MUNI LONG I grew up on my grandparents’ farm and I would be in the room watching “106 and Park,” never realizing that one day I would know these people and be brushing shoulders with them. Muni, did those people pave the way for how your career unfolded? These are people that we know! “You seen Dallas in that new Ferrari? You know how he got it?” “Nah …” “He wrote these records!” Once we knew, voilà. Reid starting LaFace, So So Def, Dallas Austin writing these incredible songs. At that time, like stars colliding in space, there was L.A. If there’s a dope dealer over here who’s trying to put out a rap record, you go over and write the hook. THE-DREAM Being a kid in the ’90s, everything was about hustling the music game to get out - no different than going to play basketball or football. Everything was the culture of being in the band and being a part of something, knowing all these things have to come together to make a piece of music. And in third grade, I started playing trumpet. The HBCUs, the Florida Marching 100, Grambling, Jackson. THE-DREAM It’s such a contrast, for me, being from Atlanta, Ga., because everything was about the band - and it always was. That’s when Muni Long was born.ĭream, did you start with visions of stardom? I sat down for like eight months, trying to decide what I wanted out of this. I was making lots of money, had a lot of success, and I was still just very unhappy. I kept reaching the milestones and the finish line kept moving. When you come from the dirt-road country and you get thrown into Hollywood, you just think, “Oh, these people know.” And now, in hindsight, I realize nobody knows. I had no idea what I was doing and was just trusting the leadership of those around me. I went viral a couple times, back before that was a word, and I got a deal with Capitol Records. I got my start on the internet in 2004 - YouTube, writing my own stuff, doing covers. MUNI LONG I’ve always wanted to perform and never even really knew that songwriting was a profession. Having alternated between forward-facing artist and behind-the-scenes writer, your nominations this year could easily have been swapped at another point in time. These are edited excerpts from the conversation. In a joint interview, Muni Long, 34, and The-Dream, 45, discussed their unique industry vantage point their intertwining paths to Grammys recognition and how to best be a vessel for another artist and your own work. Now known as the R&B singer Muni Long, Hamilton worked more than a decade as a songwriter on tracks like Pitbull and Kesha’s “Timber,” Rihanna’s “California King Bed” and Fifth Harmony’s “Worth It.” This year, after breaking through with the TikTok hit “Hrs and Hrs,” she earned a Grammy nomination for best new artist, along with best R&B performance and best R&B song. If the award had existed earlier, that list may very well have included Priscilla Hamilton. (Styles, Adele) and Laura Veltz (Maren Morris, Demi Lovato). Nominated six times on Sunday for his contributions to Beyoncé’s “Renaissance,” plus as a songwriter for work with Pusha T and Brent Faiyaz, The-Dream will face off for the songwriting honors against Amy Allen (Lizzo, King Princess) Nija Charles (Beyoncé, Summer Walker) Tobias Jesso Jr. Credited as a writer on blockbuster hits like Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It),” Rihanna’s “Umbrella” and Justin Bieber’s “Baby,” The-Dream has also released five solo albums across a varied 15-year career. Terius Gesteelde-Diamant, or The-Dream (formerly Terius Nash), knows the delicate dance between secret weapon and star performer better than most. For the first time, the Recording Academy will present an award for songwriter of the year, non-classical, making background figures the focus, at least for a moment.īut while the five nominees in the inaugural category may be best understood as collaborators toiling in the studio shadows, each has performed and released their own music, too, pointing to an enduring industry reality: The line between headliner and behind-the-scenes hand is porous and ever-fluctuating, especially in a social media era that has demystified much of the pop-music machine, casting the spotlight in unlikely places. While Adele, Beyoncé and Harry Styles may soak up the most attention at Sunday’s Grammy Awards, other musicians often relegated to the fine print of superstar albums will celebrate one extra chance at recognition this year.
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