Mya (singer)

Mya Marie Harrison (born October 10, 1979; stylized as Mýa) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, record producer, and actress.

Classified as a "triple threat entertainer," she has become a staple in pop cultural zeitgeist for her work in contemporary R&B.

Born and raised in Washington D.C., as a child she studied ballet, jazz, and tap dance.

She began her career in television as a dance posse member, performing on BET's Teen Summit.

She started ballet classes shortly afterward, in 1982, then tap and jazz, but lost interest when she was eight.

At 12, she found herself watching videos of her dancing and her desire suddenly rekindled.

She studied tapes of Tony Award winner Savion Glover, the tap dance prodigy now best-known for the Broadway hit Bring in da Noise, Bring in da Funk, until she learned his routines and then joined the group T.W.A. (Tappers With Attitude).

She went solo before heading to New York to study with Glover in a residency with the famed Dance Theater of Harlem.

Soon after, she earned a reputation for improvisation and an impressed Glover gave her a solo spot during a Kennedy Center performance.

Mya had subsequently appeared on BET's Teen Summit and taught dance to children ever since she herself was 14.

She also had taken violin lessons since the fourth grade.

Her strict upbringing emphasized the value of school and working hard to get good grades.

But when her father finally heard her sing, he had her record a couple of demo tapes and took them to a club where he was playing.

She signed with record executive A. Haqq Islam's University Records, an imprint of Interscope Records to release her eponymous debut studio album (1998), which lyrically explored romance and coming-of-age scenarios.

A critical and commercial success, the album spawned her first Billboard Hot 100-top ten single, "It's All About Me" (featuring Dru Hill).

Her collaborative singles — "Girls Dem Sugar" (with Beenie Man), "Ghetto Supastar (That Is What You Are)" (with Pras and Ol' Dirty Bastard), and "Take Me There" (with Blackstreet and Mase) — were also met with commercial success.

She made her cinematic feature film debut in crime thriller In Too Deep (1999).

Her second studio album, Fear of Flying (2000) was met with further commercial success and presented a more mature sound and image.

It peaked at number 15 on the Billboard 200, received platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and was supported by the singles "The Best of Me" (featuring Jadakiss), "Case of the Ex," and "Free."

Billboard listed her in the Hot 100 Artists of the 2000s listicle.

Mya Harrison, a native of Washington, D.C., is the eldest of three children.

Her father Sherman "Hajji" Harrison is a singer and performs in an R&B band, Jump Street and her mother Theresa worked as an accountant.

She grew up in suburban Washington D.C., with her two younger brothers Chaz and Nijel.

At the age of two, her father stood her in the Reflecting Pool between the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial, and she danced.

The following year, Harrison recorded "Lady Marmalade" with singers Christina Aguilera, Pink and rapper Lil' Kim for the 2001 musical film Moulin Rouge!.

A cover of the namesake recording by funk rock band Labelle, it peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100 and twelve international charts, also earning a Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals in 2002.

Following her debut, she has appeared in minor or supporting roles in films and television series such as Chicago (2002), Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights (2004), Shall We Dance? (2004), 1-800-Missing (2004), NCIS (2005), Cursed (2005), Girls Cruise (2019), and House Party (2023).

Taking a more active role in the production of her forthcoming releases, Harrison was granted wider creative control of her third studio album, Moodring (2003).

The album spawned two charting singles – "My Love Is Like...Wo" and "Fallen" — and received gold certification by the Recording Industry Association of America.

Following a departure from Interscope in favor of Universal Motown Records, her fourth studio album, Liberation (2007) was met with critical and commercial failure.

Amid the leak of the album in Japan, she parted ways with the label following its release.

In 2008, under the mentorship of J. Prince, Harrison established her own label, Planet 9.

Her fifth and sixth studio albums, Sugar & Spice (2008) and K.I.S.S. (Keep It Sexy & Simple) (2011) catered to the Japanese market as her most pop and club oriented recordings to date.

In 2009, Harrison competed in Dancing with the Stars season nine; finishing second place in the competition.

Harrison has sold 3.2 million albums in the U.S. and 20 million records worldwide.

Her accolades include a Grammy Award, a Screen Actor Guild Award, a Critics' Choice Movie Award and two MTV Video Music Awards.

Beginning in 2014, she released a trio of R&B–rooted extended plays (EPs) independently: With Love (2014), Sweet XVI (2014), and Love Elevation Suite (2015).

In 2016, her seventh album, Smoove Jones received a nomination for Best R&B Album at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards.

Its follow-up, T.K.O. (The Knock Out) (2018), commemorated the twentieth anniversary of her debut album.

Aside from music, Harrison ventured into acting across film, television, broadway, and gaming.