The (Muni) Long Game
The (Muni) Long Game
Sound Signal

The (Muni) Long Game

The rising R&B singer is the mastermind behind yet another viral hit.

This piece originally appeared on February 2, 2024 in Sound Signal, our biweekly newsletter that identifies emerging artists, scenes, and trending tracks, crafted by the world's best writers and curators. Sign up here to never miss our take on what's next in music.

Muni Long is the queen of integrating social media campaigns with her discography. It all started back when Muni released her platinum single “Hrs and Hrs” in November 2022. She started the #HrsandHrsChallenge where over 2.6M users have used the sound to showcase their relationships. “Hrs and Hrs” became inescapable, and soon, it was used for songs that had nothing to do with romance. That’s the Muni Long strategy.

She’s back using her viral formula for her latest single, “Made For Me,” the slinking ballad written by R&B royalty Jermaine Dupri and Brian Michael Cox released last September. As before, Muni uses herself as ground zero for how she’d like to see fans engage with her music: In October, she used the track while getting glammed, sitting pretty, and making jokes. But she also rest assured in the fact that “Made for Me” was another strong song. In December, Muni performed the growing track at BET’s Soul Train Awards, exposing audiences who may have missed it growing online to it on national television.

By early January, a woman named Praises Allen, performing the song in what appears to be a Marshall’s store wearing blue pajamas uploaded three clips (with over 13M combined views). She captured the visceral reaction of how many listeners were singing the songs in their own homes. Additionally, Gen Z and millennial R&B fans from countries like the U.S., Canada, South Africa and Australia (among others) followed suit in creating their own iterations—Muni even did her own rendition in a pair of green pajamas. Since Allen’s video, other users have followed suit with over 300K creations made to the sound in the last month.

With the potency and impact of both the Grammy award-winning “Hrs and Hrs” and the Billboard Hot 100 charting “Made For Me,” Muni represents a wave of songwriters who are creating their own solo pathway to success. Similar to Victoria Monét, R&B didn’t typically live on the internet and songwriters usually stayed out of the spotlight. However, Muni’s output over the last couple of years is showcasing a change of the times. Victory in traditional R&B isn’t linear. It looks like the long game pays off after all.

If you’re aiming to uncover emerging artists, grasp key cultural shifts, or gain actionable insights from data-driven research, Third Bridge Creative delivers the expertise you need. Connect with our Music Intelligence team today to learn how we can help your organization navigate the cultural zeitgeist with precision and impact.

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