Mya recently celebrated the 25th anniversary of her career in the music and entertainment industry and released the deluxe version of her self titled debut album which was released in 1998. After her release in the late 90’s the album went double platinum. A couple years later she released hit singles “Case of the Ex” and “Best of Me.” Mya had girls all over the world trying to get their hands on a baby blue jersey dress from the iconic moments of the “Best of Me” music video.
Mya’s singing abilities, graceful dance moves and catchy hooks solidified an unforgettable time of r&b music. She’s collaborated with the best including but not limited to Christina Aguilar, Jay-Z, Jadakiss, Beanie Man, Sean Paul, Swizz Beatz, Missy Elliott, Lil Kim and more. She has won a grammy and a Screen Actors Guild award. We are so honored to have the chance to ask her about advice she would give to her 20 year old self. Check out her response below filled with lifelong gems that any person could benefit from.
“20 year old Mya let’s think about Where I was. I was very busy and I would definitely say lean on your Faith obviously hold on, that means like you will not be throwing in the towel anytime soon. That joy is a very important keyword for me as a young adult coming into her own self in front of the world. Return to Joy in moments of uncertainty and take your time. You do not have to be in a race. I think when you’re stepping into a business, there’s a lot of pressure in sort of digesting that you are a brand you are a product and there has to sort of be a degree of separation to understand not to take things personally. Criticism is very key because you have a team working for you. You have so many different components to make one situation work and once again, to I think understand everyone’s position, and the aspect of them being a key player and essential to your success is asking questions, and not being afraid to ask questions which leads me to another gem remaining a student for the rest of your life but of course when I am 20 years old as a baby, and a very, very youthful, very young very green and still learning just the basics of business or interview, etiquette, etc. so you’re learning so many different things in so many different arenas that you must show up in front of a 100% not having a clue you know what you’re doing but enjoying the moment is very key and another piece of advice to my 20 year old self would be no pain no gain but if it’s not joyful, it’s not worth it. put in the work and embrace the grind. Yeah it can get very taxing on anyone. Physically but it’s all a blessing and so gratitude is key as well. And it’s a game of juggling mentally physically creating balance in how you process things when you’re very green stepping into new territory, and I believe in taking my time. I watched a lot of young artists go through the strain of fighting for adulthood, and the respect of an adult, but not necessarily being well-versed in their craft or well-versed in understanding the mechanics of a team or a machine and I’m glad that I have taken my time but young people I would definitely advise a lot of those things.”
Mya is a graceful artist who shared advice, the magic of joy and her lifestyle with everyone on the 1824 press conference. During the Mya 1824 press conference many gems were shared including an author by the name of Donald Passman who is an expert in the music business. Mya is a very passionate artist and throughout the press conference it was clear how she was able to have such a long and prosperous career. We can’t wait to see what’s next for Mya.
Mya’s deluxe album is out now and below are a few visuals from some of Mya’s iconic moments in music.