Muni Long on New Music and Life Since Winning a Grammy: 'I've Had to Turn It Up a Bit' (Exclusive)

The ‘Hrs &Hrs’ singer is back with her latest sultry offering ‘Made For Me’

Singer Muni Long is not resting on her laurels. These days he is not resting at all.

Earlier this year, Long, 35, won a Grammy for best R&B song for her sexy viral hit “Hrs & Hrs.” “From the outside looking in, you can say, ‘Well, now you’ve accomplished some amazing things, you can sit back and let your work flow,'” she says of life after a major achievement. But, “it’s actually the opposite, I need to be more involved.”

Long is back with a sultry new track, “Made for Me.” “The feeling behind this song is love and connection, the feeling that you met this person in another time,” she says. With her new music, “I hope people are inspired. I hope my peers hear what I’m doing and realize it’s not hopeless. Music isn’t dying, you just need to put a little more fat and passion into it. Stop competing with anyone or chase the sound, just be yourself. I think that’s enough.”

Lately, she says, “There are more people who feel like they should have a say in my career, but at the end of the day I’m the only one who has to stand behind the decisions. So I just had to change it up a bit.”

Muni Long in Los Angeles in January 2023. Rebecca Sapp/Getty

The saying goes, ‘more money, more problems’, but for Long, who is married to her longtime collaborator, songwriter and producer Raysean Hairston, the biggest challenge she’s faced recently is finding authenticity in the music business.

“I’m going through the realization that most things are not what they seem,” she says. “Unfortunately, the industry and the world in general are not used to people being clear and transparent, which I try to be.”

Muni Long says she hasn’t ‘processed’ winning 3 Grammys yet: ‘Everything is going so fast’

Muni Long.

Def Jam Records

She continues: “It can be frustrating for someone who just wants to get the job done, who wants to create the best possible content and music that I can make. It doesn’t matter whose name is on it, but you would hopefully have people have the integrity to not they take credit for things they didn’t do.”

Long is no stranger to the workings of the industry, having spent years penning hits for superstars like Ariana Grande, Kelly Clarkson and Mariah Carey. And despite her recent success as a solo artist, she says not much has changed in terms of how she lives her life.

“I’m very, very normal and I do everyday things. You don’t see me at parties or anything like that unless it’s work, unless I have to be there,” she says. “I prefer to be in the company of my loved ones, family and friends. Sometimes they recognize me, but I’m still just me.”

Muni Long and Raysean Hairston in Los Angeles in February 2023.

Lester Cohen/Getty Images for The Recording Academy

As for how she and Hairston celebrated her big win, “we went on a beautiful vacation after the Grammys that was much needed. I was so exhausted,” she says. “But we always celebrate. I’m always drinking champagne, going to restaurants ordering the most expensive wine. We’ve always done things like that, even when there was just enough in my bank account to get a glass of wine. I get it.”

That means it’s not flashy when it comes to its most impressive hardware. “I keep my Grammy in a safe place because I’m not one to brag,” Long says. “I feel like when you put it in a place where everybody can see it, it’s like a big banner like ‘I won and you didn’t.'” Now and then, “I’ll bring it out for the family, especially those who have never seen it before.”

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Source: HIS Education