If you’re old enough to remember MTV’s Total Request Live, you probably remember the fancy footwork of R&B singer Mýa. Born Mýa Marie Harrison, the singer/dancer’s ascent into early-’90s pop stardom began when she appeared on BET’s Teen Summit, which was followed by her eponymous album in 1998.
Mýa peaked at No. 6 on Billboard’s Hot 100, but it was the collaborations that followed that cemented Mýa’s place among ’90s R&B royalty. She worked with Blackstreet, Blinky Blink and Mase on The Rugrats Movie soundtrack single “Take Me There”—an earworm of a song that remains stuck in heads today. Who could forget Mýa’s guest spot (along with Ol’ Dirty Bastard) on the Pras single “Ghetto Superstar”? And nothing sent Mýa’s career soaring like the Moulin Rouge! soundtrack smash “Lady Marmalade,” a remake of Labelle’s 1975 hit, featuring Harrison, Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim and Pink.
Mýa released a few more sizzling singles—“Case of the Ex (Whatcha Gonna Do)” and “My Love Is Like ... Wo”—before turning her attention to Hollywood to pursue acting. Twenty years after making her musical debut, Mýa remains a triple threat—singing, dancing and acting in multiple projects. She’s a vegan, plays a single mother on Urban Movie Channel’s 5th Ward and released her eighth studio album, TKO (The Knock Out), last year. She sounds more assured than ever on April single “Down,” and she’s been outspoken about living life to its fullest, haters be damned.
“The way I [manage] is I do crazy stuff,” she told The Daily Beast in 2018. “Work hard at the gym, remove stuff from my diet and lifestyle. Jump out of an airplane. Whatever it takes, so that there’s no fear attached to me. If you’re worried about people liking you, you’re in the wrong business. Life without fear.”
The R&B singer returns to Las Vegas on September 28 for a Belvedere-sponsored #Daybeats party at Go Pool. So bust out your best ’90s mix and get yourself to the Flamingo for one of that decade’s most fearless performers.
#Daybeats featuring Mýa September 28, 9 a.m., $15. Flamingo's Go Pool, 702-697-2888.
