BRENN! Single '4RUNNER' Earns Spot on Billboard Top 50

Two broken ankles and one hit song later, 19-year-old groundbreaker Brennan Keller, known by fans as Brenn!, is well on his way. The young singer-songwriter has just signed to Fourward / Darkroom Records and notched his first chart hit with his single “4runner.” 

The Tuscaloosa, AL native and University of Alabama student was writing and recording music in his bedroom when “4Runner” took on a life of its own across social media platforms. In early January, Brennan posted a self-recorded version on TikTok, the daredevil filming himself on his roof for the accompanying video.

It soon exploded, creating its own trend as listeners realized the song’s rush mirrored the feeling of a runner’s high, and fans started posting gleeful videos of themselves running to it. That was only the first time “4Runner” became a smash. After months of teasing a new version of the track, Keller released the official version of “4Runner” on April 28, the initial glimpse into a productive Nashville session with accomplished producer Mike Robinson. 

“4Runner” is a breathless and guileless folk-rock wonder, a song that feels effortless in the way that your favorite tunes often do, like something that should have always existed. But the genesis of “4Runner”—and, in turn, Keller’s budding career—is perhaps the defining trauma of his young life.

“‘4Runner’ tells a personal story of the experience of losing a close friend to distance while feeling stranded in a small southeastern town,” explains Brenn!. “As personal as this story is to me, it seems to connect with many people. I want to give people the closure they are looking for or have already found with this song.” 

While filming the music video, Keller—a lifelong athlete who played most every sport in high school—went bounding through a meadow in a series of backflips he’d done countless times. Both of his ankles snapped on contact, creating an unwanted viral moment and netting him three months of bedrest. 

Yet despite this forced slowdown, “4runner”’s success has catapulted Brenn! into an exciting new chapter of life. With the song clocking in over 1M streams in its first week of release, over 12M streams in its first month, and landing himself on 23 global charts this is just the start for Brenn! 

Photo Credit: Hayley Mikell