Check Out Bryanna Hightower’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Bryanna Hightower.

Hi Bryanna, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I started posting online when I was eight years old. I named my YouTube account “BRE MANIA” because, at the time, I thought “mania” meant the same thing as a utopia. Back then, I made skits, dance videos, and the occasional slime video. More than anything, I was trying to recreate the excitement and inspiration I felt while watching my favorite YouTubers like Wassabi Productions, Dan TDM, Seven Super Girls, and CoryxKenshin.

Between the ages of 10 and 18, I experimented with every kind of content imaginable: pop culture commentary, compilation edits, and tutorial videos, anything that could help my name reach more people. I would scroll through platforms like The Shade Room and TikTok Room looking for stories to discuss. It was a phase of my life that I now have a complicated relationship with. On one hand, I genuinely enjoyed journalism and discussing public figures I admired. On the other, I noticed that the more negative a story was, the more engagement it received. That realization slowly made creating feel less fulfilling.

Eventually, I pivoted toward “how-to” videos. I’ve always loved creating things, so teaching people how to edit online trends, and arts and crafts felt natural to me. For the first time, I found a niche that made me happy, helped other people, and allowed me to grow an audience at the same time. Through this, I grew my BRE MANIA Youtube channel to 15,000 subscribers.

Then, in April 2020, CapCut introduced automated editing templates. Suddenly, anyone could make polished edits with just a few clicks. A lot of editors can relate to that feeling of having the rug pulled out from under them. It felt like the demand for editing skills and tutorials about editing just disappeared overnight. After that, I took a long break from creating content seriously.

By July 2025, I was in college studying to become a lawyer, but there was still a part of me holding onto a persistent “what if” dream. I finally asked myself: “What would happen if I posted consistently for 30 days, made content that actually felt authentic to me, and stopped chasing trends?” That question led to the creation of Bre Speaks.

I’ve always loved writing slam poetry, and I’ve placed in the top five HBCU slam poets in the nation for two consecutive years. I started posting my poems online alongside lyrics from artists I admired, including Earl Sweatshirt, MF DOOM, and MIKE. I wanted to highlight hip-hop as one of the greatest forms of modern poetry.

For two straight months, my platform grew rapidly. Then one day, with nothing new prepared, I reposted an old 2022 video of myself lip-syncing to “Mtomb” by Earl Sweatshirt while editing symbolic PNG images over the lyrics. What I realized was that I was visually translating bars, poetic devices and layered meanings that listeners might miss until their fifth or sixth listen. What’s even crazier is that I remember posting this video under a tweet of Earls, and then immediately deleting it because I didn’t think it was good enough back in 2022.

The video performed incredibly well, so I made another for “Evil Eye” by MIKE. People connected deeply with the concept. Ironically, these were the very videos I had doubted the most because they weren’t technically perfect or overly polished. What I learned from that experience was that authenticity matters more than performance. Sometimes your rawest ideas are enough on their own.

Eventually, I decided to try a different platform: Instagram. People often describe Instagram as pretentious or difficult to grow on, but I found its creative community far more engaged than the one I experienced on TikTok. My work began receiving reposts from major music curators like Daymond Who and artists such as Zoe Welsch. Something as simple as an Instagram story repost exposed my work to thousands of new people, and eventually to artists I had admired for years, including Earl Sweatshirt, Navy Blue, Erykah Badu, Queen Latifah, and Liv.e.

That support eventually led to an opportunity to create the music video for “Static” by Earl Sweatshirt, which has now accumulated over two hundred thousand views. That experience genuinely changed the trajectory of my career, and I will always be grateful to Earl and his team for trusting my vision. In 10 months Bre Speaks now sits at 41,000 amazing followers on instagram, and has accumulated 2 million+ views across Instagram and TikTok.

More than anything, I hope my work encourages Black women to explore creative niches that are considered unconventional, experimental, or “weird.” I want my content to serve as proof that there is value in embracing originality rather than trend chasing and trying to fit in. I also hope it encourages people to love things fully. No matter how corny, or “overboard” it may seem, because that’s what the world needs most today–real love.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Some of the biggest obstacles I have faced throughout my creative journey have been self-doubt, inconsistency, and occasional hate comments online. There were moments when I questioned my abilities, struggled to remain disciplined, or allowed negative feedback to affect my confidence. I also found myself entering online creative spaces filled with music curators and writers who were incredibly knowledgeable about music history, culture, and artistry. Being placed into that category of creators made me feel like I needed to learn so much more in order to truly belong there. While that realization was ultimately motivating, it felt overwhelming at first. However, I’ve learned not to let those challenges define me or discourage me from creating. Instead, they have pushed me to become more resilient, trust my vision, and continue pursuing work that feels authentic to who I am.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I create music visualizers for artists online that emphasize the deeper meanings, layered storytelling, poetic devices, and lyrical intricacies within songs. I am best known for my videos centered around Earl Sweatshirt, including the “Static” music video I created for him. Ultimately, I am proud of the community that has grown from my work, a community of people who genuinely enjoy dissecting and “nerding out” over the complexities of music and lyricism. I believe what sets my content apart is its formatting and presentation style. I bring viewers horizontal edits combined with visual bar breakdowns that encourage audiences to engage more deeply with the art.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brespeaks_/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@bremania
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@brespeaks_