Muni Long, JoJo, And Amber Riley Dubbed R&B Supergroup As “Heartbreak Hotel” Cover Goes Viral
Muni Long hosted her second annual Valentine’s Day concert on Tuesday (Feb. 14) at The Echoplex in Los Angeles. This was the singer-songwriter’s first performance since winning her first GRAMMY for Best R&B Performance with her smash hit, “Hrs & Hrs.”
While most of the night was spent celebrating her most recent album, Public Displays Of Affection: The Album, she sprinkled in a few covers, including Usher’s “U Got It Bad,” his Lil Jon and Ludacris collab, “Lovers And Friends,” and Ginuwine’s “Pony.” However, the treat of the night was the surprise performance from Long, JoJo, and Amber Riley, who joined forces to take on Whitney Houston, Kelly Price, and Faith Evans’ classic “Heartbreak Hotel.”
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The “Plot Twist” singer, of course, opened the song. Tragically, JoJo’s mic was off when she first slid in with the pre-chorus, but that hiccup was quickly rectified after fans filled the slight gap. Riley rounded out the powerful trifecta when she entered around the second chorus.
Upon concluding the nearly five-minute performance, the women—in quintessential sisterhood fashion—bowed down, praising one another. “Oh my God, what an honor. They’re amazing. I was just tryna stay out the way,” Long joked.
As the video made its way across the digital airwaves, fans immediately dubbed them the next “supergroup” and requested a studio version of the cover.
“I’ll be expecting a full studio version in 3-5 business days. Thanks,” wrote one fan. Another wrote, “Real R&B is coming back with a vengeance” while general consensus agreed, “Whitney would be so proud.”
First released in December 1998 as the second single from Houston’s My Love Is Your Love, “Heartbreak Hotel” was a reintroduction of sorts as she transitioned into more R&B-heavy records. It also served as the first non-soundtrack single she’d released in years. The collaboration reached No. 1 on the Billboard R&B chart and No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Watch the full performance above.