BET Awards 2025: How She Took Over R&B – Muni Long Edition
Before she was Muni Long, she was Priscilla Renea—one of the most in-demand songwriters in pop and R&B. She gave voice to other artists’ stories for years. But now, with her own mic and a sound that's equal parts nostalgic and next-gen, Muni is writing her own legacy. Her BET Awards 2025 nomination for Best Female R&B/Pop Artist is more than recognition—it’s a reclamation.
She Was Writing Your Favorite Hits Before You Even Knew Her Name
Let’s start with the receipts: Priscilla Renea helped write “California King Bed” for Rihanna. “Imagine” for Ariana Grande. “Love So Soft” for Kelly Clarkson. Even country legends like Miranda Lambert have her on their credits.
She was that pen behind the curtain, shaping the sound of multiple generations of pop and soul. But she wasn’t just a writer—she was a singer, with a range that could stretch from gospel to grit in one breath. She just needed the right moment. And when it came, she took it personally.
Hrs and Hrs Changed Everything
Enter: Muni Long. The name, the brand, the transformation. And with one record—“Hrs and Hrs”—she flipped the entire R&B landscape on its head.
The viral slow jam had range, romance, and rawness. It wasn’t flashy. It wasn’t club-ready. But it tapped into something deeply familiar: the feeling of being seen by someone. The lyrics were specific. The harmonies were lush. The chorus was a spell.
The song exploded—millions of streams, a Grammy win, and a new chapter for an artist who had spent a decade helping others shine. Now, it was her turn.
A Voice That Moves Like Velvet Over Fire
What makes Muni Long’s voice special is how surgical it is. She doesn’t need to over-sing. Every note feels placed, polished, and intentional. There’s control in her delivery, even when the emotion feels off-the-rails.
On tracks like “Time Machine,” she explores heartbreak and regret with sci-fi imagery. On “Baby Boo” (with Saweetie), she flips into playful mode. And when she sang “Don’t Deserve” with GloRilla on Glorious, she gave grit and grace in equal measure.
Her range isn’t just vocal—it’s emotional. She can go from church pew to strip club in a single setlist and make it feel like one uninterrupted prayer.
The Long Game: From EPs to Power Moves
Muni’s early EPs (Public Displays of Affection, Black Like This) showed that she wasn’t chasing mainstream success—she was curating her sound. Each project was cinematic, romantic, and unapologetically Black. She wasn’t interested in palatable pop. She gave us grown woman R&B with heavy melodies and even heavier truths.
She also built her own imprint and partnered with Def Jam after the breakout. That means she walked into the deal with leverage—and with vision. And that’s rare.
The Look, The Brand, The Control
Betting on Herself
Muni Long is one of the few R&B girls who looks like a dream and owns her image like a business. Her old Hollywood glam aesthetic—finger waves, opera gloves, silk gowns—feels like a callback to icons like Dorothy Dandridge or Diahann Carroll. But it’s not just costume—it’s command.
She shows up like a movie star. But she speaks like a poet. And that mix of style and substance is what keeps her ahead of the curve.
Muni Long didn’t explode onto the scene—she slow-burned her way in with discipline, beauty, and one of the coldest pens in the industry. Her BET Awards 2025 Best Female R&B/Pop Artist nomination is overdue, but perfectly timed.
She’s not just a new voice in R&B—she’s one of its most precise, romantic, and revolutionary.
Don’t miss Muni Long and more modern-day R&B icons at the BET Awards 2025, airing live Monday, June 9 at 8PM ET/PT on BET.