# Mya (singer)
**Mýa** (born Mýa Marie Harrison, 1979, Washington, D.C.) is an American R&B singer, songwriter, producer, dancer, and actress who broke through in 1998 as a teenager with her self-titled debut album and the hit single "It's All About Me," and who won a Grammy Award for the 2001 all-star cover of "Lady Marmalade." Since the late 2000s she has released music through her own label, Planet 9, and in 2026 she returned with her tenth studio album, *Retrospect*. [Universal Music Japan](https://www.edgepedia.org/universal-music-japan)'s biography gives her birth year as 1980[1](https://www.universal-music.co.jp/mya/biography/), while SPIN states she was born in 1979[2](https://www.spinmagazine.com/2026/05/mya-has-always-been-in-the-right-place-at-the-right-time/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name / born | Mýa Marie Harrison, born in Washington, D.C., raised in suburban Maryland[2](https://www.spinmagazine.com/2026/05/mya-has-always-been-in-the-right-place-at-the-right-time/) • [3](https://www.blackcurrentnews.co.uk/p/mya-independent-artistry-retrospect-interview) |
| Debut | Self-titled album *Mýa*, April 21, 1998; reached No. 29 on the Billboard 200 and sold 1.4 million copies in the United States[4](https://wbssmedia.com/artists/detail/2505) |
| Signature hit | "Lady Marmalade" (2001) with Christina Aguilera, Lil' Kim, and Pink; Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration and the most successful airplay-only single in history[5](https://myamya.com/all-about-mya/?doing_wp_cron=1781578437.0105249881744384765625) |
| Independence | Founded her own label, Planet 9; sources date its founding to 2007 or 2008[6](https://myamya.com/bio/) • [7](https://img.pr.com/release-file/1802/745038/PRESSRELEASE_GLOBALICONMYARET.pdf) |
| Latest album | *Retrospect*, tenth studio album, released May 15, 2026; her first full-length in eight years, with 13 tracks and no samples[2](https://www.spinmagazine.com/2026/05/mya-has-always-been-in-the-right-place-at-the-right-time/) • [8](https://apnews.com/article/52558ae2e053ddcf31b4eaead449cf68) |
| Other work | Screen Actors Guild award-winning actress; runner-up on *Dancing with the Stars*[6](https://myamya.com/bio/) • [9](https://warr.org/mya.html) |
## Early life and dance training
Mýa grew up in a musical household. Her father, Sherman "Hajji" Harrison, is a professional musician who leads the Jump Street Band, an ensemble mixing funk, Motown, Top 40, R&B, gospel, and pop, and his music filled the family's Washington, D.C. home[2](https://www.spinmagazine.com/2026/05/mya-has-always-been-in-the-right-place-at-the-right-time/). Saturday morning episodes of *Soul Train* introduced her to "new dances, new fashion, the aesthetic and the culture"[2](https://www.spinmagazine.com/2026/05/mya-has-always-been-in-the-right-place-at-the-right-time/).
Dance came before singing. She joined the tap company T.W.A. (Tappers With Attitude) at age 8, then traveled to New York to study under the choreographer [Savion Glover](https://www.edgepedia.org/savion-glover) at the Dance Theater of Harlem; her gift for improvisation impressed Glover enough that he gave her a solo spot in a performance at the Kennedy Center[1](https://www.universal-music.co.jp/mya/biography/) • [10](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mn0000621112). By her mid-teens her focus shifted to music: her father shopped her demo tapes, which reached Haqq Islam, president and CEO of University Music, and she signed with Interscope[4](https://wbssmedia.com/artists/detail/2505).
## Debut and late-1990s breakthrough
After a two-year development period, Mýa released her debut single, "It's All About Me," a duet with the R&B singer Sisqó, on February 14, 1998. It peaked at [No. 6](https://www.edgepedia.org/no-6) on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 2 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, and earned a gold certification from the [Recording Industry Association of America](https://www.edgepedia.org/recording-industry-association-of-america) on June 4, 1998[4](https://wbssmedia.com/artists/detail/2505). The eponymous album followed on April 21, 1998, reaching No. 29 on the Billboard 200 and selling 1.4 million copies in the United States, with a platinum certification on October 1, 1998[4](https://wbssmedia.com/artists/detail/2505). Her own bio describes the album as double platinum and lists the singles "It's All About Me," "Movin On," and "My First Night With You"[6](https://myamya.com/bio/).
