May 19, 2026 3:06pm PT

Mya Discusses How Classic ’80s Funk Inspired New Album ‘Retrospect’ and Why Going Independent Changed Her Approach to Music

Steven J. Horowitz

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Steven J. Horowitz

Senior Music Writer

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Courtesy of David Niacaris

When Mya began conceptualizing what would become her ninth album “Retrospect,” she knew she needed to subsume herself in a sound that both played to her performance strengths and spoke to where she’s at in life. “I wanted to turn it up a notch,” she tells Variety of the funk-powered record that arrived last Friday. “I feel like in my career I haven’t had the type of tempo music that supports one of the greatest assets of Mya. I’m a party girl, but people wouldn’t know it because I’m so laid back. I’m still the same girl from ‘Case of the Ex.’ I’m just in my grown era.”

Mya Discusses How Classic '80s Funk Inspired New Album 'Retrospect' and Why Going Independent Changed Her Approach to Music