Muni Long on her journey from writing hits for Rihanna to becoming a VMA nominee

Before Grammy-winning artist Priscilla Renea Hamilton — known as Muni Long — was nominated for an MTV Video Music Award for best R&B song, she was a hit songwriter who wrote songs for major artists like Rihanna and Mariah Carey.

Reflecting on her songwriting roots, she said there was a time when she felt content writing for others, but eventually realized she wanted more. 

"There's a narrative that they tell you as a songwriter, if you want to be an artist, you know, you write these songs, you get a number one. You make all this money, songwriting is where the money's at. I bought into that for a really long time until I realized, like, I did all the things you said, and it's not taking me where I want to go, so I quit. I'm going to focus on me," she said.

Now, she is enjoying the success of her hit single, "Time Machine," which has gained massive popularity across social media and radio stations. 

"This moment is surreal," she said. "I scroll through Instagram and TikTok and all these places, and I'm seeing it, I'm hearing it, and I'm wondering, is this just my algorithm, or is it really that big?"

Despite her success, she admitted that her journey hasn't been easy and has included personal challenges, like a recent separation from her husband of nine years.

There were also times she considered walking away from the music industry but decided against it. 

"I've always known that I wanted to do something on the stage, in the performance art space, and so I'm glad I didn't give up," she said.

Excitement for the VMAs 

As Long prepared for the VMAs, she expressed excitement about wearing a custom look from Savage X Fenty. 

"It's the first time they've ever dressed anyone other than Rihanna for a carpet," she said with a smile. "It's a really pretty aubergine color. Super excited."

The 2023 Video Music Awards will air live Wednesday at 8 p.m. EDT on MTV and other Paramount-owned networks, including CBS.