January 27, 2004 @ 11:09 pm

Mya's Mood

by: Mariel Concepcion

Vibe Online writer, Mariel Concepcion, got a chance to ride with Mya and they shared girl talk about everything from her latest album, Moodring, to relationships, and those steamy lap dances she’s been giving to male concert goers at her performances. This is what Mya had to say…

VIBEOnline: I have my own ideas about why this album is titled Moodring. I feel in the same way a mood ring changes color based on feelings and emotions. With the touch of a button your mood also goes through changes while navigating through the tracks in Moodring. The album represents every high and every low possible a person can have. What were you thinking when you came up with the title for this album? Mya: My idea - not that I was in love at the time - it was a combination of experiences and attitude over the course of three years. My life is always changing, and it's never just about one thing. It's never consistent. There's different kinds of music, like "Take a Picture," which is acoustic. There's a wedding song, "You," and a bubble bath song in "Anatomy." A riding song like "Fallen." Then of course your club stuff like "Hurry Up" and "Leave and Step Back." "Sophisticated Lady" is the funk, and the techno one is "Whatever Bitch." Then there's the dark, vengeful side of Mya like "Taste This," really just soft and bitter, but it captures a whole lot of stuff that I was going through. Also the way I was singing. I don't sound like the same person in each song, I don't sound like the same artist. I portray the different colors in my voice, my attitude, and my experiences. VO: I read in an interview that initially you weren't comfortable with the lyrics to "My Love is LikeÂ… Wo." How can you make yourself appear natural onstage when you give lap dances to random people you've selected from the audience when you feel uncomfortable singing lyrics like, "My Ass is LikeÂ…Wo"? M: Well, that was two years ago when I recorded the song. Lady Marmalade was just happening for me. I was going through a transitional point in my life. With that and then Chicago happening, I had some stability in my career. I grew up since then. Sometimes I do feel like that. It's okay to express yourself. It was more about teasing a man confidently and cocky-like. I think the title of the album helps me make my decisions. We all want to say it and we all should once in a while. VO: I don't know if you noticed, but the kid you brought on the stage for your lap dance at the show at Avalon didn't take his eyes off of you the rest of the night while Busta performed. I think he really thought you guys had a connection! M: Well, it's good to make a life-lasting impression on people. VO: How do you feel about people all of a sudden being focused on your sexuality? People are like, "all of a sudden Mya is so sexual!" How do you respond to that? M: I am in touch with my sexuality. People are probably thinking of the transition from the Rugrats video. I've always been like this. When people interview you and don't quote you 100 percent, then half of your comment is deleted. I don't take it seriously. I know who I am. That's what sells. That's what keeps you alive and paying bills. You have to understand that you are going to have to be sinful to succeed in life and that's a reality. I just say I'm living and if people have something to say, that's cool, I don't mind. I enjoy criticism. I enjoy opinions but everyone is entitled to their own. And it takes a lifetime to really know somebody, so I don't worry about it. It's funny how people who criticize things are the first to go ahead and entertain them selves with the same stuff. VO: What are your three favorite albums so far this year? M: Floetry, R. Kelly, and Dave Hollister. VO: Phobias, fetishes, any? M: I'm not messing with spiders. I won't go in the same room where I see spiders. Height, that's not my thing. Bungie jumping...? I don't think I'll ever do it. I like shoes. I'm not a bag girl, but boots and shoes. I don't wear too many hats and glasses. I'm also really getting into wigs, I'm becoming like a wig fanatic, I just try different things. I was wearing a short wig in my spare time. VO: What is your favorite part of a man's body? M: Well, we all know what that is. As far as attraction, I f your arms are exposed and your arms are cut! It would have to be the upper body like the shoulders, the arms, the chest, the wrists.. VO: The wrists? All the way down to the wrists, Mya? M: (Laughing) That's how they hold themselves up, so that's important. You have to check if they can hold themselves up. VO: Lastly, for the people who suggest that there isn't enough controversy around Mya, what would you say to them? M: I agree with that. It's probably because I've had constant relationships since my first album dropped. I had a boyfriend for three years, and I was in a relationship for two-and-a-half years after that. I've been in this business for six years now and I've been taken. I'm single now and that's probably the reason I haven't been out or on the red carpet with people. A lot of stuff has happened in my life with my family-divorce, breast cancer. It shut me down from having fun so I tried to stay away from the parties. I was in my shell and I felt if I shared that too early people would get turned off by me. That's all. When it comes to those escapes, or my relationship, or my family, because it is so serious to me, I probably won't discuss it if I haven't figured it out yet. But if I'm with you and I'm solid, I feel very comfortable sharing it, that's all. VO: So what happened with those relationships? M: People grow apart. Maybe because I didn't share it with the world, maybe it took longer for me to figure out because it was just between us, and then maybe other people would have helped me determine what was real or not for me, but I just wanted to see it for myself. People grow apart, you know. It's a whole journey. I'm not upset about it. That's what it was. We are still friends. No hard feelings.

Article tags: Mya's, Mood 

del.icio.us digg Furl Reddit YahooMyWeb

Page printed from:
http://www.vibe.com/news/online_exclusives/2004/01/myas_mood/

Return to previous page