Muni Long. Courtesy of the artist. 
By Okla Jones ·Updated September 2, 2024
Muni Long isn’t here for anyone’s approval. For years, she worked behind the scenes in the entertainment business, penning hits for some of the biggest names in the business. Despite her undeniable talent, Long often found herself sidelined, with her artistic voice stifled by an industry that wasn’t ready to hear what she had to say. But in 2022, everything changed. Her single “Hrs & Hrs” from the Public Displays of Affection album catapulted her to mainstream success, revealing to the world what she had always known—that she was destined for greatness.
Now, with her latest album Revenge, Long—born Priscilla Renea Hamilton—is embracing her newfound individualism and revamped creative process. Reflecting on her growth since her breakout, the Florida-born singer shares, “I think I’m just more free. I think I understand who I am in relation to the world. You grow up learning all these boundaries and what you can and can’t do and just how to be. And I think I’ve shed all of that, like having so much success independently with, I don’t want to say no help, but the industry that I was a part of for over a decade did not give a shit that I had things to say as an artist.”
“So, I essentially had no friends,” she continues. “I couldn’t call the people that I had made money with or had hits with because all they were going to do was take the songs and try to pitch them to other people—they didn’t care about my dreams.” These experiences molded Long into an artist without limitations, and a “go get it” attitude towards her craft that stands second to none.
This unfiltered approach to her art is evident throughout the project, delving into her personal life with a raw honesty that she has never before revealed. From navigating the complexities of her Bryan-Michael] put the drums and stuff on there, I didn’t know, I wasn’t sure. And then finally somebody from my team was like, “Yo, this shit hard. We need to put this out.” And the rest is history.
How are you feeling about the release of Revenge?
I’m super excited for people to hear. There’s a lot of sounds that I’ve never explored before on this project. I got a little rap verse on there. I’m excited for this injection of R&B into the mainstream again. I think that there’s something for everybody on the project. I think I only have one feature—and I don’t feel like I make songs that require features like that. It’s a song called “Leave My Baby” featuring GloRilla. I love her. She’s so funny and fun.
I’m ready for people to hear what I’m talking about, and for people to just start the conversation around R&B being healthy. We’re talking about love, we’re talking about relationships. We are not talking about pulling up and robbing anybody. I feel like R&B took a turn for a minute. It was like rap. So yeah, I’m excited to bring that conversation back and for artists to be inspired and start actually writing to chord progressions and maybe we’ll get bridges again. Also, I have a couple songs where there’s a genuine bridge with chord changes. I’m excited to hear how it affects people. Not necessarily whether they like it or not because I don’t really care if they like it, but I do want to see how it affects people and how they use it in their everyday life.
TOPICS: muni long new music R&B
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