Last Saturday night I had the pleasure of meeting Mýa.
Let me read that sentence again…
Last Saturday night, I also had the privilege of interviewing Mýa.
I need to sit down.
(I am sitting.)
So it was a real moment for me to meet Mýa. Not only am I a huge Day 1 fan, but I also just respect her as a woman.
A few weeks ago, Miss Mýa performed at Mingles Lounge in the 6 and not only did I get to see her perform songs off her new album Smoove Jones, but after the set I sat down with her and got to ask the questions I wanted to ask.
Mýa, if you didn’t know, has her own label called Planet 9. We got into that. She is also a prominent vegan and advocate for many causes including Reclaim Your Voice, an organization creating safe environments for abuse survivors to share their truths. We got into that too. We also talked about the industry and what people looking to break through the doors should know.
I got wisdom that I’m not likely to soon forget, and it came straight from Miss Mýa’s mouth, a woman who has 18 years of entertainment industry experience and success.
On Reclaim Your Voice:
“I am here to take part in an event called Weapon of Voice created by the organization Reclaim Your Voice (reclaimyourvoice.org). RYV aids in assisting survivors of all kinds of abuse to speak up, speak out and offer community support and healing. Their events also include the art of spoken word, poetry, music and song. Yesterday their event took place at Innis Town Hall, where friends purchased tickets for survivor friends so that all survivors could attend for free.”
On Veganism:
“I fell into veganism through will power challenges that I put myself through to test my strength. Every year I do something absurd, according to my friends. I started my first will power challenge at the time that I went independent from the major label system because I needed something to reassure myself that I was strong, that I was going to remain strong. It was essentially a true test of who I was and my last endeavor was to go from vegetarianism to veganism—the more extreme. That was two years ago and I’ll be starting year three July 1st of this year learning quite a lot along the way. It’s truly been an eye-opener spiritually, mentally, physically and on the nutrition side, I am no longer anemic. I’ve watched quite a few documentaries, attended a few festivals, have connected with vegan communities to get further educated. What it’s done for me on every level is so awesome!”
On Planet 9:
“When I separated from my major label, out of devastation I had to create my own world, my own standards, my own rules and my own time… a headspace independent of anything that anyone ever taught me. I said to myself ‘Well, what I need to do is go as far away as possible’ spiritually, mentally, physically. So, I first went within and asked myself ‘If could possibly transport myself elsewhere, where would that be? Hmmm… It’d be the furthest planet away from Earth (laughs)… but still within our solar system. Pluto was deemed no longer a planet, so I thought I’d create something that didn’t exist – the 9th planet – therefore naming it Planet 9. It’d most likely rotate the slowest around the sun, meaning a Planet 9 year might be 7 earth years (2555 days to rotate once around the sun). I started realigning myself by studying astronomy, the different types of moons associated with each planet, orbits, the amount of hours, days, years of each planet. Planet 9 then became the safe place I could operate and create endlessly on my own time, by my own rules, with my own team, silence any earthly negativity & doubt, preserve all divine gifts and protect my spirit.”
On The Music Industry:
“For anyone that would like to enter the business of entertainment, well there are many different positions that you can play frontline or behind the scenes. As an artist, that’s a different piece of advice. As far as music is concerned, love it and water it as if it were a plant and in time it will grow. In art, you are free to jump in head first. Lose yourself, find yourself, stick with it, commit to it. Homework, love, sacrifice can take you around the world. If you’re entering the music business, well there is the music and then there’s the business and they intersect, but 90% of the music business is business and art is 10%. They are most certainly two different worlds, but if the business is taken care of, your chances of protecting your craft and future are greater. I’d advise seeking a professional lawyer with a great repertoire and expertise for the protection of your work and it costs, so save your money. For attainable self knowledge, I’d recommend Donald Passman books which my mother read early on in my career. They are very informative on the structure of the music biz and proper navigation.”
A message to the fans and people who love her:
“I extend my gratitude to all who have extended their love to me. It’s really mind-blowing when you simply share your art and bring people together. But I do want to say that there is so much greater, on the way. Thank you all for the constant support, motivation, because I’ve just really begun. I’m so fortunate & grateful to still be here to create, share, elevate.”
Mýa says that the best is yet to come and I believe her. With creative control over her art, she is bound to create even more genuine and authentic bodies of work. And if you haven’t had a chance to listen to Smoove Jones yet, cop that. It’s the best mix of late 70’s, 80’s, 90’s/early 2000’s sound with a contemporary feel which for us 20 somethings and early 30’s folks is something I think a lot of us have been craving.
So that was Mýa in her own words, and as you can see the industry vet is quite well spoken and in a good place, which is amazing to see. I’m looking forward to seeing what Mýa does next and will be watching her moves closely in order to keep you guys up to date. Watch this space for more on the angelic voiced songstress.
PHOTO CREDIT: Facebook
Exclusive Interview: Mýa, In Her Own Words was originally published on globalgrind.com