Collaborations extended her reach beyond her own records. She appeared on Pras' "Ghetto Supastar" with [Ol' Dirty Bastard](https://www.edgepedia.org/ol-dirty-bastard), a 1998 hit that reworked [Dolly Parton](https://www.edgepedia.org/dolly-parton) and [Kenny Rogers](https://www.edgepedia.org/kenny-rogers)' "Islands in the Stream"[8](https://apnews.com/article/52558ae2e053ddcf31b4eaead449cf68), and on "Take Me There" with Blackstreet and "Girls Dem Suga" with Beenie Man[6](https://myamya.com/bio/).
## Fear of Flying, Lady Marmalade, and Moodring
Her second album, *Fear of Flying* (2000), also went double platinum according to her bio and produced "Case of the Ex," "Free," and "Best of Me"[6](https://myamya.com/bio/). "Case of the Ex (Whatcha Gonna Do)" became her most famous solo track and remains a defining R&B song of its era[11](https://www.theculturecrypt.com/interviews/mya-interview). In 2000 she also teamed with Jay-Z for "Best of Me, Part 2," a version that outperformed the original album cut featuring Jadakiss[11](https://www.theculturecrypt.com/interviews/mya-interview).
**"Lady Marmalade."** In 2001 Mýa joined [Christina Aguilera](https://www.edgepedia.org/christina-aguilera), Lil' Kim, and Pink on a cover of Labelle's 1974 hit, produced by [Missy Elliott](https://www.edgepedia.org/missy-elliott) and Rockwilder for Baz Luhrmann's film *Moulin Rouge!*[8](https://apnews.com/article/52558ae2e053ddcf31b4eaead449cf68). Selling over 5.5 million copies, the single became the most successful airplay-only single in history and won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration[5](https://myamya.com/all-about-mya/?doing_wp_cron=1781578437.0105249881744384765625). Mýa has been careful to credit the original: "They were the pioneers and the creators and the first performers of that song," she told the Associated Press in 2026[8](https://apnews.com/article/52558ae2e053ddcf31b4eaead449cf68).
Her third album, *Moodring* (2003), was critically acclaimed and featured "My Love Is Like Wo," "Fallen," and "Whatever Bitch," along with the promotional single "Real Compared to What" with Common, which served as a [Coca-Cola](https://www.edgepedia.org/coca-cola) theme song while Mýa was a spokesperson for the brand[6](https://myamya.com/bio/). The album also included "Sophisticated Lady," a new take on [Rick James](https://www.edgepedia.org/rick-james)' "Cold-Blooded" that pointed toward the funk direction she would later pursue[8](https://apnews.com/article/52558ae2e053ddcf31b4eaead449cf68).
## Going independent with Planet 9
In the late 2000s Mýa left the major-label system and founded her own imprint, Planet 9. Her bio dates the founding to 2008[6](https://myamya.com/bio/), while a press release from her camp gives 2007[7](https://img.pr.com/release-file/1802/745038/PRESSRELEASE_GLOBALICONMYARET.pdf). On the label she has executive produced, self-engineered, and self-funded her releases, including the album *K.I.S.S. (Keep It Sexy & Simple)* (2011) and a series of EPs beginning in 2014[7](https://img.pr.com/release-file/1802/745038/PRESSRELEASE_GLOBALICONMYARET.pdf). Her last album before her 2026 return was *T.K.O.* (2018)[2](https://www.spinmagazine.com/2026/05/mya-has-always-been-in-the-right-place-at-the-right-time/).
She has described the independence as a creative necessity. "As an independent artist, I live in my own bubble and world and create freely," she told Black Current News in 2026, recalling an industry in which "a label dictated whether or not you had a shot"[3](https://www.blackcurrentnews.co.uk/p/mya-independent-artistry-retrospect-interview). Alongside recording, she has worked in film, television, and Broadway, competed as runner-up on *Dancing with the Stars*, and maintained a long run of collaborations with Jamaican reggae and dancehall artists, including [Beenie Man](https://www.edgepedia.org/beenie-man) and Bounty Killer[9](https://warr.org/mya.html) • [12](https://www.dancehallmag.com/2023/09/27/features/interviews/mya-breaks-down-her-16-jamaican-collabs-from-beenie-man-to-bounty-killer.html).
