Music
Muni Long believes that “Revenge” is a dish best enjoyed with success
NEW YORK (AP) — Muni Longa is perfectly aware of the preciousness of time and its unpredictability. In some ways, the burden of this idea is intertwined with her music with songs like “30s,” “Time Machine” and her mega-hit “Hrs & Hrs.” Life can move at an unforgiving pace, which is why the Grammy winner works as if her profession is on credit.
“Many years ago I had the opportunity to work with Kendrick (Lamar) and I worked with another artist. So I kept pushing it away, asking, “Can we move this session?” This was before he had ‘Pools’… and then he blew up.” recalls the Grammy Award winner. “I understand what it feels like to feel like you’ve missed out or that you won’t get this chance again… I’ll never forget it, ever.”
Carpe diem is all the time on the forefront of Long’s mind, and he recently released an album her latest project “Revenge” the follow-up to her 2022 debut album Public Displays of Affection: The Album, which won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance for “Hrs & Hrs.” Her latest creation survived the sophomore slump. “Made for Me” the viral tender ballad, ambiguously inspired by her son, peaked at number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed at primary on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart for seven weeks. (Long revealed this week that it was a massive hit is not eligible for the Grammy Awards resulting from release date).
As R&B has experienced a mainstream resurgence, Long is credited as considered one of the genre’s standard-bearers driving its comeback.
“I can definitely gauge the impact I have on the culture… and not just with a certain demographic. They’re children. They are older women. They’re Christian groups — sometimes they don’t listen to secular music like that, (but) they listen to mine,” Long said. “Sometimes they even sing in the pulpit: ‘I could praise You for hours.’ It’s amazing – even Made for Me too.”
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Intersecting the present era of vibes, party R&B, and the prevailing vibe of melodic rap with a more back-to-basics, feel-on-the-sleeve sound, many fans and critics alike consider that the 14-track project, which features writing from industry titans like The Dream, Jermaine Dupri, Bryan-Michael Cox and Tricky Stewart, and reporting by rap star GloRilla, is considered one of the best R&B releases of the yr. Long believes it too.
“We really put a lot of effort into this music. We cared about instruments and lyrics. This is one of the first times I went back and fixed the lyrics,” said Long, whose “Make Me Forget” topped Billboard’s Adult R&B chart and whose “Ruined Me” entered the highest 10 on the chart this week. “People turn towards light and love… I believe in fairy tales.”
But not all fairy tales end happily. During the album’s release, Long revealed that her nearly ten-year marriage to husband and business partner Raysean Hairston had been tumultuous. Her marital problems, and proving to industry critics that her viral hits and talent were no fluke, set the tone for the project – selecting happiness over bitterness – making it much more personal than her first album.
“Some songs I just can’t sing, and they’re even very difficult to listen to. The first time I cried in the studio while I was making something was on this album and I didn’t like that feeling, so I didn’t do it again,” said the 36-year-old, recalling her debut. “Through therapy and counseling and prayer and meditation and all of that, I’ve developed tools to help me feel my feelings and deal with and process issues that I may have – trauma and drama, as I like to call it. And this album is a way for me to process.”
Long recently wrapped select dates on Chris Brown’s 11:11 tour and is struggling with marital issues. Her goal is peace, she said, adding that a lupus diagnosis doesn’t promote stress. Long emphasizes that she didn’t use the term “divorce,” but “when you talk about ending something, people do it in a lot of different ways.” The talented singer-songwriter spent over 15 years behind the scenes as Priscilla Renea, writing hits for powerhouses reminiscent of Mariah Carey, Rihanna, Ariana Grande and Kelly Clarkson, before changing her name to Muni Long in 2020. But increasingly frustrated with industry politics and unsure of what could be her solo success, Long almost went all the way in which.
“At the end of the day, it’s about not giving up. It’s about not giving up. In the end, time will show you that you get these things because you were prepared,” Long said. “At first I had the right. I thought that because I was talented, people should give me things. And now, on the other hand, I work for everything.”
