Music powerhouse Mýa sat down with Billboard's Heran Mamo to talk about her album anniversaries, her love for Jamaica and dancehall, the lessons she's learned throughout the years and takes a look back at some of her iconic looks!
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00:00 I get told often that I look like you from like artists I interview to like random people at events.
00:06 Oh my goodness!
00:08 This is so on point. I thought that was me.
00:10 Hey, I'm Maya and you're watching Billboard News.
00:13 [Music]
00:30 Well, thank you so much for coming today. I'm super excited to interview you.
00:34 Thank you for having me.
00:35 Excited to be here.
00:37 I have to congratulate you first because you've spent 25 incredible years in the music industry.
00:42 And I'm curious, what is the biggest lesson and the biggest blessing of it all?
00:46 The biggest blessing, I'll start there, is to of course help others to be in a position to.
00:53 Traveling is always beautiful, experiencing new places, cultures, food. I'm a foodie.
01:00 Lessons, you know, to remain a student. That's the biggest one because there's always something to learn,
01:06 a position to learn, a new skill set to learn for anything in life. And staying humble will keep you a student
01:14 and then eventually a master so you can help others.
01:17 I think you were recently in Jamaica, right, for the music video for your new single "Wine" with Bounty Killer.
01:23 [Music]
01:28 Tell me about that new single.
01:30 Funny story is I had a solo version of the video shot two years prior to reaching out to Bounty Killer.
01:37 And I've always wanted a feature on that record. And so we went back down to Jamaica two years later
01:43 and, you know, to the same location and put Bounty Killer in the video, inserted him, and it all looks cohesive now.
01:51 It's like you've worked with so many amazing dancehall artists like Bounty Killer, Beanie Man, you know,
01:56 other Jamaican acts, Sean Paul, Spice, you name it.
02:00 Why have these pop dancehall collaborations been so important and meaningful to you?
02:05 Well, they're my friends. You know, every time I go down there, it's usually for music, but then my associates
02:11 or music friends become my family over the years. And we understand the beauty of independency
02:18 but also working together. And so that's a big part of the culture too.
02:23 And you can just reach out and pick up the phone and eat together and go out together,
02:28 going to the dancehalls and all the cool parties. Sunfest was one of those moments where we were just all kind of hanging out
02:34 until 8 in the morning. The sun rises and you just don't stop.
02:39 I think it's important also to just be authentic in representation. So it was important for me to be in Kingston,
02:46 in the heart of Jamaica, to capture the essence of the good vibes and the music, the culture and the people.
02:55 Yeah, totally.
02:56 And the dance.
02:58 These three album anniversaries this year are incredible. You talk about your self-titled debut album, Maya,
03:04 that turned 25. You talk about Mood Ring that's 20 years old. And then come December, Sugar and Spice will be 15.
03:12 What were your favorite memories working on those projects?
03:14 I was a baby, I was a kid. Everything was brand new, you know, initially on my first project.
03:19 Working in a studio with Drew Till for the first album was really like a family in a camp.
03:25 So I had big brothers around me and they all play. I also play the violin and they all do harmonies and songwrite as well.
03:34 So I learned a lot from them, watching them. And then the second album, I worked a lot with Y Club and Jerry Wander
03:40 for a big bulk of "Fear of Flying." So that was an amazing experience, once again, surrounded by big brothers.
03:46 Getting to work with Missy eventually on "Lady Marmalade" was awesome as a producer, rock welder,
03:54 and then of course the ladies of "Lady Marmalade." It's just a beautiful journey.
03:58 And, you know, I'm excited as well about what's to come. And I just love music, so it's a blessing to just still be here
04:06 25 years later and still feel like it's brand new.
04:09 Yeah.
04:10 I did notice that when you performed in North Carolina, you did what needed to be done.
04:15 And you brought back that UNC jersey dress. I actually, like you, recreated it myself for Halloween this past year.
04:24 I'm going to show you this photo.
04:26 Oh, wow.
04:27 I literally tracked down a similar type jersey.
04:31 That's amazing. Now, the one that you are wearing is the one I wore in North Carolina recently.
04:37 Really? But yours was like bedazzled, right?
04:39 Well, yeah. I sent it to one of my girls in D.C. who does all the crystallizing. But that one I couldn't find, the original.
04:48 Oh, yeah. No, I looked everywhere for that one. And that was just no luck. So I tried my best.
04:54 I actually did two different looks of you because I get told often that I look like you from like artists I interview to like random people at events.
05:04 And then I also did the look that you did for the "Take Me There" video with Blackstreet.
05:10 Oh, my goodness. This is so on point. I thought that was me.
05:16 Like, I just paid attention to all the details.
05:18 So, yeah, I obviously admire everything that you've done, especially the looks.
05:23 But I'm curious, do you have like any of your favorite all-time looks that you're just like, "Ugh"?
05:29 I actually do. So my favorite all-time look is my very first album. And it's also my very first single, "All About Me."
05:37 Why? Because I sketched that outfit on paper through the designs that I wanted.
05:45 And I saw it come to life. But this is something that I've been doing for years.
05:49 Like, I have this whole sketchbook of outfits that I wanted to create before I signed my first deal.
05:55 And so that was one of them. And the seamstress brought it to life.
06:01 And that was an amazing experience for me as a brand new artist.
06:04 I love that. Well, thank you so much for coming into the studio with us, Maya.
06:08 Thank you for having me. It was fun.
06:11 (upbeat music)
06:14 you