Mýa (album)

Mýa
Studio album by Mýa
Released	April 21, 1998 (1998-04-21) (see release history)
Recorded	1997-1998 Silent Sound Studios (Atlanta, Georgia)
Genre	R&B, soul, urban, hip hop
Length	57:24
Label	Interscope
Producer	Darryl "Day" Pearson Daryl Simmons Nokio the N-Tity
Mýa chronology
Mýa (1998) Fear of Flying (2000)
Alternative Cover
European Cover
Singles from Mýa
"It's All About Me" Released: February 24, 1998 "Movin' On" Released: July 14, 1998 "My First Night with You" Released: April 13, 1999

Mýa is the self-titled debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Mýa, released April 21, 1998 on Interscope Records. Recording sessions for the album took place from 1997 to 1998 at Silent Sound Studios in Atlanta, Georgia and at The Record Plant in Los Angeles, California. Production was primarily handled by Darryl "Day" Pearson with additional production from Daryl Simmons and Nokio the N-Tity and features collaborations with Sisqó, Missy Elliott, and Silkk The Shocker.

Mýa spawned three singles including; the Top 5 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs hits "It's All About Me" featuring Sisqo and "Movin' On" featuring No Limit Records rapper Silkk The Shocker, and the Diane Warren-penned ballad "My First Night with You".

Mýa debuted at number seventy-seven on Billboard 200 chart on May 9, 1998 and later peaked at number twenty-nine on September 5, 1998. With help of its three singles, it spent 53 non-consecutive weeks on the Billboard 200 chart and earned a platinum certification from Recording Industry Association of America within the next six months on October 1, 1998. The album received critical acclaim from music critics and garnered several accolades, including a NAACP Image Award nomination and two Soul Train Music Award nominations.

Background

Harrison is an accomplished dancer who has trained with Savion Glover, Gregory Hines, and the Dance Theater of Harlem. She also held a dancing gig on BET's Teen Summit. At the age of 15, Mýa shifted her focus to music and although she was best known as a dancer, she was also musically inclined, learning how to sing and play the violin as a child. When her father—a professional musician—learned that his daughter could sing and was serious about a musical career; they begin to shop around the demo tapes, earning the attention of University Music Entertainment president/CEO Haaq Islam. Impressed with Harrison's audition, he signed her to Interscope Records.

Recording & Compositions

Islam called Mýa, his Diana Ross commenting she has a vocal ability that can be heard in a room full of singers; her flow is tantamount to a rapper. Mýa and Interscope spent the next two years working on her debut album, hiring an impressive list of collaborators, including Darryl Pearson, Babyface, Diane Warren, Raphael Brown, Wyclef Jean, Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott, and Sisqó and Noko from Dru Hill. Mýa says that her album speaks mostly to men and that many of the songs offer variety of "messages". Harrison who co-wrote many of the songs on the album, including "If You Died I Wouldn't Cry Cause You Never Loved Me Anyway", where she puts a voice to the gut-wrenching pain some woman feel at the end of a relationship. In the song, Harrison sings of wanting a man to "die" because "he never loved her anyway." She says the song is about saying things in anger, but being able to learn from mistakes. Another ballad, "My First Night with You", is about a non-sexual experience with a man, written by Babyface and produced by Daryl Simmons. Harrison said "Simmons allowed her to do her own thing and put her own spin on the song". "Bye Bye", which features Missy Elliott was written by Harrison and Daryl Pearson. Other songs included on the album were the dance-oriented "We're Goin Make Ya Dance and "What Cha Say", a song Harrison wrote all by herself.

Islam says Mýa's songwriting is consistent with the label's philosophy. "We want artistry and strong songs with good messages that appeal to the heart, soul and imagination". Revealing, Mýa's album takes us to another level; my label always want to present something positive and edgy, to reflect young people today. Harrison adds that the album is "lady-like" and done in a "tasteful" way, leaving some things to the imagination; rather than trying to sound vulgar or explicit.

Reception

Commercial performance

Mýa debuted at number seventy-seven on the Billboard 200 album chart on May 9, 1998. The album later peaked at number twenty-nine on the Billboard 200 album chart and Billboard's Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart at number thirteen on September 5, 1998 due to consistent sales. The album was certified platinum by RIAA on October 1, 1998 and remained on Billboard 200 album chart for 53 non-consecutive weeks. Mýa has sold over 1.4 million copies in the United States alone, according to Nielsen Soundscan. The album was the 87th best-selling album of 1998 and the following year the 200th best-selling album. Outside the United States, the album failed to chart internationally.

Critical

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	link
Billboard	(favorable) link

• AllMusic

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic calls Mýa, "a smooth, sultry collection of well-crafted contemporary urban soul that is actually richer than the average urban record the late '90s", citing "part of its success lies with the teenage Mýa, who has a voice that is at once innocent and knowing and many of the songs on the record are loosely about a teenager becoming a woman, which is a subject Mýa can convincingly sell, but overall it's a thoroughly promising debut."

