Biography - Mýa

Who is Mya?

Mya is a singer, songwriter, producer, actress by profession, and American by nationality. Since making music in 1996, she has had hit singles including It's All About Me, Ghetto Supastar, Take Me There, Case of the Ex, and Free.

Mya – Bio, Age, Parents, Siblings

Mya’s birth took place on October 10, 1979, in Washington, D.C., USA. She was born Mýa Marie Harrison to her mother Theresa Harrison, an accountant, and her father Sherman Harrison, a singer and musician. 

She is not the only child of his parents and has two siblings, two younger brothers Chaz Harrison and Nijel Harrison. All three were raised in suburban Washington D.C. in Maryland.

Education, Ethnicity

Growing up Mya started ballet lessons when she was two and jazz and tap when she was four. She also took violin lessons throughout her childhood but dancing was her primary interest. She earned the opportunity to study with one of the best-known tap dancers in the country, Savion Glover of the Dance Theater of Harlem.

For education she attended Eleanor Roosevelt High School, graduating at the age of 16. She went on to study at the University of Maryland but dropped out after taking a few classes.

Her ethnicity includes Jamaican and Italian.

Mya – Boyfriend, Husband, Children

Mya has been in several high-profile relationships in the past. She dated Silk The Shocker from 1996 to 2000. There were also rumors that she dated rapper Jay Z in the early 2000s, which Mya has strongly denied.

From 2010 to 2011 her boyfriend was American footballer Larry Johnson. She also dated DeSean Jackson from 2011 to 2012. 

In March 2018 she revealed that she had to fore her managers for insisting on dating famous artists for publicity. Moreover, she is a vegan and prefers men who are vegan.

Currently, she is married to a mystery man. She married her current husband in early 2020, which she only revealed in February 2020 when she shared that she is now officially Mrs. Lansky. However, she admitted that she had "married herself" for her music video.

Also read: Tae Dye - Singer, Songwriter 

Mya – Career

Early Career

From 1996 to 1998, Mya was a hip-hop dancer for BET's talk show Teen Summit. By the age of 15, with the help of her musician father, she had perfected her vocal abilities. When her father realized that she was serious about pursuing a career in music, he began shopping around with her demo tape.

Also read: Mahalia - Singer, Songwriter, Actress 

Singles, Albums

Eventually, Mya’s music caught the attention of University Music president and CEO Haqq Islam who signed with Interscope. Her debut album It's All About Me was released on February 14, 1998, and peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 2 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart respectively. 

Over the years Mya has released studio albums Fear of Flying (2000), Moodring (2003), Liberation (2007), Sugar & Spice (2008), K.I.S.S. (Keep It Sexy & Simple) (2011), Smoove Jones (2016), TKO (The Knock Out) (2018). 

She also has had endless tours- Fear of Flying Tour, Moodring Tour, Smoove Jones Show, T.K.O. Tour[. Mya opened tours for Boyz II Men in 1998 and Sean Paul in 2014.

Also read: Kelsea Ballerini - Singer, Songwriter 

Acting

In addition to singing and dancing, Mya also loves acting. She has starred in films In Too Deep (1999), Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights (2004), Love For Sale (2008), and The Heart Specialist (2011). The TV series in which Mya has portrayed roles include Sister, Sister (1999), NCIS (2005), Bermuda Tentacles (2014), and Girls Cruise (2019), among others.

Collaborations

Mya has collaborated with fellow musicians Missy Elliott, Babyface, Diane Warren, and Dru Hill.

Mya – Awards, Nominations

Over the years Mya has been nominated for 70 awards, among which she has won 27. She has won ALMA Awards, Billboard Music Video Awards, Grammy Awards, MTV Video Music Awards, Screen Actors Guild Awards, Teen Choice Awards, etc.

Also read: Susan Kelechi Watson - Actor, Singer, Writer, Dancer 

Mya – Net Worth, Salary

Her net worth is estimated to be over $4 million while there have been no estimates on her annual salary.

Mya – Instagram, Twitter, Facebook

On social media, Mya is active on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram with around a million followers. She also has a YouTube channel with 230k subscribers and an official website -  myamya.com.

Also read: Lauren Alaina - Singer, Songwriter, Actress