Connecting Muni Long’s “Made For Me” To The Sensibilities of Heather Headley
As the singer-songwriter’s midtempo love anthem continues to rise up the Adult R&B Airplay charts– while its popularity increases on social media– music enthusiasts have noticed how it recalls the sound of a Millennial R&B titan of the 2000’s decade.
BY HARPSICHORD
JANUARY 23, 2024
Connecting the music puzzle of why Heather Headley permeates through Muni Long’s next major R&B hit.
It’s around 4 pm during an afternoon drive that radio host, D.L. Hughley plays “Made For Me” – the latest love song from Muni Long– during ‘The D.L. Hughley Show.’ The tune currently sits at No. 2 on Billboard’s Adult R&B Radio charts, and more than likely will peak at No. 1 in the upcoming weeks because of its increasing popularity. While No. 1’s come and go on the radio format that’s dedicated to providing listeners with easy listening and traditional R&B, there’s something familiar about Long’s particular song.
As an avid fan of Muni Long, ‘People Magazine’ correspondent, Nathan Vinson, went viral on X (yet again) when he shared her performance of the song at the 2023 Soul Train Music Awards. On December 12, he mentioned alongside the tweet, “I’ve seen so much chatter/praise about the song since [this telecast].” One of the realizations around the playability of the ballad came from his mutual follower– who goes by the username @keytoya_– a week prior. She noted how “Made For Me” is “verrrry Heather Headley coded.”
Back in 2002 and 2003, a Trinidadian-American singer named Heather Headley had R&B radio in a chokehold by her own right. Prior to her breakout as a solo recording musician, Headley had a fruitful career as a stage musical actress, originating the role of Nala on Broadway’s first showing of ‘The Lion King’ in 1997. Three years later, she won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical playing the lead part of ‘Aida.’
For those unfamiliar with the world of musicals, they would not hear her voice until the release of her 2002 debut single, “He Is.” Blending gospel theatrics with neo soul– at the height of both those genres’ pertinent waves– “He Is” showcased Headley’s rich contralto, reaching No. 1 on the Adult R&B chart. Upon the release of her debut studio album, This Is Who I Am (which later went on to be certified gold by the RIAA), the songstress notched her second No. 1 on the format. “I Wish I Wasn’t” resonated for being a powerful breakup ballad produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. Through a piano and build up with each hook, the song permeated eardrums with a grand bridge that modeled after the musical acting moments that were Headley’s strong suit. The song peaked at No. 55 on the Billboard Hot 100, crossed over to contemporary R&B and hip hop stations at No. 15, and earned Headley two Grammy nominations by 2004 (Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and Best New Artist).
After two years of waiting for her label’s merger and change of executives on Sony-BMG, Clive Davis served as her mentor. This led to the release of her second studio album, In My Mind . The titular song became the album’s breakout hit, reaching No. 5 on the Adult R&B chart. Another signature ballad for the Trinidadian, the lyrical storytelling of “In My Mind” discusses running into a “mama” and friends of a former lover, and wishfully believing that she is still the main girl of his life despite the fact that they have both parted ways. At the end of the song, there is another dramatic musical-like moment; the “yeah yeah yeah yeah” portion would be sampled by Nicki Minaj on her 2021 diss track, “Seeing Green.”
The same year that Nicki Minaj released “Seeing Green,” Muni Long started going viral with “Hrs & Hrs,” a building slow jam that lays out the time it takes to satisfy a romantic partner. “I could do this for hours/And hours and hours,” orgasmically exhales Long. That portion started becoming viral on Tik Tok, as various lovers displayed the lengths they will go for their significant others. The timing for the song became essential as the trend increased by Valentine’s Day in 2022 while the song played on radio stations that carried R&B. Its rise to prominence also happened during a time where social media chatter increased about the lack of positive mainstream love songs. The type of songs that center focus on wooing and romanticizing during a honeymoon stage.
As a songwriter for the likes of Rihanna, Kelly Rowland, and Ariana Grande in the 2010’s and 2020’s– under her legal name, Priscilla Renea– Muni Long finally had her breakout solo hit with “Hrs and Hrs.” A year later, the song went on to be certified platinum by the RIAA; won her a Grammy for Best R&B Performance; and peaked at No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 2 on Adult R&B, and No. 1 on Rhythmic Radio as her first chart entry. Since “Hrs & Hrs,” Long had been trying to find her next song to match that success. It seems as though “Made For Me” will be the one, as it debuted at No. 93 on this week’s Billboard Hot 100 and is currently being purchased in the Top 10 of iTunes.
Under her original assessment of “Made For Me,” @keytoya_ inquired about the terminology that can be applied to the vocal technique utilized by Muni Long that recalls Heather Headley. Her mutual that goes by @shelldhn commented “It’s probably the vocal dipthongs and phrasing.”
“A “dipthong” is defined as “a sound formed by the combination of two vowels in a single syllable, in which the sound begins as one vowel and moves toward another.” ”
In the hook, that’s where that shines the best. Muni Long’s extenuation of “you” in the hook is reminiscent of a yodel (eerily similar to someone else that she’s written for: K. Michelle). As @keytoya_ also points out, this effect can be heard in the “body to body, skin to skin” portion of the hook.
Heather Headley applied that vocal technique on her aforementioned songs, particularly on “Me Time”– a number that appears on In My Mind . “Me Time” is more of a cult favorite in her collection, peaking at No. 35 on the R&B sales chart and No. 5 on Adult R&B radio. But it’s not just the vocal stylings, but also the instrumental of the song that discusses needing personal space from a lover while still being committed to them.
In the mid-2000s when “Me Time” came out there was this quality of midtempo R&B ballads that made them sound as if they were powered by a cell phone. Underneath 808s and electro-synths, that effect would be represented by cellular twerping that recalls alerts and notifications from the device. A deep cut released around the same time that draws on similar energy (that comes to mind, editorially) is “Just Like Me” by Amerie. While Headley’s “Me Time” was written and produced by Babyface, “Just Like Me” had the team of Dre and Vidal, Mike City, and Sunshine Anderson. Prior to Heather Headley’s recording debut, Sunshine Anderson and Mike City rose to prominence with the former’s 2001 debut LP, Your Woman.
That cell phone vibe in aughts music gave songs a bit of a hip hop edge. It’s a ballad– albeit with a bounce that still makes it appealing to younger demographics. It can be recognized as R&B because the vocals are soulful and the lyrics center around deeper feelings revolving around love. Simply put, it’s the framework of the subgenre entitled “hip hop soul.” The hip hop soul sound continues to evolve over time. While Muni Long may be of the new age providing hip hop soul, this collaboration with producing and songwriting mavericks Jermaine Durpi and Bryan-Michael Cox helps to keep those traditions intact.
Sunshine anderson and mike City’s “heard It All Before” Appears on Harpsichord’s music video countdown of the 106 Greatest hip hop soul songs of all time!
Although the song is of today’s sound (with additional production credits from emerging producer JordanXL), it evokes the power of nostalgia. “Made For Me” is currently going viral on Tik Tok as people are dancing to that bounce– most notably one video where a woman in blue pajamas dances to the song in a local Wal*Mart. On X, more users are starting to comment on how “Made For Me” connects to Heather Headley. They are also appreciative of having a mainstream song that kindles the feelings of love– a declaration of “you’re the one and only.”
At this point there is one final request for Muni Long and her team: Contact Heather Headley for a remix that’s sure to further ascend the charts!
