Muni Long of Florida performs and wins at iHeartRadio Music Awards – TCPalm
Muni Long continued her winning streak this award season with her latest win at the 2023 iHeartRadio Music Awards in Los Angeles on March 27, a month after her Grammy win beating out Beyoncé and Mary J. Blige.
Going into the award show, the songstress was nominated for three awards: Best New R&B artist, R&B Artist of the Year and R&B Song of the Year.
Long, who is a Gifford native, was awarded Best New R&B Artist and performed her breakout single “Hrs & Hrs” during the show, accompanied by a string ensemble and a single spotlight on her as she sang.
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Long celebrated her win by posting to her Instagram a carousel with images from the night showcasing the Mugler gown she wore, her string ensemble and a snippet of her performance.
“Thank you so much @iheartradio for this acknowledgment! I’ll scream it from the rooftops….. I HAVE THE BEST TEAM ON THE PLANET,” Long wrote in her Instagram caption.
Who is Muni Long?
While she is beginning to get traction as Muni Long — pronounced “money long” — she grew up as Priscilla Renea Hamilton on her grandparents’ farm in Indian River County’s Gifford neighborhood west of Vero Beach.
Long has been in the music industry for over a decade, penning some of the lyrics behind the hottest hits for regular Billboard Hot 100 artists such as Ariana Grande, Rhianna and Selena Gomez. If you’ve ever jammed out to “Who Says by Gomez” or tried to hit the ear-shattering whistle note in “Imagine” by Grande, you’ve got Long to thank for those lyrics.
Long found her pocket online by posting covers to YouTube in 2004. A few years and some viral videos later, Long was discovered and signed to Capitol Records, which released her debut album “Jukebox” under her real name in 2009.
In 2018, she adopted her stage name and left Capitol Records to be represented by her own label, Super Giant Records, before signing with Def Jam Records in 2022. Her first album under her alias was released in 2021, called “Nobody Knows.”
Her 2022 album “P.D.A.” is what scored her IHeartRadio Music Award and Grammy nominations this season.
Here are the other nominees and winners in each category Long was nominated in:
iHeartRadio: Best New R&B artist
- Blxst
- Brent Faiyaz
- Steve Lacy
- Tems
iHeartRadio: R&B Artist of the Year
- Blxst
- Bruno Mars, Anderson Paak, Silk Sonic
- SZA – WINNER
- Yung Bleu
iHeartRadio: R&B Song of the Year
- “BREAK MY SOUL” – Beyoncé
- “Free Mind” – Tems
- “I Hate U”- SZA – WINNER
- “Smokin Out The Window” – Bruno Mars, Anderson Paak, Silk Sonic
What’s next for Muni Long?
Long has had a jam-packed schedule in the first three months of 2023. Her next endeavor is scheduled for May 13, when she will be a part of the three-day Mary J. Blige and Pepsi Strength of a Woman Festival and Summit in Atlanta, Georgia. Tickets can be purchased here.
Other performers at the summit and festival include Blige, Ms. Lauryn Hill, Summer Walker, Method Man and Busta Rhymes.
Gianna Montesano is TCPalm’s underserved communities reporter. You can contact her at gianna.montesano@tcpalm.com, 772-409-1429 or follow her on Twitter @gmontesano13.
Source: News
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