Music
NWA, Janet Jackson and George Clinton receive Songwriters Hall of Fame nominations
NEW YORK (AP) – Eminem, Boy George, George Clinton, Sheryl Wrona, Janet Jackson, Doobie Brothers, NWA and Alanis Morissette are among the many nominees within the competition’s 2025 category Songwriters Hall of Fame, an eclectic group of rap, rock, hip-hop and pop pioneers.
Bryan Adams joins them with such radio hits as “Summer of ’69” and “Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?” and Mike Love of the Beach Boys, who hopes to get in 25 years after band founder Brian Wilson. David Gates, co-leader of the pop group Bread, can be applying for admission.
Each yr, each performers and non-performers are invited to the Hall, and this yr’s category of the latter includes Walter Afanasieff, who helped Mariah Carey together with his hit “All I Want for Christmas Is You”; Mike Chapman, co-writer of Pat Benatar’s “Love Is a Battlefield”; and Narada Michael Walden, architect of Whitney Houston’s “How Will I Know” and Aretha Franklin’s “Freeway of Love.”
Eligible voting members have until December 22 to solid ballots to pick three nominees within the lyricist category and three within the performance songwriter category. The Associated Press obtained an early copy of the list.
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Several acts have one other probability to make an entry, including Clinton, whose Parliament-Funkadelic collective made a big impact with hits like “Atomic Dog” and “Give Up the Funk,” and The Doobie Brothers — Tom Johnston, Patrick Simmons and Michael McDonald — with classics like “Listen to the Music” and “Long Train Runnin.” Steve Winwood, whose hits include “Higher Love” and “Roll With It”, also participated within the voting earlier.
Hip-hop this yr is represented by Eminem – whose hits include “Lose Yourself” and “Stan” – and NWA members Dr. Dre, Eazy E, Ice Cube, MC Ren and DJ Yella. Hip-hop stars similar to Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg and Missy Elliot are already within the Hall. Tommy James, with hits like “Mony Mony,” “Crimson and Clover” and “I Think We’re Alone Now,” also earned a nod.
If Jackson, whose 1989 album “Rhythm Nation” was a breakthrough, gets into the Hall, it’ll be greater than 20 years after her late brother Michael. Canadian songwriter Morissette, whose influential song “Jagged Little Pill” won Grammy, Tony, Junos and MTV awards, would also join the ladies of rock within the Hall. (Glen Ballard, who helped produce and write the album, is already present.)
Like Crow, the “All I Wanna Do” and “Everyday Is a Winding Road” singer-songwriter is experiencing a renaissance after being introduced to the band Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2023. Boy George raises the flag for ’80s New Wave with Culture Club’s hits “Karma Chameleon” and “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me.”
Other nominees within the unperformed category include Franne Golde, co-writer of Selena’s “Dreaming of You”; Tom Douglas, who wrote country hits for Tim McGraw, Lady Antebellum and Miranda Lambert; Ashley Gorley, fresh off her co-written hit “I Had Some Help” with Post Malone and Morgan Wallen; and Roger Nichols, who co-wrote The Carpenters’ “We Only Just Begun.”
They join Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins, who contributed to Brandy and Monica’s hit “The Boy Is Mine”; Sonny Curtis, former member of The Crickets, who wrote and performed the theme song to “The Mary Tyler Moore Show”, “Love is All Around”, and British composer Tony Macaulay, who wrote “Build Me Up Buttercup”.
The Songwriters Hall of Fame was established in 1969 to honor creators of popular music. A songwriter with a big catalog of songs is eligible for induction 20 years after the song’s first business release.
Some already in attendance include Carole King, Paul Simon, Billy Joel, Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora, Elton John and Bernie Taupin, Brian Wilson, James Taylor, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, Lionel Richie, Bill Withers, Neil Diamond and Phil Collins. Last yr we saw REM, Steely Dan, Dean Pitchford, Hillary Lindsey and Timbaland introduced.
