Mya

People often compare Ciara to Janet Jackson but there is another artist with the voice and the moves to better follow in the footsteps of the Pop culture icon. Mya is by face one of the most talented dancers of her generation but her career was derailed during the mid-2000s and Way Back Wednesday is here to address what went wrong.

Mya can perform tap, ballroom and Hip-Hop dance styles with incredible skill, and her silky voice perfectly suits the styles of contemporary R&B. Yet, she has sunk to the pits of irrelevance without any signs of a chart revival. Frankly, her career is seemingly over.

So, what exactly went wrong? Why has one of the promising Urban artists basically vanished from the charts? Watch the videos for some of her memorable hits as I offer my ever-humble opinion:

“The Best of Me (Ft. Jadakiss)”

“Case of the Ex”

“Fallen”

“Free”

“Ghetto Superstar (with Pras & Ol’ Dirty Bastard)”

“Lady Marmalade (with Pink, Lil Kim & Christina Aguilera)”

“Lock U Down (Ft. Lil Wayne)”

“Movin’ On (Ft. Sikk the Shocker)”

“My Love is Like…Wo”

“Ridin”

Mya’s career decline for several reasons, such as label drama, a damaged public image from her feud with members of G-Unit and and the changing landscape of the R&B genre. However, the real root of Mya’s problems is her lack of focus and determination.

Unlike other struggling acts who were more popular in the early 2000s – Ciara, Ashanti and Brandy – Mya obviously has little interest in a music career. Rather, she detoured into acting before focusing more on dance and now travels the world to perform in random clubs.

It appears as though music isn’t on Mya’s agenda and it is such a shame. She can dance better than any female entertainer in the game today and her voice is far more versatile than several of her peers. What a gross waste of talent.

What is the best Mya song? What is the best tune from those listed above? Vote in our Way Back Wednesday poll and share your opinion!