Mya Harrison has long been a talented singer, songwriter and dancer, as well as one of the most aesthetically enchanting women to walk the planet.
And just in time for Summer 2026, she returns with a fun and funky, electric and electro-influenced album called Retrospect.
Retrospect pays homage to a pre-New Jack Swing world where Roland TR-808s, LinnDrums and early Yamaha synthesizers ruled the airwaves and Mya’s lilting and enthusiastic voice is perfect for the early-to-middle 1980s material, co-produced by the singer herself and her collaborative partner Lamar “MyGuyMars” Edwards.
The only thing that might disarm an old-school devotee of Electro/Boogie is the number of guest rap verses.
The hot 16 contributions come from legends like Snoop Dogg (“No Pressure”) and Too $hort (“Just A Little Bit”) as well as current rappers Joyner Lucas (“Ain’t Another”), 21 Savage (“A.S.A.P. remix”), DMV homeboy Phil Ade (“Face To Face DMV remix”) and Dizzy Wright (“Games With My Love”).
D-Nice, the creator of the virtual party era, introduces the album as a trip back to 1985 on “Give It To You” as well.
The good news is the features don’t take away from Mya’s vision of honoring the music she grew up loving.
It’s clear she can hold her own with the music, especially on a mid-tempo smoker like “Good To You”, the emotional “Just Call My Name” and a solo version of “Face To Face.”
Retrospect took three years to record and five years to release thanks to the challenge of being an independent artist, as Mya released this set on her Planet 9 label.
Even with the delays, nothing on Retrospect feels dated or out of place, as we can never have enough good time music.
Nostalgia can be a funny thing as we often think of the things we grew up on as being better or different than the world we find ourselves in currently.
Retro Pop/R&B/Soul/Funk plays on the longing for a return to that musical infrastructure and in the wrong hands, it can be hokey and cheesy at best, horrendous and a cash grab at worst.
Luckily for lovers of those genres, Mya is a student of the game and Retrospect is an enthusiastic and strong assignment that gets a high-level passing grade.
Listen to Retrospect:
