Why R&B singer Mya gave up sex for seven years

She starred in the racy Moulin Rouge hit Lady Marmalade – but singer Mya reveals that offstage, she couldn’t have been more different.

R&B singer Mýa does not regret practising celibacy for seven years – in fact, she encourages it.

The 44-year-old was a guest on the Way Up with Angela Yee show and admitted that during her celibacy period, she had the most “mental clarity.”

“Just doing without, it shifted my mindset,” Mýa shared of her journey. “It was no longer a focus. The rush to be in a relationship, the rush to be married, the rush to be in something because that’s what you’re taught to do — to have kids or procreate. And I think there’s a lot of pressure on women to be able to do that.”

Mýa went on to share that self-love was important to her during this period.

Lil' Kim, Pink, Mya and Christina Aguilera in the Lady Marmalade video.

Mya says she had an extreme reaction to the early sexualisation she experienced in her career.

“Love is beautiful, and I think the world always needs more of it, but I think you must start with yourself,” she said. “And I have to start with self always, versus expecting from other sources.”

She concluded with, “So it was just reconditioning. I think it’s something that was necessary because it’s a very spiritual thing. And you must be very selective if you want better results. That self-accountability started with me by shutting that part of my life off.”

Mya (at right) said her racy early image was the “opposite” of who she really was.

Mýa being deemed a “sex symbol” early on in her career as one of the reasons she became celibate.

“There’s a lot of things that are said about you and you ingest all of that … at an early age,” she said. “And then the aesthetic you may come with is totally opposite of who you actually really are, and it intersects in your life when you’re trying to date or maybe taking photos with other celebrities, and so it can get very tricky.”

Mýa continued, “But I think a lot of things that are sacred should just remain private, for me until, of course, I’m solid, and I’m ready and the foundation of us is together, and even then it’s a risk. So I don’t really play with that part of my life publicly.”

This story originally appeared on Fox News and is republished here with permission

Originally published as Why R&B singer Mya gave up sex for seven years