"Made for Me" is a song by American singer and songwriter

Muni Long Priscilla Renea Hamilton (born September 14, 1988), known professionally as Muni Long (pronounced "money long”; formerly known as Priscilla Renea), is an American singer and songwriter from Gifford, Florida. Under her birth name, she signed wi ...

, released on September 15, 2023 as the

lead single A lead single (or first single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. A similar term, "debut ...

from her fourth studio album, ''

Revenge Revenge is defined as committing a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance, be it real or perceived. Vengeful forms of justice, such as primitive justice or retributive justice, are often differentiated from more fo ...

'' (2024). It was written alongside producers

Jermaine Dupri Jermaine Dupri Mauldin (born September 23, 1972) is an American rapper and record producer. Raised in Atlanta, Georgia as the son of Columbia Records executive Michael Mauldin, he began his career in music at the age of nine. He discovered th ...

Bryan-Michael Cox Bryan-Michael Paul Cox (born December 1, 1977) is an American record producer and songwriter, known for his work with artists such as Usher, Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, and Toni Braxton. His most notable productions are " Be Without You" fo ...

, and JordanXL. A number of remixes of "Made for Me" have been released, including ones with

Lil Jon Jonathan H. Smith (born January 17, 1971), better known by his stage name Lil Jon, is an American rapper, DJ, and record producer. Regarded as a progenitor of the club-oriented hip-hop subgenre crunk, his production and voice presence were inst ...

and Kronic, Bnyx, and

Mariah Carey Mariah Carey ( ; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Songbird Supreme" by ''Guinness World Records'', Carey is known for her five-octave voc ...

, among others. "Made for Me (Live on BET)" won a

Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance The Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. According to the 54th Grammy Awards description guide it is designed for s ...

. The song has also received a nomination for the Viewer's Choice Award at the 2024 BET Awards.

Composition and lyrics

The song is an R&B

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...

with piano, drum machine and bass. Lyrically, Muni Long expresses her love for her partner and emphasizes their compatibility: "Nobody knows me like you do / Nobody gon' love me quite like you / Can't even deny it / Every time I try it / One look in my eyes, you know I'm lying".

Critical reception

The song received generally positive reviews. Music critics have described it as "nostalgic" and "sweet". Tallie Spencer of ''

HotNewHipHop ''HotNewHipHop'' (HNHH) is an online publication that covers daily news about hip hop and pop culture, including streetwear, sports, and Sneaker collecting, sneakers. In addition to its editorial content, HotNewHipHop also produces the video seri ...

'' described the song as "infectious and guaranteed to have you put it on repeat for hours and hours at a time" and called it "an example of a track that speaks to her talents as a singer and songwriter." Butta of ''Soul Bounce'' wrote of the song, "The songwriting, sound and singing are all top-notch and the musical equivalent of a chef's kiss."

Music video

An official music video premiered on January 17, 2024. Directed by Des Gray and

Trinidad James Nicholaus Joseph Williams (born September 24, 1987), better known by his stage name Trinidad James (often stylized as Trinidad Jame$), is a Trinidadian-American rapper, songwriter and music video director. In December 2012, he signed with Def Ja ...

, it sees Muni Long as a scientist building a replica of an ideal man, who is played by singer Luke James. Long has explained, "I wanted to have fun with this video and really think outside of the box. It's my little nod to A.I. mixed with

Frankenstein ''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' is an 1818 Gothic novel written by English author Mary Shelley. ''Frankenstein'' tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a Sapience, sapient Frankenstein's monster, crea ...

. If you want to find the perfect person in a limited dating pool, you might just have to create them! It's only science fiction for now but with how fast technology is changing could this be our reality someday?"

Accolades

TikTok virality

In January 2024, the song achieved virality on the video-sharing platform

TikTok TikTok, known in mainland China and Hong Kong as Douyin (), is a social media and Short-form content, short-form online video platform owned by Chinese Internet company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which may range in duration f ...

, beginning when a woman named Milck Marie used the song in several videos, in which she would sing the pre-chorus ("Twin, where have you been?") and lip-sync the chorus.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance 2023 songs 2023 singles 2020s ballads Muni Long songs Song recordings produced by Jermaine Dupri Song recordings produced by Bryan-Michael Cox Songs written by Muni Long Songs written by Jermaine Dupri Songs written by Bryan-Michael Cox Def Jam Recordings singles Contemporary R&B ballads