Mýa is the latest guest on ‘The Jason Lee Show‘ and she’s opening up about surviving abuse, finding true self-love, becoming a vegan, her new music, her new goals and passions, plus so much more.
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Mýa Appears On ‘The Jason Lee Show’ To Talk Colorism, Veganism, Self-Love, Marriage And Motherhood, And More
Mýa has spent decades being one of the most recognizable women in music, but her conversation with host Jason Lee reveals the woman behind the image in a way fans rarely get to see. She arrives to set graceful, thoughtful, and surprisingly vulnerable as she opens up about the lessons that come with longevity, independence, heartbreak, and learning how to choose yourself over everything that no longer serves you.
One minute she’s talking about colorism, veganism, fasting, and the wellness routine that keeps her looking timeless. In the next, she’s reflecting on surviving an abusive relationship, finding her voice after years of silence, and the painful experiences that ultimately led her to a deeper sense of self-love. The effortless look of peace in which she radiates is actually the result of decades of healing, discipline, faith, and hard-earned wisdom. However, viewers shouldn’t mistake her calmness for passivity.
Mýa gets candid about navigating the music industry independently, protecting her privacy in an era built on oversharing, and why she’s never felt pressured to follow society’s timeline for marriage, motherhood, or happiness. She discusses her new album ‘Retrospect,’ collaborating with icons like Snoop Dogg and Too Short, her dreams of living around the world, and the purpose-driven legacy she hopes to leave behind through her music, philanthropy, and future projects.
Mýa is showing up her most authentic: reflective, inspiring, funny, and deeply personal. She is looking back on everything she’s survived while proving she’s still evolving, still creating, and still very much writing her next chapter on her own terms.
Mýa Talks Colorism And Veganism, And How She Maintains Youthful Beauty At 46
As the interview opens, Mýa gets real about colorism after Jason Lee shares that they both are Black and Italian. When asked if she has ever experienced colorism, the singer confirms she has. She went on to explain that her father has a history major, so she got all the lessons first-hand. She said:
“He’s always stressed and mentioned that, ‘Hey it’s crazy world out there. You’re going to hear a lot of ignorant things but you were made out of love.’ That’s the most important thing. You know Black, White, that’s not the only thing. It’s a whole globe and other cultures.”
Lee moved on to compliment Mýa and compare her beauty and likeness to Sade. He then asked how she still remains so youthful and beautiful at 46. The vegan singer admitted all of her secrets and regimen to be able to get compliments like, “You literally have not aged at all.”
“I have changed. I have matured. I have aged and I’m proud of my age and aging. Okay? So, I don’t disown that. I’ve come into my womanly body, thankfully. But, of course, I’m vegan. Okay? And I’m still on my journey of trying to eliminate a lot of things, right? I don’t do soda. I don’t do alcohol, like liquor. I do my wine from time to time, but I’ve cut that back. My problem is salt and processed vegan food. And so I try to balance that out with whole foods, plant-based, hopefully raw or like not so overcooked.
Because that’s where you get your nutrients and your enzymes and then your cellular level is upgraded when you do mostly whole foods that are not killed off, meaning the nutrients that you need by overcooking. And we overcook in this culture. So I do a lot of that. Sometimes I fast every few weeks for 72 hours, 24 hours here. No eating. Just liquids, you know water, lemon, cayenne pepper, ginger, turmeric. All those things to reset ’cause we’re not technically supposed to be eating every day in nature, but we don’t live there anymore, right? So I do a lot of fasting because I eat a lot. I eat a lot.”
Mýa Reveals How She Turned To Veganism
Mýa continued to explain how she turned vegan and what made her go plant-based. She said she was first pescatarian and then became vegetarian. She started it all off doing “willpower challenges” as she embarked on her independent journey, leaving the major label system to become an independent artist, and person altogether.
She said her starting off with no steak and then became pescatarian, just seafood. She shared that she is a Maryland girl, so she was loving her crab and all. Then she advanced into vegetarianism, but got into a relationship and backpedaled on her journey, “eating everything under the sun.” She said gained 35 pounds and stayed away from the cameras. She ended up leaving the relationship and went back on her journey.
Mýa continued to share that sleep is a non-negotiable for her, especially as a singer. She said the first thing that goes is your voice if you don’t get enough sleep. The singer went on to speak about how she gained peace and maintains it. She also talked about the going on a journey of self-love and the power of choosing yourself.
