Priscilla Renea Hamilton started on her musical journey as a songwriter but she's now embracing a new chapter as the artist Muni Long. With an impressive resume of collaborations with artists like Rihanna, Ariana Grande, Kelly Clarkson, and more. Priscilla has honed her craft and earned recognition in the industry. Now, under the persona of Muni Long, she is fully focused on her artistic path ready to share her unique voice and perspective with the world. This transition marks an exciting evolution in her career as she steps into the spotlight to tell her own story through her music. “Once I made the transition in 2020, Priscilla is gone. She does not live here anymore. Even though that's my government name, that's what my mother named me. As far as collaborations go I'm just not interested in writing songs for other people anymore. Why would I want to do that when I can have the same success if not bigger with my musical pursuits.”
Muni Long shares with EBONY the common question that songwriters often face. If there are songs they've written for others that they wish they had kept for themselves. As Muni Long navigates her journey as both a songwriter and an artist, she brings a unique perspective to this conversation.
A lot of times people ask me, was there ever a song you wrote that you wanted to keep? When I was in my songwriting days I was in a service role and I was happy to serve. I was happy to help other artists find their own sound and carry out their vision musically.
Muni Long
While not delving deeply into her songwriting journey Muni used her Instagram platform to showcase her songwriting accolades emphasizing that her success didn't happen overnight. “The only reason why I mentioned my songwriting accolades is because I think when I have such massive success as an artist, it appears as if it's out of nowhere overnight. There's a resistance to accepting, how can this black girl be this successful? Where does she come from? People are trying to validate why I deserve my spot.”
Muni Long reflects on the success of "Hrs and Hrs," which became a viral sensation in 2023 and earned her a Grammy for Best R&B Performance. Despite the overwhelming acclaim for the song, Muni chose to wait before releasing the remix featuring Usher even after it gained traction on the Billboard charts and airwaves nationwide. “He wanted to get on the remix early. I think we recorded that in January 2023. It was early. I've known Usher for years and I told him I was like look I know you want to put out this remix but I have to do this on my own. I have to stand on my own and I don't want to lean on someone else for your audience or for your reach. I have to know that I can do this on my own.”
After clinching the Grammy for "Hrs and Hrs" Muni Long decided to release the remix with Usher, despite his persistent interest in collaborating earlier. For Muni, achieving success with the original track was a personal milestone she wanted to accomplish before exploring collaborations.
Muni Long has returned with her latest hit "Made For Me" which has been dominating the internet in recent months. The song gained momentum with a captivating performance at the 2023 Soul Train Awards. Despite challenges, such as Universal Music Group blocking artists' sounds on TikTok, fans have found creative ways to incorporate the song into their videos. Originally conceived with just a piano melody and no beat, the track evolved into its current form through collaboration with producers Jermaine Dupri and Bryan-Michael Cox. “I tried a couple of different versions. I had a jersey-mixed version. When I played it for Chaka he was like this is amazing. We need to go to Atlanta and finish it. They added these different instruments and formatted the song meaning you can tell the difference between the chorus, the bridge, and the hook, and "Made For Me" the way you hear it now was born.”
Muni Long will continue having an exciting year as she mentions her album is finished and will be coming out this Spring. “I worked with Theron Thomas on a couple of the records The Dream, Tricky Stewart, OG Parker and I got some cool features from Tommy Brown. It's just a great body of work.”
