After winning Best R&B song at the 2023 Grammy Awards for her single ‘Hrs and Hrs’, American singer-songwriter Muni Long has finally come into her own and found her well-deserved and overdue recognition within the music industry. With a career dating back to 2009 and her pen-game hiding in plain sight, Muni Long (born Priscilla Renea Hamilton) is finally having her moment in the spotlight.
Although she’s already had such an accomplished and rich career as both a singer and songwriter, Long is, as she stated to Vogue Magazine in 2021, reintroducing herself with the moniker Muni Long. With her Grammy Award win and further 3 Grammy nominations under her belt, a fresh yet nostalgic take on R&B, and a long career ahead of her – here are 10 things you should know about Muni Long.
1. She’s recently experienced viral fame on TikTok
If you use TikTok and/or Instagram reels then there’s a high chance you’ve heard Muni Long’s viral 2023 hit ‘Made For Me’. The lyrics of the pre-chorus and chorus are super catchy and bring a sensuality to R&B which has been missing since the mid 2000s: “Twin, where have you been? Nobody knows me like you do (nobody), nobody gon’ love me quite like you (nobody, yeah)”. As of July 2024 the song has been streamed over 156 million times on Spotify alone, with a bonus re-release of the song which brings us to fact 2 …
2. Mariah Carey is on the ‘Made For Me’ Remix
The one and only pop superstar Mariah Carey is featured on the ‘Made For Me’ remix. Her added vocal work creates heightened sensuality on a song which was already incredibly romantic, both lyrically and sonically. Having Mariah on the song emphasises the early 2000s R&B it’s inspired by and perfectly revives it into the 2020s. It’s a collaboration between established superstardom and the present which feels organic and a fated collaboration.
3. Her new album, REVENGE, is out now!
A body of work which Long says is inspired by bad and tumultuous past relationships, her new album REVENGE was released August 30. Lead single ‘Ruined Me’ set the stage for the anticipated release, and critics hailed it as one of the best R&B albums of the year.
4. She has co-written some of the most iconic pop and R&B songs
Long’s first songwriting contribution is credited as being for the 2008 song ‘Here I Am’ by the American girl group Girlicious. From here she began to establish herself as one of the strongest songwriters in pop and R&B, with songwriting contributions on songs such as ‘California King Bed’ by Rihanna, ‘Timber’ by Pitbull and Kesha, and Ariana Grande’s songs ‘Fake Smile’, ‘Imagine’, ‘Just Like Magic’, and ‘Six Thirty’ to name a few (of many). Long’s pen-game has been expansive, not only for herself but also her musical peers and she’s proved she can write hits across various genres.
5. She was one of the writers on H.E.R’s song ‘Process’
H.E.R, one of the current queens of R&B, released her 2021 debut album Back of My Mind, featuring songwriting from Long on the album’s track ‘Process’. A stripped and smooth R&B song with intimate grooves and feathery vocals, Long’s songwriting alongside H.E.R’s vocals are a creative match made in heaven. Here’s hoping they collab again in the future!
6. John Legend featured Long on his song ‘Honey’
A collaboration between two forces of soul and sensuality, John Legend and Muni Long are a pairing that, for everyone’s sake, should link up again because this song is too good and we need more. Released as a single from John Legend’s 2022 album, Legend, the song is a class act in modern R&B and the way Long sings “got you addicted to me” is an earworm which sticks long after listening. Not only is the song wonderful, the music video’s visuals are incredible (as seen below).
7. She has her own record label
Supergiant Records is Muni Long’s record label imprint which she releases her music under alongside Def Jam. Like many other musicians, having your own sub-label is a smart business move and Long’s label reflects herself: the greatest star in the sky.
8. Her debut studio album was released in under a different alias
Before she changed her alias to Muni Long, she released her 2009 debut album Jukebox under her first and middle name, Priscilla Renea. Both the sound and vision were different from the visuals and music she’s currently releasing, with the music of this album being more upbeat pop and similar to early Katy Perry. The album cover looks like something out of Spike Lee’s mind and interestingly the album’s lead single, ‘Dollhouse’, is produced by Benny Blanco. Long also released her 2018 second album Coloured under this previous alias too.
9. Her professional stage-name ‘Muni Long’ is wordplay
More of a FYI just in case you may have been mispronouncing it – the alias of Muni Long is pronounced like muh-knee (money).
10. Beginnings on YouTube
By deep diving on YouTube you can find videos of Long from before she was signed to a label. Like many of the most talented musicians and bands, Long’s YouTube uploads of covers, such as Justin Timberlake’s ‘Cry Me A River’, and original songs are what initially drew Capitol Records’ attention to eventually signing her!
