Mya Marie Harrison was born October 10, 1979 in Washington, DC. A a child Mya studied singing and dance, taking lessons at the Dance Theater of Harlem from renowned choreographer/dancer Savion Glover. She grew up in Maryland, attending Eleanor Roosevelt High School and appearing as a teen panelist

Mya

"In middle school, when adolescence hit, I was teased all the time. I became really quiet and shy because I didn't know how else to respond, and then I got teased for that. Those are the experiences that developed my creativity."

It is hard to believe that beautiful R&B singer Mya, named after poet Mya Angelou, ever felt awkward or was teased. With talents in songwriting, singing, acting, and record producing it is easy to believe that she has lived a charmed life.

Early Beginnings

Mya Marie Harrison was born October 10, 1979 in Washington, DC. A a child Mya studied singing and dance, taking lessons at the Dance Theater of Harlem from renowned choreographer/dancer Savion Glover. She grew up in Maryland, attending Eleanor Roosevelt High School and appearing as a teen panelist on Teen Summit, BET's teen talk show. Mya signed a contract with University Records, under the Interscope label, after her friends from the group Dru Hill brought her to the attention of label executives.

Her self titled freshman project, Mya,was released in 1998 to quick success. Her first single from the album, It's All About Me (w/Sisqo), went gold and topped the top ten. Also in 1998, her first major hit came with the single Ghetto Supastar (That Is What You Are), also featuring rappers Pras and Ol' Dirty Bastard.

Her second album, Fear of Flying (2000), had a much more pop, mainstream feel. The second single off the album, Case of the Ex, crossed over and became her first big pop/rock hit. This success caused her label, Interscope Records, to re-release Fear of Flying. They mixed up the track order and added two songs. In March of 2001 the album was certified platinum.

Continued Successes

In 2001 Mya joined in a collaboration with Pink, Lil' Kim, and Christina Aguilera to remake Patti LaBelle's hit, Lady Marmalade for the movie, Moulin Rouge!. This became a mammoth pop hit and the most successful airplay-only single in music history, selling 5.5 million copies. It also garnered the four pop beauties a Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals.

On the heels of this success, in 2003, she released her third album, Moodring. It was an instant hit, debuting at #3 on the charts and selling 113, 000 copies in the first week. It has since certified Gold.

In 2007 Mya released her fourth studio album, Liberation. The difference in this album was the fact that it was an mp3 download only and it was released only in Japan. This led to a 2008 exclusively Japanese album entitled Sugar & Spice.

In 2009 she released Beauty & The Streets, Vol. 1, her first mixtape. This was released on her own independent label named Planet 9, part of J.Prince's Young Empire Music Group.

Acting and Modeling

Mya is not only a singer, songwriter, and record producer, she is also involved in product endorsements for products ranging from Coca-Cola to Motorola to Tommy Hilfiger. In addition, she began working in films in 2002 with a supporting role in the film adaptation of the musical Chicago. The ensemble cast won a Screen Actors Guild award. Following this success she went on to have roles in Shall We Dance? (2004), Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights (2004), and Cursed (2005).  On the small screen, Mya was the runner-up on Dancing with the Stars, Ninth Season.

Did You Know....

1. Mya has danced solo at the Kennedy Center in New York City.

2. Mya knows how to play the violin.

3. Her third album, Moodring, was originally entitled Bittersweet

4. Mya is a spokesperson for Secret to Self-Esteem, a program to help girls build a positive self-image.

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