Music
Beyoncé leads 2025 Grammy nominations, becoming the most nominated artist in the show’s history
NEW YORK (AP) — Welcome to Beyonce country. When it involves Grammy Award 2025 nominations, “Cowboy Carter” rules the nation. She leads the rankings with 11 nominations, bringing her profession total to 99. This makes her the most nominated artist in Grammy history.
“Cowboy Carter” is up for album and country album of the yr, and “Texas Hold ‘Em” is nominated for record, song and country song of the yr. She also received nominations in multiple genres, including pop, country, Americana and melodic rap.
This is her first time receiving nominations in the country and the Americana category.
If Beyoncé wins album of the yr, she’s going to turn out to be the first black woman in the twenty first century. Lauryn Hill last won in 1999 for “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill,” joining Natalie Cole and Whitney Houston as the only black women to win a significant Grammy award.
Post Malone also received his first-ever nominations in the country categories this yr, releasing his debut country album “F-1 trillion”in August. The song is nominated for Best Country Album, and “I Had Some Help,” a collaboration with Morgan Wallen, is nominated for Country Song and Country Duo/Group Performance. This is Wallen’s first-ever Grammy nomination.
Malone is just behind Beyoncé with seven nominations, together with Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar and Charli XCX, who earned her first nominations as a solo artist.
Lamar the ubiquitous diss track released during his feud with Drake, “Not Like Us” is nominated in the categories of album and song of the yr, rap song, music video and best rap performance. In the latter category, he had two simultaneous entries, which is a primary for his profession: Future & Metro Boomin featuring Lamar. “Like That” is nominated for best rap performance and best rap song.
This is his third time receiving two simultaneous nominations for best rap song.
Taylor Swift and first-time nominee Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan each can boast six nominations.
Last yr, female artists dominated essential categories. This yr the situation continues, but the essential trend appears to be species diversity. In the album of the yr category, together with “Cowboy Carter” were latest age André 3000, alt-jazz “New Blue Sun” and “Djesse Vol.” multi-instrumentalist Jacob Collier. 4.” Rising pop stars Carpenter and Roan round out the album with “Short n’ Sweet” and “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess,” respectively, in addition to Swift’s “The Tortured Poets Department,” Eilish’s “Hit Me Hard and Soft” and “Hit Me Hard” and Soft” by Eilish. and Charlie XCX ready for the rave “BROTHER”.
Eilish is the only artist whose first three albums have been nominated for Album of the Year.
Last yr Fast won Album of the Year for “Midnights”, breaking the record for most wins in this category (4). This yr, she becomes the first woman in history to earn seven nominations in this category.
“The breadth and diversity of genres represented in the overall field feels new and truly exciting,” says Recording Academy CEO and President Harvey Mason Jr. a developing electoral body for his success. “We were very conscious about our membership and tried to balance it. So not just gender or people of color, different races, but also genre equality and trying to make sure all types of music from different regions and locations are represented in every way possible.”
Only recordings commercially released in the U.S. between September 16, 2023 and August 30, 2024 were eligible for nomination. The final round of Grammy voting to find out the winners will happen from December 12 to January 3.
In the best latest artist category, Carpenter and Roan will go head-to-head, alongside Benson Boone, Doechia, Khruangbin, RAYE, Shaboozey and Teddy Swims.
Beyoncé was joined in the song of the yr category by Eilish for “Birds of a Feather,” Swift and Post Malone for “Fortnight,” “Good Luck, Babe!” Roan, “Please Please Please” by Carpenter, “Not Like” by Lamar Us,” “Die With A Smile” by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars, and “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” by Shaboozey.
Shaboozey she can also be a first-time nominee. His “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” is the biggest song of the yr, spending more weeks at primary on the Billboard Hot 100 than some other – it is so popular that a remix of the song can also be up for a remix recording.
Additionally, Shaboozey is nominated in the Melodic Rap Performance category for his feature on Beyoncé’s “SPAGHETTIA.” The song also features Linda Martell, the country’s first black musician to realize business success and likewise earned the 83-year-old artist her first Grammy nomination.