Mýa Talks Journey To Self-Love After Experiencing All Forms Of Abuse In Past Relationship
She recalled her parents’ split, her mother’s health issues, and more which led to her journaling and seeking self-love. She said she really experienced fully loving on herself after enduring a really tough relationship. She said she had to dig really deep after the breakup. She said,
“I adjusted and conformed to something. I did something against what my spirit was supposed to be aligned with just by being there for him. But you live and you learn. I don’t regret anything ’cause sometimes those are the best things that do happen to you to propel you into a space that you belong to become a healer, to become a more wise woman. So, it was necessary for me to wake up. but also relate to other women and what they go through with narcissism, abuse, and verbal abuse, financial abuse, physical abuse, all of that stuff. So, it really opened my eyes up.”
When Lee asked Mýa if she experienced physical abuse herself, she said, “I went through everything.” She continued to open up about her dealings with abuse and how it’s important to know when to walk away. After opening up about her experience with abuse, Mýa talked about healing. She revealed her niece helped open her eyes and give her the wakeup call to leave.
Mýa Talks New Album ‘Retrospect‘ And Shares Thoughts On Today’s Music
With Lee, the singer continued to share her thoughts on why men are still obsessed with her after first breaking onto the music scene in the 90s. The singer then talked about her new album, ‘Retrospect,’ and how she titled the project and curated it.
After talking about her album’s features, Mýa shared how she navigates today’s music industry. Lee mentioned how some artists today are driven by and chasing clout, charts, TikTok success, etc. She said:
“Well, it starts with me and what I want to hear and what feels good. Of course, I do a lot of test runs to see what they’re feeling. Whether it’s on live or feeding certain singles here and there. Like, “Give It To You,” the very first song of the album I released last year just to see what the vibe and reaction was. “Face to Face” even, I released it last year. But you can do research nowadays. I don’t feel the need to keep up with anything, but I like to learn. to see, oh, how I can use this platform if it’s going to be something that can help or enhance the project or the single or whatever. So, anything kind of goes. I’m really bad with social media. It’s so difficult for me to keep up with that stuff. But, you know, you can hire a social media team. Anyhow, it’s been fun learning it. But I think my whole issue is I come from the days of things having to always be together and perfect. I really admire all these kids that shoot raw videos on the phone and you look crazy and you know you got your headscarf or your bonnet on filming. Miss Patti [LaBelle] will not allow that. Right? She she comes from a whole different era. You don’t show up anywhere in your sweats or your sneakers. Yeah. So, I’m kind of like in the middle of that generation and then the new generation trying to acclimate and adjust because I do want to learn and take advantage because I’m also independent, investing my own money in this thing, but it doesn’t govern, right? It doesn’t govern the art. It doesn’t govern my choices. It’s just like the cherry on top if you got time.”
Mýa Reveals Her Other Passions Besides Music — Like Acting, And Writing A Memoir
Mýa said she opens to all things social media, even streaming. She said, depending on the platform and the energy, she down to hop on someone’s stream.
When asked if she has other passions besides music, the singer said she wants to leave the United States of America to become a nomad and travel the world.
“I want to see the world. I want to live in different areas and countries and continents and travel about and not be married to one place and experience other cultures and music and dance and maybe do a travel show. I’m big into wellness. I love food. So, I love to cook as well. Those are my passions. Yes to books, a memoir, audio books as well, as well as starter guide. I’ve enhanced it since. So, cook cookbook and a a guide, you know, for the traveling vegan as well. And so many other things. I have a foundation, the Mya Arts and Tech Foundation. So that’s really important to me. But building it with knowledge and awareness of self is more important now to implement as far as knowing who you are and and the truth for I would say disadvantaged youth.”
Mýa said she still wants to dive deeper into becoming an actress. She shared that Broadway was her first goal before she got her record deal. After getting her deal and becoming a singer, she ended up playing different roles on TV and film. She said she would return to Broadway if the opportunity really made sense and touched her spirit.
Mýa continued to open up her thoughts on writing a memoir. When Lee asked her how down and dirty she planned to get, she confirmed she “can’t do names.” When asked how she would artistically tell her story, she said, “I would probably get in a film and act my behind off.”
Mýa Opens Up About Thoughts On Mortality And Her Legacy
Mýa later revealed how she “thinks about mortality everyday” as Lee continued to transition into questions about her legacy. She teased that one of her albums that she’s been working on “will outlive” her. She said she took some of her traumas and healing journey and put it all in the music. She said that for sure is part of her legacy and can be listeners as a guide.
