BRE-Z INTERVIEW: The multi-hyphenate actor and rapper best known for her breakout roles as Freda Gatz on Empire and Coop on All American, is now reemerging as BRZ, the artist, songwriter, and producer. Bre-Z pulls from deeply personal experiences, reflecting on her past, the pain of losing a loved one, and the pressure that comes with fame in Hollywood. Her lyricism is sharp yet vulnerable, offering a glimpse into the realities behind the spotlight. Get familiar…
What five words define your sound?
Unique, nostalgic, sexy, other-worldly, classic.
Tell me something unique about your creative process
I write and produce a lot of my music, depending on what I feel inspired by at the moment, my approach is different but one unique thing is, I can hear a melody whether it be one that came to mind randomly or a background vocal I hear in a record that moves me a certain way, and then I create an entire beat / record around that melody.
Which song of yours would you like people to hear first?
From this project? That’s hard to narrow down but probably a record I have called ‘Maldives’. I wrote and produced it, it just shows an entirely different side of me sonically that I think people will be surprised by.
What inspired you to make that song?
It was inspired by a character my girlfriend, Sasha and I are developing, who she will eventually play. She’s a very seductive, empowered woman.
What’s the most vulnerable you’ve allowed yourself to be when writing/making music?
Anytime I write a record I’m pretty much an open book because my music is truly therapeutic for me and has always been a place, I can be my most honest self, even writing about or to versions of myself and my life I hadn’t yet walked in. But out of what’s out right now, ‘Bleed’ is probably my most vulnerable record.
What’s the best/worst experience you’ve had on stage?
A cool stage experience of mine actually happened while I was filming Empire many years ago. The set itself was done really well, the stage was set centre to the room, so I felt immersed in the audience while I was performing, it was a cool moment.
What is your favourite song to perform?
I haven’t performed it yet; you’ll have to check back in with me.
Which artist/song/album made you want to make music?
I knew music before I knew who individual artists were. So, it wasn’t one project or person, it was the feeling music gave me. It spoke to parts of me that were always there that I had yet to realise and gave me a feeling nothing in my real life could, and I was moved by that.
What’s the meaning behind your name?
My name came from grandmom when I was younger and I think because it did fit my personality in so many ways it just stuck throughout my life.
If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing instead?
I’d always be a creative in some capacity, but I’d also probably be in the tech field in some way, I’ve always been fascinated by computers and technology. I used to disassemble and reassemble computers when I was younger.
What’s success to you?
Man, these days? Having a solid relationship with myself, knowing my strengths and weaknesses and not being afraid to be vulnerable and honest about who I am, and who I’m not. Having healthy relationships in my life with people I love. Being able to create for a living. And, unlimited resources, monetarily.
What moment in your life/career forced you to change direction?
I came to a crossroads in my life where I had to decide whether I was either going to do the work on myself that I needed to do, or I was going to continue down a path of hiding from the parts of myself that needed the most attention. I had no idea how challenging doing the work was going to be, but doing it changed my life and my artistry in ways I couldn’t have imagined.
Where can people keep in touch with you?
@brezofficial on all platforms
