Muni Long has been celebrating the success of her viral song “Hrs & Hrs.” The song went viral on TikTok in 2021 and has since taken over social media with many people using the romantic song as the go-to song for their videos. And while the R&B artist may have been relatively unknown to the world, she has been around for years penning hits for some of the biggest artists.
As a songwriter, she wrote under her government name Priscilla Renea for artists like Rihanna, Ariana Grande, Chris Brown, and many more. And while she is finding success as an artist, the transition from songwriter to singer hasn’t been easy. Muni stopped by The Breakfast Club to open up about who Muni Long is versus Priscilla Renea and finally getting recognition as a solo act.
“I keep telling people that Muni is who I really am and Priscilla although that’s my government name, Priscilla is a goody-two-shoes,” she said. “She’s always trying to please, brown-noser, never want to step out of place. So, I became this character of like I show up, I do my job, I’m gonna be the person I need to be. Muni Long is who I am when I’m with my friends when I’m by myself when I’m with my family. I had to create the character in order to give myself permission to be myself.”
She added, “People just have an idea of you. I been around for a decade so they just see the quiet, subservient girl. They didn’t see all the clothes I had in my closet or how I am every day.”
Muni went on to explain that as a songwriter, you can’t outshine the artist that you’re working with even in the studio because “you are the help and you have to be okay with that.” She even claimed that songwriters aren’t always treated well although they play an intricate part in the success of an artist and their song.
“In the business, there’s so much grooming that happens like psychologically breaking you down. They want you to stay in this place so that you’re malleable. They can get you to come and do whatever they need you to do, not pay you, not feed you,” she explained.
Now that she is a breakout star, the “Sneaky Link” singer admitted that some of the artists she has worked with aren’t willing to help her although she still gets calls to help them with their songs.
The 33-year-old singer/songwriter is now only focusing on her music and is no longer willing to write for other artists. “Everything we do is unconventional ‘cause it’s like no rules. But I’m definitely trying to come in and get ‘bout four, five, six, seven of them Grammys.”
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Featured image by Jerritt Clark/Getty Images for Femme It Forward