’m a pop girl, and there’s other black girls who may be rock girls, experimental girls, dance girls, or pop girls too. I just want my journey, this year and beyond, to be a testament to staying true to yourself and thriving; you don’t have to do what they expect of you. You can do you and still win.”

The release of Be Runway, the debut EP of the British star, was audacious and empowering. It featured songs like, “All Night,” and “Big Racks,” featuring Brooke Candy. The video of, “All Night,” features Runway dancing erotically in water, matching the sensual lyricism within the song. “All night, Play me like a video all night, Ride you like a stallion, so nice, Sippin’ on Bacardi all night,” —- sexuality triumphs all in this track. Her most recent single, “Hot Hot” was released on March 31. The song samples the likes of Busta Rhymes’s 2005 smash hit, “Touch It.” The track showcases Runway’s versatility, proving she’s is a global star. “You ain’t got it like me,” she repeats in the song, exhibiting her overconfidence to listeners, which is justifiable.

 Runway’s sizzling lyricism mirrors the video she released —- ”Make him say ah like the boy is Trey Songz/It’s a runway, kitty, like her name is Kate Moss” —- as she does full choreography in FENTY sunglasses in front of a BMW.

and y’all talm bout we don’t have a black popstar???? THE ANSWER IS BREE RUNWAY. https://t.co/U9QbI8nWcJ

— 🦋 (@aquaridoll_) March 31, 2021

Runway shares that the song is a love letter of self-expression and self-love. She tells PAPER, “Typically for me, it’s about reaffirming your power and believing in yourself cause ‘you can never do it like a Brenda.’ I want my fans to never feel afraid to hype themselves up, they’re the shit and they don’t need to wait for anybody to tell’em they are!”