Muni Long’s wide-eyed R&B is written with pure honesty. In recent years, she has come to bare all of herself in song, like when she was discovered on YouTube as a teen, singing the dictionary, turning random words and definitions into improvised melismatic gold. Later, in early 2022, Muni Long became known to the world by turning the tangible ache of irresistible love into “Hrs & Hrs”—a hypnotic R&B gem that steamrolled her into the spotlight and solidified Muni’s fate as a superstar when she won for “Best R&B Performance” at the 2023 Grammy Awards. The Grammy Award-winning track which also won the Soul Train Songwriter’s Award soon went on to garner a double platinum certification, over 2 million TikTok videos, secured the #1 spot at Urban and Rhythmic radio, and was the #1 Billboard Hot R&B Song.

The artist known as Muni Long isn’t taking her newfound visibility lightly. She’s hoping that her platform can show other people like her that it’s possible to succeed by being true to yourself. In Muni’s eyes, her rise is proof that Black women are commercially viable in an industry that has traditionally said otherwise.