Bre-Z | |
|---|---|
 Bre-Z in 2019 | |
| Born | Calesha Murray July 22, 1987 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Citizenship | American |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, rapper |
| Years active | 2015–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]
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]
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]
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]
| 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" |
| The New Edition Story | Peanut Bell | Episode: "Part 1" | |
| 2018 | Celebrity Page | Self | 1 episode |
| Down for Whatever | Denise | TV movie | |
| 2018–2024 | All American | Tamia "Coop" Cooper | 89 episodes |
| 2021 | Living the Lyrics | Game show | |
| 2021 | Way Too Crazy | Self | |
| 2023–present | MTV Couples Retreat | Self | Series regular |
| 2024 | Good Times | G-Money / Crowd / Residents (voice) | Episode: "The Projects Divided" |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Fat Camp | Winnie | |
| 2020 | 16 Bars | Taj | |
| True to the Game 2 | Taj |
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