The real inspiration behind Muni Long’s viral song “Made For Me”

Muni Long‘s “Made For Me” is a different kind of love song than many may expect: It’s a story about the love she has for her son.

Speaking to Billboard, Muni said she set up a studio in her home two months after the birth of her son and eventually found herself listening to the beat for “Made For Me,” which producer Jordan XL had sent her. She then put her pen to paper.

“I just started literally doing what the song says, looking around this room, seeing baby toys. And I write this song about my baby because he’s right next door,” Muni says. She later set up a meeting with Jermaine Dupri and Bryan-Michael Cox, who returned a version of the track complete with drums. Still, she felt as if something was missing.

“I toyed with it for a couple of months, asking others, ‘Is this good? Am I tripping?’ Then Tunji [Balogun, the chairman and CEO of Def Jam Recordings] said, ‘This is the song we’re going with.’ I’m like, ‘If you’re willing to stand behind this, then do it.’”

Muni released the song in January, adding Mariah Carey to the remix in May. The song went viral on TikTok; it also peaked at #8 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and #20 on the Hot 100.