| Bre-Z | |
| Birth Name: | Calesha Murray |
| Birth Date: | 22 July 1987 |
| Birth Place: | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Occupation: | Actress, rapper |
| Years Active: | 2015present |
Calesha "Bre-Z" Murray (born July 22, 1987)[1] 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.[2]
Bre-Z was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and was raised in Wilmington, Delaware.[3] [4] 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".[4] [5] She found out it wasn't her real name when she began elementary school.[4] [6] As a child, she had short hair and people would often mistake her for a boy. In sixth grade, she decided that she wanted to pursue music.[6] 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.[2] Bre-Z graduated high school in 2005. She attended Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida.[4] In 2008, she moved to Atlanta when her mom found a job there.[2] [7] Bre-Z began cutting hair at the age of 10,[6] and comes from a family of barbers, with her grandfather, father, and mother all working as barbers.[4] [2] [7] While working as a barber, she cut hair for Akon, Ludacris and Rob Dougie .[8] In 2014, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue her dream of becoming a musician with only one dollar in her bank account.[4] [2]
Bre-Z began her music career at age 14 with impromptu performances around Philadelphia.[3] Her brother used to rap, and she would perform his songs until she began writing her own.[2] When she was 15, she met Freeway of Roc-A-Fella Records rap group State Property.[9] Freeway put her in a studio and recorded her first song with her.[9]
Bre-Z began writing songs with Dr. Dre, Jennifer Lopez, and The Game.[5] She moved to Los Angeles when she was 24 to pursue her music.[6] In 2015, after landing an audition through a barbershop connection, Bre-Z was cast in the role of Freda Gatz.[3] [2] It was her first audition and first time acting.[5] She appeared on the soundtrack several times throughout her time on the show, sometimes performing her own raps.[9] [10] [11] [7] In November 2018, she was the grand marshal of the Xavier University homecoming parade.[7]
In 2018, Bre-Z was cast as Tamia "Coop" Cooper in the drama All American.[6] She once stated that "Coop is literally Bre-Z in high school," emphasizing the similarities between her and her character.[7] Her role has been praised as breaking barriers for the LGBTQ community.[3]
She released an EP, The Grl in 2015 on her independent label.[2] [12] Her most recent album is titled Full Circle.[3]
In regard to her sexuality, Bre-Z has stated that she wants to keep her romantic interests private.[13] 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."[14] [2]
Bre-Z is very spiritual.[10] She lives in Los Angeles, California.[2] Her favorite movie is Juice.
On March 16, 2021, Bre-Z proposed to girlfriend Chris Amore in front of friends and family.[1]
| 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" |
| 2017 | Fat Camp | Winnie | |
| 2020 | 16 Bars | Taj | |
| True to the Game 2 | Taj |