Biography
When rules break, lanes open up for disruption. BRELAND most definitely traffics in a lane of his own. The New Jersey-born and Atlanta-based singer, songwriter, and producer eludes genre distinctions and bucks boundaries with a hypnotic hybrid of country and trap highlighted by flashes of R&B soul and gospel-size vocal acrobatics. After penning bangers for everyone from ELHAE to YK Osiris behind-the-scenes, he rewrites the rulebook from scratch as a solo artist.
“My vision is limitless and clear, ” he exclaims. “I don’t subscribe to rules. I’ll make whatever I like. I’m trying to innovate. I’m a music fan, first and foremost. I spend so much time studying what’s going on in order to create something different. I’m fusing a lot of separate styles. I ...
When rules break, lanes open up for disruption. BRELAND most definitely traffics in a lane of his own. The New Jersey-born and Atlanta-based singer, songwriter, and producer eludes genre distinctions and bucks boundaries with a hypnotic hybrid of country and trap highlighted by flashes of R&B soul and gospel-size vocal acrobatics. After penning bangers for everyone from ELHAE to YK Osiris behind-the-scenes, he rewrites the rulebook from scratch as a solo artist.
“My vision is limitless and clear,” he exclaims. “I don’t subscribe to rules. I’ll make whatever I like. I’m trying to innovate. I’m a music fan, first and foremost. I spend so much time studying what’s going on in order to create something different. I’m fusing a lot of separate styles. I want to have a place on the cutting edge.”
As a shy kid in Jersey, he grew up surrounded by music in the church with dad serving as worship leader. The family often shared four-part harmonies, but Breland’s attention remained focused on fantasy novels a la Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, and Harry Potter. Attending a boarding high school, he gained exposure to “secular music” for the first time and fell in love with Prince, Aretha Franklin, The Beatles, Rascal Flatts, and his “biggest influence” Stevie Wonder. Around the same time, he commenced writing songs.
“That was how I broke out of my shell,” he admits. “I came back home from my first semester and went from being really shy to feeling confident. I was starting to discover my voice.”
Enrolled in Georgetown University, he knocked on every industry door possible. Sending out over 300 inquiries, he caught the attention of award-winning multiplatinum songwriter and producer Troy Taylor [Trey Songz, K. Michelle, Tyrese]. The veteran took Breland under his wing and coached him. Along the way, he garnered the Curtis Mayfield Songwriting Scholarship award in 2018. Upon graduation, he stayed in Atlanta and continued to work with Troy in between holding down a day job and launching a budding business as a vocal coach. A year-long tireless grind yielded a string of high-profile placements. Between crafting songs for Ar’mon & Trey and Ann Marie, he contributed six cuts to YK Osiris’s debut The Golden Child in addition to “Let You Pick” for ELHAE’s Trouble In Paradise. At every turn, he lived up to the nickname of “The Pen Point Guard.”
“I’m a huge sports fan, so I wanted a name to describe what I do,” he explains. “The best point guards pass first. I feel like I dished out a lot of assists for others. It’s a part of my journey and my nature as a creative to see if I can help people. I’ve got an open road to go creatively and hopefully score some points of my own.”
He initially showcased his voice on social media by sharing impressive covers, launching “run challenges” to flex his vocal prowess, and garnering support from superstars such as Chris Brown. At an impromptu session with Kal V and Troy, he architected what would become his breakout single “My Truck.” BRELAND teased a snippet on his Instagram as his followers implored him to finish it. Released independently in late 2019, it incited a viral moment with countless Tik Tok visuals and 1 million-plus Spotify streams in under a month. Over handclaps and twanging guitar, he revs up a hypnotic hook, “You can call me crazy, but don’t touch my truck,” before off-roading with impressive falsetto.
“There are a lot of set boundaries within all genres of music,” he states. “I wanted to have fun, be creative, and bridge the gap between country and trap. In Atlanta, country and trap are the two biggest genres, so I was exposed to both of them all of the time. On ‘My Truck’, I decided to tell a story with a little bit of me in it. Truck owners love their trucks like they love their dogs or children. I don’t think anyone is proud of a sedan,” he laughs. “I tried to make a tune to bring people together.”
Through smashing rules, BRELAND positions himself to make a major impact everywhere. “I want to be a cultural bridge,” he leaves off. “This music can unite individuals on both sides of the aisle. It’s powerful. When you discard expectations, anything is possible.”