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Mya on New Album ‘Retrospect’: How ’80s Funk and Independence Fueled Her Creative Fire

Mya’s ninth album “Retrospect” embraces ’80s funk, a sound she tells Variety allows her to “turn it up a notch” and reflects her current life and performance strengths. Her independent career also shaped the album’s direction.

Variety Music·May 19, 2026·via Variety Music

Mya on New Album ‘Retrospect’: How ’80s Funk and Independence Fueled Her Creative Fire

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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

By Steven J. Horowitz

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Steven J. Horowitz

Senior Music Writer

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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.”