• Billboard

Young artist Mýa scores on her debut album by addressing issues of concern to women without spewing cuss words. Boosted by the strong presence of Sisqo of the group Dru Hill, the artist's first single, "It's All About Me" though reminiscent of Destiny's Child's "No, No, No" is a catchy, infectious tune that carries a lot of weight. What's also positive about Mýa is that her songwriting skills are being displayed early in her career. Other noteworthy tracks include "Whatcha Say," "Bye Bye," "My First Night With You," "Movin' On", and "We're Gonna Make Ya Dance."

Singles

• The first single from the album "It's All About Me", peaked at number six on Billboard Hot 100 and number two on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The single was a commercial success due to heavy rotation video airplay on MTV and became Mýa's first top ten hit (solo). It was a moderate success internationally, peaking in the top twenty in New Zealand and top forty in Canada.

• The second single "Movin' On" peaked at number thirty-four on Billboard Hot 100 and number four on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The single was a moderate success and became Mýa's second top forty hit (solo). It was a moderate success internationally, peaking in the top twenty in New Zealand.

• The third and final single "My First Night With You" peaked at number twenty-eight on Billboard Hot 100 and number twenty-eight on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The single was a moderate success and became Mýa's third top forty hit (solo).

Tracklisting

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"What Cha Say"	Mýa Harrison, Darryl "DAY" Pearson	Darryl "DAY" Pearson	3:55
2.	"Movin' On"	Harrison, Pearson, Mark Andrews	Darryl "DAY" Pearson	4:29
3.	"Baby It's Yours"	Alex "CAT" Cantrall, Myron Davis	Alex "CAT" Cantrall	4:29
4.	"Keep On Lovin' Me"	Pearson, Andrews, Larry "Jazz" Anthony, N.Neka	Darryl "DAY" Pearson	3:46
5.	"It's All About Me" (featuring Sisqó)	Pearson, Andrews	Darryl "DAY" Pearson	4:26
6.	"If You Died I Wouldn't Cry Cause You Never Loved Me Anyway"	James "Woody" Green, R.Brown, Tamir Ruffin	Nokio the N-Tity	5:02
7.	"We're Gonna Make Ya Dance"	Harrison, Pearson, Ruffin	Darryl "DAY" Pearson	4:23
8.	"If You Were Mine"	Cantrall, Davis	Alex "CAT" Cantrall	4:17
9.	"Bye Bye" (featuring Missy Elliott)	Harrison, Pearson, Melissa Elliott	Darryl "DAY" Pearson	4:05
10.	"Anytime You Want Me"	Cantrall, Joey Priolo, Carl Carr	Alex "CAT" Cantrall	3:40
11.	"Don't Be Afraid"	Cantrall, Priolo	Alex "CAT" Cantrall	4:46
12.	"My First Night with You"	Kenneth Edmonds, Diane Warren	Daryl Simmons	5:38
13.	"Movin' On [Remix]" (featuring Silkk the Shocker)	Harrison, Pearson, Andrews, Vyshonn Miller	Darryl "DAY" Pearson	4:30

Charts and certifications

Chart (1998)	Peak position	Certification	Sales
Billboard 200	29	Platinum	1,400,000
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums	13

Year-end charts

Year	Chart	Rank
1998	Billboard 200	87
	Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums	43
1999	Billboard 200	200

Tour

Main article: Lilith Fair

Nominations

Year	Ceremony	Award	Result
1999	Soul Train Music Awards	Best R&B/Soul or Rap New Artist	Nominated
		Best R&B/Soul Album - Female	Nominated
	Lady of Soul	Best R&B/Soul Song Of The Year, Movin' On	Nominated
	NAACP Image Awards	Outstanding New Artist	Nominated

Personnel

Musicians

• Babyface - Songwriter
• Diane Warren - Songwriter
• Dru Hill - Vocal (bckgr)
• Joey P. - Guitar (Acoustic), Strings, Guitar (Bass), Guitar (Electric)
• Randy Bowland - Guitar
• Ronnie Garrett - Bass

Production

• A. Haqq Islam - Executive Producer
• Daven Baptiste - Artwork, Design
• Darryl Pearson - Producer, Vocal Arrangement
• Daryl Simmons - Drum Programming, Keyboard Programming
• Eldren Hughes - Artwork, Design
• Fred - Mixing Assistant
• Gordon Rice - Engineer
• Ivy Skoff - Production Coordination
• Jason Webb - Assistant Engineer, Mixing Assistant
• Kevin Lively - Assistant Engineer
• Silkk the Shocker - Performer

Release history

Region	Date	Format	Label
Canada	April 21, 1998	Cassette, CD	Universal Music Group
United States			Fontana Records, Interscope Records
Germany	April 28, 1998		Interscope Records
Japan	June 24, 1998		Universal Music Japan
United Kingdom	September 14, 2000		Polydor Records

External links

• MyaMya.com — official site