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In the Record of the Year category, “Texas Hold ‘Em” will compete with Swift and Post Malone’s “Fortnight,” Eilish’s “Birds of a Father,” Lamar’s “Not Like Us,” and “Good Luck, Babe!” Roan, Carpenter’s “Espresso.” “, “360” by Charli XCX and the last latest Beatles song, powered by artificial intelligence “Now and Then”.
“We strive to keep up with how music creators and our community use technology. In this case, the AI corrected that record and allowed him to qualify in the categories in which he qualified,” Mason Jr. explains.
So what’s missing? Like last yr, there is a big dearth of Latin music – fastest growing streaming genre in the United States – overall and without representation in major categories. There are only 4 entries in the Best Música Mexicana Album category, although it is usually one in every of them the fastest growing species.
There doesn’t appear to be any K-pop either. There aren’t any nominations for BTS members who released solo material this yr: RM’s “Right Place, Wrong Person” J-Hope’s “Hope on the Street” Vol. 1” and “Muse” by Jimin. As a boy band, BTS has received five nominations in their profession.
“I definitely see room for improvement in many genres and we continue to invite people to be a part of the academy” – Mason Jr. says. “Without proper representation, we will not get the right results. When I say “appropriate”, I mean reflective and representative of what’s going on in music today. So the work continues.”
The 2025 Grammy Awards will air on February 2 survive CBS and Paramount+ from the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
Music
Review: Whitney Houston’s Incomparable Talent Returns on ‘The Concert for a New South Africa (Durban)’ Live Album
“Find Strength in Love” Whitney Houston she sings at the tip of her latest live album, “The Concert for a New South Africa (Durban).” He spends a full minute saying those five syllables.
The song is titled “Greatest Love of All”. At the start of the last verse, Houston jumps from note to notice. At the word “strength,” her amazing alto blossoms, climbs and adds vibrato. When she gets to the word “love”, she playfully skips a few notes, leaving the last one alone, and the strength of its beauty matches the message.
Houston was a singer, as confirmed in “The Concert for a New South Africa (Durban)”. Unfortunately, the album also shows how the pop diva’s unrivaled talent was wasted on her died in 2012 on the age of 48.
The album might be released on Friday after a limited theatrical release a film commemorating the thirtieth anniversary of Houston’s three concert events in 1994 in South Africa – in Durban, Johannesburg and Cape Town. They celebrated a newly united nation after apartheid and elections Nelson Mandela as president.
This album presents the primary album which took place in Durban on November 8, 1994. It can be the first-ever live concert album in Houston.
“I’ve never felt so much love,” Houston tells fans on the stadium. Ten of the 21 tracks on the digital album (there are 24 tracks in total, including the intro and three versions of the identical song, which include a live track, a previously unreleased studio recording and a remix) have titles with the word “love” or some variety, and there are huge hits throughout the set. These include “I Will Always Love You”, “How Will I Know” and “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)”, that are nice to take heed to in such a festive setting.
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Unfortunately, the dimensions of the event only reinforces Houston’s tendency to over-sing. Her message appears to be intended for the upper row of the stadium, which is comprehensible but tiring when listening through headphones. Maybe you needed to be there.
The theatrics of the vocals often don’t match the inferior material, and Houston twists the lyrics like he’s attempting to remove lather. This is complemented by the dated, dated arrangements of its large supporting solid, which range from lush synths to hairband guitar solos, although there are also great contributions from horns and backing vocalists.
The second half of the show is stuffed with moments of grace. Houston’s song selection is “Love Is,” a sweet ballad that also appears on the album in a previously unreleased 1990 studio recording and a remix. Houston gives a compelling reading of “The Greatest Love of All,” and the occasion is full of the energetic “Touch the World.”
The best episode comes when Houston takes the audience to a megachurch. “Jesus Loves Me” becomes a song for children of all ages since it shows an unusual soul in tradition Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Ray Charles AND Aretha Franklin.
“Amazing Grace” follows, and when Houston twists the word “wretch” with brutal vulnerability, the lyrics sound as honest as anything she’s ever sung.
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