My Favorite Song | R&B’s New Guard

Hey, I’m H.E.R. It’s your girl Victoria Monét. My name is Muni Long. Hey, y’all. It’s Coco Jones, and my favorite song is “When You Touch Me” by Brandy. And my favorite ‘90s R&B song is “Weak” by SWV. ... is “At Your Best” by Aaliyah. ... is “If I Ain’t Got You,” by Alicia Keys. I think Brandy has influenced my music, definitely, when it comes to the creative ad libs. (SINGING) “Really miss you, babe. And the way you touched me. I can’t hardly wait ‘til you touch me.” I’m like, that’s true, girl. That sleep, it be gone when you’re really thinking about somebody. Everything about “At Your Best—” the way she’s singing. She doesn’t really get credit for being the vocalist that she was. But that song is really hard to sing. There’s a lot of jumping between octaves. (SINGING) “You’re a positive motivating force within my life. Should you ever feel the need to wonder why.” Music is like a smell. Like, when you smell something, and it takes you right back to that day. I can hear “If I Ain’t Got You” and remember my dad kind of teaching me how to play it. (SINGING) “Some people think that the physical things define what’s within.” Every artist is always doing the work of tweaking and opening the door just a little bit more for the people who come behind them. Maybe Ella Fitzgerald paved the way for Chaka. Maybe Chaka paved the way for Whitney. Maybe Whitney paved the way for Beyoncé. I used to fall asleep to “Miseducation” and “Who is Jill Scott?” Those were my favorite albums. We were just listening to “Got ‘til It’s Gone” by Janet Jackson. “I think ‘90s, early 2000s R&B, it was such an innovative time. And I really feel like that was some of the best songwriting I’ve seen, personally. (SINGING) “And I’ve been there before, but that life’s a bore. So full of the superficial.” [LAUGHS]