Mya has turned heads before, but she'll probably raise a few eyebrows as well with her sexually aggressive new hit, My Love Is Like . . . Wo. The risqué lyrics make it clear that she's got the goods, and she's not afraid to use them.
''It's a very cocky song,'' says Mya Harrison, 23, about the Missy Elliott-penned hit. ''Females seem to love it, because they want to say that when they are feeling great about themselves.''
That sensual swagger is just one of the sides Mya shows on her just-released third album, Moodring, a sexier, more personal effort than her 1998 self-titled debut or 2001's Fear of Flying. Though she employed several top-flight producers, including Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Timbaland, Rockwilder and Tricky, Mya took a far greater role in Moodring's writing and overall direction.
''Music has become more than a form of expression for me, a place where I can be my own psychologist,'' she says. ''I'm more than just a girl with a record deal who is put in a video. It's a natural progression where I can vent and feel comfortable talking about how I feel.''
Her moods shift from song to song, but almost all have a little bite. On Step, she warns a rival that she had best make herself scarce. Whatever Bitch dismisses haters whispering about her. Late informs a nervous boyfriend that a certain monthly event is slow in coming.
She shows her sweet side on the steamy No Sleep and Anatomy One-on-One, which she refers to as ''bubble-bath music.''
''I wanted to have my baby-making songs, too,'' she says. ''That's part of my life as well. I might slash your tires, but I'm still lovable.''
Mya has diversified by dabbling in acting. She made a cameo appearance in the 1999 Omar Epps (news) film In Too Deep.
But the singer, a trained tap dancer who has had her sights set on Broadway since she was 12, says that doing the Lady Marmalade remake two years ago for the Moulin Rouge soundtrack really raised her profile. It was key to her landing a small role in the Academy Award-winning Chicago. She won her first Grammy for the song, which also featured Christina Aguilera, Pink and Lil' Kim.
''Chicago was overwhelming because people had doubts about anything following Moulin Rouge as a musical,'' says Mya, who will play a singer in next year's Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights. ''I was just glad to be a part of it.''
Though she says she doesn't want to be viewed as too commercial, she did agree to appear in Coca-Cola's ''Real'' ad campaign. She and rapper Common performed the Eddie Harris/Les McCann classic Compared to What. The full-length song shows up on Moodring as a bonus track.
''I never envisioned myself getting involved in a commercial,'' she says, ''but I got to do a great song, and it wasn't phony, so it worked for me.''