## Retrospect (2026)
*Retrospect*, released May 15, 2026 on Planet 9 in partnership with Virgin Music Group, is Mýa's tenth studio album and her first full-length in eight years[3](https://www.blackcurrentnews.co.uk/p/mya-independent-artistry-retrospect-interview). It is a throwback record weaving 1970s and 1980s [Minneapolis](https://www.edgepedia.org/minneapolis) funk, pop, R&B, and soul, drawing on the music she grew up with: [Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis](https://www.edgepedia.org/jimmy-jam-and-terry-lewis), the S.O.S. Band, Prince, Vanity 6, [Teena Marie](https://www.edgepedia.org/teena-marie), Rick James, and Patrice Rushen, among others[8](https://apnews.com/article/52558ae2e053ddcf31b4eaead449cf68).
The 13-track album carries its influences openly. "Just Call My Name" nods to her mentor Prince with "Purple Rain"-style guitars, "No Pressure" opens with a Teena Marie-style "whoo!", and "Just a Little Bit" features the Bay Area rapper Too $hort[8](https://apnews.com/article/52558ae2e053ddcf31b4eaead449cf68) • [2](https://www.spinmagazine.com/2026/05/mya-has-always-been-in-the-right-place-at-the-right-time/). Despite the rich source material, the release contains no samples; "Prince was very adamant about no samples, so I'm adhering to all of those rules," Mýa said[8](https://apnews.com/article/52558ae2e053ddcf31b4eaead449cf68). She built the album with her production partner MyGuyMars, revisiting and remaking songs and remastering the record twice before release[8](https://apnews.com/article/52558ae2e053ddcf31b4eaead449cf68). Other guests include 21 Savage on the ballad "A.S.A.P.", Dizzy Wright on "Games With My Love," and Phil Adé on "Face To Face"[2](https://www.spinmagazine.com/2026/05/mya-has-always-been-in-the-right-place-at-the-right-time/).
## References
1. [BIOGRAPHY: MYA, Universal Music Japan](https://www.universal-music.co.jp/mya/biography/)
2. [Mýa Has Always Been in the Right Place at the Right Time, SPIN (May 18, 2026)](https://www.spinmagazine.com/2026/05/mya-has-always-been-in-the-right-place-at-the-right-time/)
3. [Mýa on independent artistry, creative freedom and surviving the digital age, Black Current News (May 27, 2026)](https://www.blackcurrentnews.co.uk/p/mya-independent-artistry-retrospect-interview)
4. [WBSS Media: Mýa](https://wbssmedia.com/artists/detail/2505)
5. [All About Mýa, myamya.com](https://myamya.com/all-about-mya/?doing_wp_cron=1781578437.0105249881744384765625)
6. [Bio: All About Mýa, myamya.com](https://myamya.com/bio/)
7. [MORE ON MYÁ, press release (2017)](https://img.pr.com/release-file/1802/745038/PRESSRELEASE_GLOBALICONMYARET.pdf)
8. [Mýa returns with her first album in 8 years, the throwback 'Retrospect,' Associated Press (May 13, 2026)](https://apnews.com/article/52558ae2e053ddcf31b4eaead449cf68)
9. [Mya, warr.org](https://warr.org/mya.html)
10. [Mýa Biography, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mn0000621112)
11. [The Making of Mýa: Legacy, Liberation and Lasting Joy, The Culture Crypt](https://www.theculturecrypt.com/interviews/mya-interview)
12. [Mýa Breaks Down Her 16 Jamaican Collabs, DancehallMag (September 27, 2023)](https://www.dancehallmag.com/2023/09/27/features/interviews/mya-breaks-down-her-16-jamaican-collabs-from-beenie-man-to-bounty-killer.html)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Individual musical biographies › Pop and R&B singer-songwriters › R&B singers, 1990s and 2000s › R&B singers of the 2000s › Surnames M to Y*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license