In an intimate and empowering revelation, Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Muni Long is pulling back the curtain on her private health journey, sharing her ongoing battle with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in an exclusive interview with PEOPLE.
The “Hrs & Hrs” hitmaker, who recently dropped her sultry new single “Slow Grind,” is shedding light on the realities of living with the chronic autoimmune disease and how she’s redefining resilience in the spotlight.
Lupus, a complex condition where the immune system mistakenly attacks the body’s tissues, can cause inflammation, pain, and fatigue. For the 35-year-old, the diagnosis has meant navigating unpredictable flare-ups that disrupt both her personal life and high-octane career. “It’s like your body is fighting itself,” she explains. “Some days, I feel like I can conquer the world. Other days, getting out of bed feels impossible.”
“As a Black woman, when I go to the doctor, they never listen,” Muni Long begins when asked how the illness affects her day-to-day. “They don’t believe you. So it’s hard to tell them, ‘Hey, I’m in a lot of pain.’ They’re like, ‘OK, cool. Go get this blood work.'”
“I’m like, ‘OK, but that’s going to take you like a week [to get the results back.] I’m in excruciating pain. Is there anything you can do?’ And then it just becomes a thing of like they put down on your chart [something] like, ‘Oh, you’re asking for medication.’ It’s just so, so hard navigating with the way that the health care system is set up.”
Even amid milestones, like opening for Chris Brown’s 11:11 Tour last summer, Long has had to innovate to protect her health. She shared that she needed to create a routine before and after the show that helped her stay “in control.”
“Please turn the air off when I come in the building. I’m not being a diva, but literally, if I get too cold, I start coughing, and I won’t be able to sing. And then when I get off stage, I have to lay down immediately, and wrap up in covers and steam my voice.”
The Lupus Foundation of America reports that the disease has a significant impact on Black women, who are three times more likely to be diagnosed with lupus compared to White women. Indeed, up to 1 in 250 Black women may experience this illness at some point in their lives.
