Words by Elliott Hollingsbee
This week we look at the electric success of Bree Runway, a Hackney-born talent with an infectious sound born from the fusion of hyperpop and hip-hop.
With a name like hers, Bree Runway exudes a kind of star quality few others can evoke. Since her commercial debut with Be Runway in 2019, her infectious productions and catchy lyrics have led to her amassing almost 2 million monthly listeners on Spotify. Her collaborations boast the likes of Missy Elliott, Stormzy, and most recently Khalid on their new single ‘Be The One’. Fresh from opening for Lizzo on tour and with rumours swirling that she will do the same for Beyoncé this summer, is there any stopping the ‘Rise of Runway’?
Bree has insisted on being referred to as a popstar, rightfully disregarding labels like ‘rapper’ or ‘R&B sensation’ that put her into boxes she refuses to conform to. From single to single, and EP to EP, she has consistently showcased her genre-bending ability to make hyperpop bangers like ‘THAT GIRL’, ballads like ‘Somebody Like You’, and R&B jams like ‘All Night’, placing her on a pedestal of incomparability when compared with the rest of the UK pop scene.
Surprisingly, we still haven’t seen the release of a debut album. With mixtape 2000AND4EVA released two and a half years ago, it remains the closest thing to a fully-fledged debut, despite only being 9 songs long. Runway’s single-based approach to releasing music can be confusing, with two singles released in quick succession in early 2022 that weren’t included on WOAH, WHAT A BLUR!, her year-end EP. We obviously don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes, but her sole 2023 release so far takes a step in the direction of mainstream pop – perhaps any album set to be released later this year will similarly emulate this sound?
We’ve been following Bree for a long time – since her feature on Rina Sawayama’s exuberant ‘XS’ remix – and she’s only grown from strength to strength since then. It’s rare to be able to see an artist’s growth in real time, but everything Bree does just screams up-and-coming pop sensation. She recently tweeted, “it’s so fire that there’s still sooooo many people in this world yet to know who tf bree runway is”, and we can’t shake the feeling that this won’t be the case for much longer.