New For 2020: Bree Runway

Meet the futuristic pop music maker who's ready to take off.

Our New for 2020 guide introduces our top picks of the hottest new emerging live bands and musicians for those looking to find the best new acts to see live in 2020. Find the full list here.

London-based artist Bree Runway grew up in the borough of Hackney with her Ghanaian family, sharing a modern creative pop paradigm with the likes of Charli XCX and Billie Eilish, while sounding similar to previously championed Ticketmaster New Music alumni Doja Cat and Tierra Whack.

Her brilliantly atypical sound and style unfolds as a combination of art-pop and hip-hop with industrial electronic flavourings. Attitude is in abundance in every Bree Runway track, as she very much carves out her own lane.

Bree has been putting in the work, honing her craft, acquiring a cult following and developing her sound since 2016. Then, with only a few tracks under her belt, Virgin EMI signed her off the back of What Do I Tell My Friends, a club-ready, piano-led banger that gobbled up Spotify streams and Youtube views in 2017.

Be Runway followed earlier this year, an ambitious alt-pop debut that caught the attention of BBC Radio 1Xtra, Clash, The Needle Drop and more. The Evening Standard even wrote about her star-studded EP launch party in London. The stellar collection of new material coupled with the media attention helped grow Runway’s already incredibly passionate fanbase.

2ON marked Bree’s return this year, perfectly encapsulating what she’s all about. The thrilling track champions individualism and self-love, accompanied by deliberately outrageous visuals carrying an important underlying message. Upon release, Runway recounted bleaching her skin with chemicals from a young age in response to bullying and how society at large “insinuated MY black was not beautiful”.

Now flipping this painful experience on its head, Bree embraces her differences and is a shining example for not just young female artists of colour but anyone struggling with self-doubt. She encourages fans to revel in their weirdness, to be proud of who they are, to be themselves, and to BE RUNWAY.

More essential tracks

All Night

Bree Runway - All Night