LL Cool J and Omar Epps. She continued to appear in supporting roles in films such as Chicago (2002), Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights (2004), Shall We Dance? (2004), and Cursed (2005). Harrison's contribution to music has earned her many accolades in the fields of pop and R&B music categories. In 2009, Billboard listed Mýa as one of their Hot 100 Artists of the 2000s; placing her in the 97th position. As of October 2020, she has sold over 3.2 million albums in the U.S. and 7 million albums worldwide. Early life Mya Harrison, a native of Washington, D.C., is one of three children. Her father Sherman is a musician and singer, and her mother Theresa worked as an accountant. She grew up in suburban Washington D.C. with her two younger brothers Chaz and Nijel. Mýa took violin lessons throughout her childhood, but dance was her primary after-school activity. She started ballet lessons in 1982 when she was only two and jazz and tap when she was four. Her tap-dancing skills afforded her an opportunity to study with one of the best-known tap dancers in the country, Savion Glover, when he came to Washington, D.C. for a workshop. Glover later chose Mýa for a solo spot in a dance performance at the Kennedy Center. When he realized that his daughter was serious about a career in music, Mýa's father began shopping around with her demo tape, eventually catching the interest of University Music president and CEO Haqq Islam. After graduating from Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Greenbelt, Maryland at 16, Mýa took a few classes at the University of Maryland, College Park, but her primary focus was on the recording studio. Career 1996–1999: Debut with Mýa After signing with major label Interscope Records, Mýa spent the next two years recording her debut studio album. Using his connections, Islam was able to hire an elite team of collaborators to work with her, including Missy Elliott, Babyface, Diane Warren, Dru Hill, Darryl Pearson and Silkk Tha Shocker, while the staff at Interscope had envisioned to market Mýa as their main female R&B artist, competing with fellow teen singers Aaliyah, Brandy and Monica. Released in April 1998 to generally favorable reviews, Mýa peaked at number 29 on the US Billboard 200 and sold 1.4 million copies domestically. It received a platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), denoting shipments to US