When asked about her previous comments about wanting kids, Mýa clarified:
“I never said that. I said it hadn’t been the focal point. I think the narrative online has taken a soundbite in which Melyssa Ford asked me, ‘You can have your pick of the litter in men. How come you haven’t tied the knot with anybody, etc., etc., or we don’t see you outside like that?’ I said, ‘ Well, it actually hasn’t been the focal point or the center of my life.’ That was my answer. Nor have kids because it would obviously take another person, that of course, I want to be my best friend, that I want to be deeply in love with. But past that, is it functional? Are we financially stable? Is it conducive to my lifestyle right now while I’m hustling, grinding, being an example and laying the foundation for independent women, building a label so that I protect other women coming up.
I mean, there’s something else calling me at the moment. I’m open to all things was my answer. And I think children are beautiful. I just don’t think I’ve ever had… I would say the desire to make it the forefront, end all be all, priority in my life you know ever since I was fertile, but I’m so open to all of that. And if it ever becomes technically or biologically too late, there’s so many children in the world that need parents I want to adopt lots of kids like a Rainbow Tribe to teach them how to love each other. When you’re financially well off, you got people to help. You know, and I actually do want to be present when it’s time.
But I’m also a mother in other ways. I’m a godmother, which is so fun. I’m an auntie which I enjoy—as I do have to commit to I think my calling but also in a different space the independent space is very demanding. And I’m committed because I really love music and I don’t think people have received the best of me just yet. And I am growing at rapid rates in every aspect and and area of my life that I know once I reach my full potential and threshold, okay the desire might kick in,
But, I also think that has a lot to do with feeling safe, being understood, lots of communication, years of work knowing that that’s your person you know, and making sure that they’re a great father, they want to be a father. If you’re biologically going to have children, that’s as far as what I want. And that might take some time. And people, women do it after 50, after 55. Even a woman recently just had a kids at 60. But if I never have kids, there are other options to adopt. But I mean, I didn’t never say I didn’t want kids. I just said it hasn’t been the focal point. And it hasn’t actually kicked in where the craving and baby fever and all that stuff has ever been the forefront of my life. And I think I probably know why, ’cause I’ve been in work mode for a mission that was assigned to me ,where I take care of others, and I do take care of others, in so many ways right now. But yeah, children are beautiful. So and men are beautiful too.”
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Mýa Gets Real About Her Thoughts On Marriage And Wanting Kids
The singer continued to clarify that although she is single without a husband and kids, she is not lonely. She declared that she is not seeking that out right now as she is busy living her life, continuing her career, and taking care of the loved ones currently in her life.
Mýa went on to recall her viral stunt where she put on a white wedding dress, leaving fans wondering if she secretly got married. However, after the headlines, she later revealed that she had married herself. While addressing the entire situation, the singer admitted, “It was a gag.” But, she added, “I didn’t actually know what it was going to be, but I know that the world has been fixated on the white wedding dress. Girls since Disney princess movies, ‘Forever,’ ‘Happily ever after story.'”
The singer said the moment was promotion for her song, “The Truth,” on which she co-wrote with Lucky Daye. She said the song was about falling in love with yourself and she wrote it on her self-love healing journey. She said it was to combat the “happily ever after” narratives and to go back and focus on being their for ones self before loving someone else and letting them love you, wholly.
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Mýa Reveals Her Musical Influences And Which Celebrities She Would ‘Smash Or Pass’
The singer also talked about her musical influences from the 70s, 80s, 90s, etc. She mentioned how her father had vinyls and played music a lot growing up. She shared how he is a performer and her mother would manage his independent record label business, TMC Productions.
Naming her influences, Mýa mentioned: Faith Evans, Mary J. Blige, Monica, Brandy, Aaliyah, SWV, Xscape, Kut Klose, En Vogue, Teena Marie, Evelyn Champagne King, Patrice Rushen, Mary Jane Girls, Stephanie Mills, Melvin Moore, Vanity 6, Shiela E, Minnie Ripperton, Stevie Wonder, Donnie Hathaway, O’Bryan, Lalah Hathaway, Cameo, Kool And The Gang, The Commodores, Confunkshun, The O’Jays, Shalamar, Atlantic Starr, Midnight Star, Earth, Wind & Fire, and more.
After speaking about her thoughts on todays’s music versus the music then, Mýa spoke on the music from which we all came to know and love her. Finally, at the end of the interview, she played a game of “Smash or Pass.” During the segment, Mýa shared her thoughts on: Klay Thompson, Michael B. Jordan, Bad Bunny, Tyriq Withers, NE-YO, Blueface, Joyner Lucas, and NLE Choppa.
#Socialites, be sure to check out the full episode below, then leave us your thoughts in a comment after!