Mýa
Mýa | |
|---|---|
 Mýa in 2018 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Mýa Marie Harrison |
| Born | October 10, 1979 Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) |
|
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1996–present |
| Labels | |
| Website | www |
Mýa Marie Harrison (born October 10, 1979) (/ˈmaɪ.ə/)[1][2] is an American singer, songwriter, dancer and actress. She first became famous in 1998 with her debut album Mýa. She is best known for the 2001 cover of the famous R&B song "Lady Marmalade".
Early life and career beginnings
[change | change source]"The turning point was when I saw Savion Glover in 'Tap'. I watched the videotape and studied steps on the kitchen floor."—Mýa,The Washington Post[3]
Mýa is a native of Washington, D.C. She is one of three children. Her father, Sherman, was an African-American musician and singer. He played in several bands near where they lived. Her Italian-American mother, Theresa, worked as an accountant.[4] As a child, Mýa would pretend she was Michael Jackson and would sing into a wooden spoon and pretended it was a microphone.[3]
Mýa sometimes was bullied because of her ethnic background. She would say
There was a time in my life when I wasn't popular and accepted by kids in school. I was made fun of with braces and kinky hair, and being from a multicultural family, etcetera... And it really hurts when you're that age, but later when you get something of your own or you get involved in activities like a sport, you begin to be accepted for what you do, and your personality and who you are, instead of your clothes and how you look and the name designer brands you have on.
Discography
[change | change source]- Mýa (1998)
- Fear of Flying (2000)
- Moodring (2003)
- Liberation (2007)
- Sugar & Spice (2008)
- K.I.S.S. (Keep It Sexy & Simple) (2011)
- Smoove Jones (2016)
Tours
[change | change source]- Opening Act
- 1998: Smokin' Groove Tour (various hip-hop artists)[5]
- 1998: Boyz II Men Tour[6]
- 1999: Lilith Fair Tour (various female performers)[7]
- Headliner
- 2000: MTV European Tour[source?]
- 2001: House of Blues Tour
- 2003: House of Blues Tour
- 2007: Seagrams Live Tour (with Clipse)
- Supporting
- 2007: BET Black College Tour (various artists)[8]
- 2014: Full Frequency Tour (Sean Paul's Australian tour in November)[9]
Filmography
[change | change source]| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1999 | In Too Deep | Loretta | |
| 2002 | Chicago | Mona | |
| 2004 | Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights | Lola Martinez | |
| 2004 | Shall We Dance? | Vern's Fiancee | |
| 2005 | Cursed | Jenny Tate | |
| 2006 | Swap Meet | Katrina | Direct-to-video |
| 2007 | The Metrosexual | Jessica | Direct-to-video |
| 2008 | Cover | Cynda | Direct-to-video |
| 2008 | Love For Sale | Kiely | Direct-to-video |
| 2009 | Bottleworld | Bree | Direct-to-video |
| 2010 | The Penthouse | Mitra | Direct-to-video |
| 2011 | Sunset Strip (documentary) | Herself | |
| 2011 | The Heart Specialist | Valerie | In select theaters and video-on-demand |
| Television | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1999 | Sister, Sister | Herself | FreakNik episode #115 |
| 2001 | 2GE+HER: The Series | Herself | Episode: "Lyrics" (2.4) |
| 2001 | Volcano High | Yu Cha-i | MTV movie, English dub |
| 2002 | Haunted | Voodoo Priestess | Episode: "Abby" (1.4) |
| 2003 | Punk'd | Herself | Episode 2.3 |
| 2004 | 1-800-Missing | Kira | Episode: "Pop Star" (2.10) |
| 2005 | NCIS | Samantha "Jade" King | Episode: "Pop Life" (2.16) |
| 2006 | Love Monkey | Herself | Episode: "Coming Out" (uncredited; 1.8) |
| 2007 | Yo Gabba Gabba | Herself | Movie |
| 2007 | Yo Gabba Gabba | Herself | Episode: "Friends" (1.7) |
| 2008 | Secret Talents of the Stars | Herself/contestant | Episode 1.1 |
| 2009 | Dancing with the Stars | Herself/contestant | Runner-up |
| 2011 | WWE Raw | Herself | "The Rock's Birthday Bash"; sang "Happy Birthday" to The Rock |
| 2014 | Bermuda Tentacles | Lt. Plummer | SyFy Channel movie (credited as Mya Harrison) |
References
[change | change source]- ↑ "FACTS". myamya.com. Archived from the original on 2017-09-05. Retrieved 2014-05-12.
- ↑ "Rainbow bright: Mya celebrates her 32nd birthday in a day-glow bandage dress". Daily Mail. 2011-10-21. Retrieved 2012-08-30.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "For 18-year-old singer, it's all about a hit single". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2015-10-18. Retrieved 2015-11-24.
- ↑ "Mya Biography (1979?-)". Filmreference.com.
- ↑ Ham, Dorian S. (3 October 1998). "Wooo-Haaa! Smokin' Grooves live hip-hop tour rocks Polaris". The Lantern.
- ↑ Samuels, Anita M. (Apr 25, 1998). "Boyz II Men Announce U.S. Tour". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.
- ↑ Hiatt, Brian. "Pretenders, Mya, Beth Orton, Queen Latifah Set For Lilith". Viacom International Inc. Archived from the original on 2015-10-18. Retrieved 2015-11-24.
- ↑ "BET Networks Takes the Ultimate Study Break on the Road With the 2007 BET Black College Tour". Black Entertainment Television. Archived from the original on 2014-10-21. Retrieved 2015-11-24.
- ↑ Gill, Lauren. "Mya Joins Sean Paul's 2014 Australian Tour". Furst Media. Archived from the original on 2016-04-27. Retrieved 2015-11-24.
Other websites
[change | change source]
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Gilles Marini & Cheryl Burke |
Dancing with the Stars (US) runner up Season 9 (Fall 2009 with Dmitry Chaplin) |
Succeeded by Evan Lysacek & Anna Trebunskaya |