Mýa had one free day in the middle of a busy tour. Just one. And it happened to be her birthday.
If the name rings only a faint bell, here’s a quick reminder. Mýa, whose full name is Mya Marie Harrison, was born Oct 10, 1979, in Washington, D.C. In 2001 she was one of the hottest young singers around. Her cover of “Lady Marmalade” with Christina Aguilera, Pink and Lil’ Kim went to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and won a Grammy.
That same year she got close to Michael Jackson’s world in a big way. A few weeks before her birthday, she was on stage at Madison Square Garden for Michael’s 30th Anniversary Celebration. She sang “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin'” with Usher and Whitney Houston, and the footage still holds up.
Mýa, Usher and Whitney Houston sing for Michael at Madison Square Garden
Not long after that show, Mýa got another invitation. Michael was putting together his all-star charity song, and he wanted her voice on it.
She wasn’t the only one. Mariah Carey, Beyoncé, Celine Dion, Reba McEntire, Luther Vandross, Usher and NSYNC were among the stars who recorded for it.
“Lots of artists were invited to record at a specific studio in New York City,” Mýa told People in 2024.
The catch was her calendar. She was on tour, and the only day she had open between shows was Oct 10. Her 22nd birthday. Plenty of people would have kept that day for themselves. Mýa flew back to New York and went to work.
That was 25 years ago last month, and she has never forgotten how that session went.
Partway through, someone in the studio told her there was a call for her. And it came in on the studio’s own phone.
“Michael called the studio. There was a hard line, a hard phone there with a cord, and it was at the left of the console,” she told People.
Nobody gave her a heads-up about who was waiting on the other end. “I was told that I had a call and no one told me who it was.”
So she picked up, not knowing she was about to hear from the man whose song she was singing on.
Michael didn’t open with notes about her vocals. He didn’t jump into business either.
“He just started by singing ‘Happy Birthday.'”
The King of Pop, on a corded studio phone, singing “Happy Birthday” to a 22-year-old singer who had given up her day off for his song. Mýa never forgot how that felt.
“It was so nice of him,” she said. “Of course, he’s a busy guy.” And then, “I’ll never forget that moment. It means a lot.”
In this interview, Mýa looks back on singing for Michael.
Mýa talks about singing for Michael Jackson
It’s a small thing, really. A song most of us have sung at a hundred birthday parties, over a phone line by a mixing console.
Still, more than 20 years later, she told People it means a lot. Michael knew exactly what day it was, and he wanted her to hear it from him first.