On Sherri, Sherri Shepherd and Mýa picked up their conversation like two friends catching up backstage, except the stories involved Grammys pressure, surprise Spanish scripts, and a career pivot sparked by Prince.
If you’ve ever wondered how artists keep it together when live TV throws a curveball, Mýa’s got a masterclass.
When award shows go off-script (and you still have to smile)
By The Legal Eye
Sherri set the tone by bringing up a funny Grammys moment she’d seen, a split-second mix-up where Cher reportedly thought she was seeing Luther Vandross. That kind of live-show confusion is relatable, even when it’s happening under stage lights and camera zooms.
Mýa’s answer was basically, “Oh yes,” and then she topped it with her own nightmare scenario. She recalled presenting during a pre-show with no real read-through, only blocking. So when it came time to open the envelope and deliver the lines, she discovered the entire card was in Spanish.
Not “one or two words” Spanish. Full-on Spanish.
Luckily, she’d just gotten back from Central America and had been brushing up, but the surprise still hit hard. Her mindset in that moment was simple and very real: pull it together, quickly.
Mýa’s 2002 “Lady Marmalade” Grammy moment still feels unreal
The conversation shifted to a core memory for pop and R&B fans: the 2002 Grammy win for “Lady Marmalade.” Mýa described the night as “surreal,” especially because it wasn’t just a performance moment, it was peer recognition. Standing alongside the other powerhouse women on the record, then having the song celebrated in that room, hit different.
She also called out the thrill of honoring Patti LaBelle, describing her as “the queen” and framing the moment as bigger than trophies. It was about being in the presence of artists you respect, while the industry you grew up watching looks back and says, “We see you.”
That’s the part fans don’t always get from highlight reels: an awards show isn’t only about the camera angles. It’s also about the energy in the room when your name is attached to a record that everybody knows.
The “voulez-vous” lyric question, explained the clean way
Sherri admitted she loved the lyrics to “Lady Marmalade,” but as a kid, she didn’t fully understand what the famous French line meant. She said a French actor (she referred to him as Omar) explained it later.
Mýa confirmed she did know what the lyric meant by the time she recorded the song, but she also shared that she’d been singing it way younger, around 8 years old, without understanding the full meaning. She found out right before recording, partly because she asks a lot of questions, and someone made sure she had the context ahead of time.
Her takeaway was also telling: delivering that bold, flirty message felt easier as part of a group, instead of having to carry that tone alone. The “Lady Marmalade” magic wasn’t just the hook, it was the shared confidence.
A Janet Jackson collaboration is still on Mýa’s wish list
When Sherri asked who Mýa would love to collaborate with or tour with, Mýa didn’t hesitate. Janet Jackson sits high on her list.
It made perfect sense with how she described it. Mýa loves touring, loves performing, loves entertainment, and Janet is basically the blueprint for the full-package stage show. Sherri immediately started imagining the staging: a back-and-forth duet, dance breaks, and that kind of controlled, grown-woman chemistry that reads from the nosebleeds to the front row.
Mýa kept it humble and open, saying she hadn’t mapped out the details yet, but she’d be down for whatever Janet would want to do, and she’d be fangirling every night.
Prince’s call and the decision to go independent
One of the biggest reveals came when Sherri brought up Mýa leaving major labels and going independent early, before it became a popular move.
Mýa explained that when she first made the shift, she didn’t fully understand what being independent meant in total. Then a certain icon reached out, someone who understood the business and wanted to guide her through it.
That icon was Prince.
According to Mýa, Prince reinforced that this was the direction, and he offered support along the way. When someone like Prince tells you “this is the way,” it lands as more than advice. It’s a push to trust your instincts and learn fast.
Mýa also made it clear she sees value in both systems. She came up through majors, and she respects what they can do. Independence, though, gave her creative freedom and more control over what’s happening at all times. She even shouted out her mom as her accountant, keeping the books straight since 1998, with the kind of family oversight that doesn’t let anything slide.
More than money, she framed independence as a way to protect the joy of making music, keeping it honest and childlike, without business pressure leading the process.
“ASAP” is about urgency, honesty, and saving the love
Sherri celebrated Mýa’s new single, “ASAP,” and Mýa broke down the inspiration in a way that felt personal, not packaged.
She described growing up with vinyl 45s and a musical living room. Her dad is a musician. Her mom is creative, a roller skater, and someone who made costumes and clothes. That home life built a foundation of music and warmth, plus real examples of love, including skating rink culture and those “couples skate” moments where feelings were out in the open.
In Mýa’s words, “ASAP” is about the urgency of communication when something shifts in a relationship, plus taking accountability. She even joked that you rarely hear a woman say, “I was wrong,” and then leaned into that exact balance: you were wrong, but I was wrong too. The point is caring enough to talk before it’s too late.
She also confirmed what fans wanted to hear next: a tour is coming, and the album is done, mixed, mastered, and set to drop in the spring. She described the project as rooted in her roots, with inspirations like Teena Marie, Prince, Rick James, Stevie Wonder, Gap Band, and SOS Band, channeling the block party, the basement, and the skating rink. The theme is joy, on purpose.
To keep up with the show that hosted the moment, follow Sherri on the official pages, including the Sherri YouTube channel, Sherri’s Instagram, and Sherri’s TikTok. For show updates, visit Sherri’s official site.
Conclusion
Mýa’s interview landed because it stayed human. A Spanish cue card, a surreal Grammy flashback, a Janet Jackson dream, and a Prince phone call that helped shape her independence, it all connected back to one idea: protect the joy, then share it loud. With “ASAP” out now and a spring album and tour on deck, this era sounds like Mýa choosing her own pace, and making it feel like a party.
Learn more about Pulse of Fame and our editorial team. Want to weigh in? Join the conversation in the Pulse of Fame community forum.
Related: Joe Budden Tells All on Club Shay Shay: Podcast Power, and Where Media Goes Next
