Bre-Z
Bre-Z in 2019
Born
Calesha Murray

(1987-07-22) July 22, 1987
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
CitizenshipAmerican
Occupation(s)Actress, rapper
Years active2015–present

Calesha "Bre-Z" Murray (born July 22, 1987)[1][2][3] is an American actress and rapper, best known for her roles as Tamia "Coop" Cooper in the American drama series All American and as Freda Gatz in Empire.[4][5]

Early life

Bre-Z was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and was raised in Wilmington, Delaware.[6][7][8] Her grandmother gave her the nickname "Bre-Z" at birth when she would not stop crying until a window was shut, so they called her "breezy".[8][7][9][10] She found out it wasn't her real name when she began elementary school.[8][7][9] As a child, she had short hair and people would often mistake her for a boy.[5] In sixth grade, she decided that she wanted to pursue music.[9] Her mother worked in the entertainment industry, and once woke up to Wu-Tang Clan in her living room, so she knew that she would become involved in the entertainment industry from a young age.[4] Bre-Z graduated high school in 2005.[5] She attended Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida.[8] In 2008, she moved to Atlanta when her mom found a job there.[7][4][2] Bre-Z began cutting hair at the age of 10,[9] and comes from a family of barbers, with her grandfather, father, and mother all working as barbers.[8][4][2] While working as a barber, she cut hair for Akon and Ludacris.[7][11][12] In 2014, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue her dream of becoming a musician with only one dollar in her bank account.[8][4]

Career

Bre-Z began her music career at age 14 with impromptu performances around Philadelphia.[6] Her brother used to rap, and she would perform his songs until she began writing her own.[4] When she was 15, she met Freeway of Roc-A-Fella Records rap group State Property.[7] Freeway put her in a studio and recorded her first song with her.[7]

Bre-Z began writing songs with Dr. Dre, Jennifer Lopez, and The Game.[10] She moved to Los Angeles when she was 24 to pursue her music.[9][11] In 2015, after landing an audition through a barbershop connection, Bre-Z was cast in the role of Freda Gatz.[6][4][13] It was her first audition and first time acting.[10] She appeared on the soundtrack several times throughout her time on the show, sometimes performing her own raps.[7][11][14][2] In November 2018, she was the grand marshal of the Xavier University homecoming parade.[2]

In 2018, Bre-Z was cast as Tamia "Coop" Cooper in the drama All American.[9] She once stated that "Coop is literally Bre-Z in high school," emphasizing the similarities between her and her character.[5][2] Her role has been praised as breaking barriers for the LGBTQ community.[6]

She released an EP, The Grl in 2015 on her independent label.[4][13] Her most recent album is titled Full Circle.[6]

Personal life

In regard to her sexuality, Bre-Z has stated that she wants to keep her romantic interests private.[5] In one interview, Bre-Z said, "I love everybody. But when it gets down to whatever is underneath my clothes, whatever is inside of my home, or in my bedroom... I feel like at some point, being in the public eye, you have to keep something for yourself. And that's just what I choose to keep for me."[1][4]

Bre-Z is very spiritual.[11] She lives in Los Angeles, California.[4] Her favorite movie is Juice.

On March 16, 2021, Bre-Z proposed to girlfriend Chris Amore in front of friends and family.[3]

Filmography

Television
Year Title Role Notes
2015-2019 Empire Freda Gatz Recurring character, 31 episodes
2016 The Real Self 1 Episode
2017 Tales Ty Episode: "Children's Story"
2017 The New Edition Story Peanut Bell Episode: "Part 1"
2018 Celebrity Page Self 1 Episode
2018–present All American Tamia "Coop" Cooper Series Regular
2023–present MTV’s Couple’s Retreat Self Series Regular
Film
Year Title Role Notes
2017 Fat Camp Winnie
2018 Down for Whatever Denise TV movie
2020 16 Bars Taj post-production
2020 True to the Game 2 Taj

Discography

  • The Grl. (2018)
  • Full Circle (2020)

References

  1. 1 2 Bowen, Sesali. "Bre-Z Won't Talk About Her Sexuality—And That's Her Choice". Nylon. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Strachan, Sue. "'All American' star Bre-Z lands in New Orleans to serve as grand marshal at Xavier homecoming parade". The Times-Picayune. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  3. 1 2 Godard, Jean-Luc. "Bre-Z". Issue Magazine. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Monique, Porsha. "Rapper Bre-Z moved from Philly to LA to chase her dreams". Rolling out. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Bowen, Sesali. "Bre-Z Just Told Us Exactly Why All American's Coop Is So Dope". Refinery29. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Early, N. Ali. "Despite career-defining success, Bre-Z remains true to herself and her city". Rolling Out. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Mitchell, Gail. "Exclusive: Meet New 'Empire' Cast Member Bre-Z". Billboard. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Ju, Shirley. "Bre-Z gets real as a gay Compton high schooler in All-American.; Credit: Jesse Giddings/The CWBre-Z gets real as a gay Compton high schooler in All-American.; Credit: Jesse Giddings/The CW RAPPER BRE-Z TALKS ABOUT HER GROUNDBREAKING ROLES ON TV'S ALL-AMERICAN AND EMPIRE". LA Weekly. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Radloff, Jessica. "From Barber to Actress and Musician: Meet All American's Bre-Z". Glamour. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  10. 1 2 3 Golembewski, Vanessa. "Empire's Newest Cast Member Bre-Z Is Just Being Herself". Refinery29. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  11. 1 2 3 4 Carter, Kelley L. "The Woman Who's Ready To Take The "Empire" Throne". Buzzfeed News. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  12. ↑ "'Empire' Rapper Discovered While Giving Haircuts in Atlanta". Project Casting. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  13. 1 2 Ortiz, Jazmine. "EXCLUSIVE: Bre-Z Says Her DMs Blew Up After Her Character On 'All American' Came Out". BET. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  14. ↑ Carra, Mallory. "6 Bre-Z Murray Songs That Show Off The 'Empire' Rapper's Off-Screen Talent — VIDEOS". Bustle. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
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