As hard as it is to believe, it's been 16 years since your favorite rapper's heartthrob Mya dropped her self-titled debut album, which spawned the hit singles "Movin' On" and "It's All About Me."
Now, the Washington, D.C., native celebrates her career birthday by dropping a new EP, Sweet XVI. Mya has always kept her music in tune with what was hot at the moment, and on this seven-song release — the sequel to her With Love EP, which dropped back in February — the 34-year-old starlet brings her sound full circle.

Sweet XVI started out strong by enlisting the talented Eric Bellinger for "Same Page," a track on which Mya highlights the benefits of communication and compromise in a healthy relationship with lines like, "Even though we love to fight/We don't wanna waste no time/We shut up and just apologize/No matter who's wrong or who's right."
The seductive songstress offered more inspiration via tracks like "Superwoman" and "Unbreakable," the latter of which utilizes an uptempo pop friendly sound heavy with piano to convey her message of perseverance and positivity. "I've had so many wrongs that I've lost count/But it made me who I am and I wouldn't change a thing/'Cause he crown me like a king."
Sweet XVI then continues to dance all over the place sonically, moving to the synth-heavy banger "M.O.N.E.Y.," which leans on the ATL hip hop sound, and then the racy "Right Now," which features Mya doing her own background vocals with Auto-Tune, then shifting to an old school hip hop-flavored beat on the catchy "Cherry Lips." The tracks flow consistently despite their differences.
Despite a decrease in her exposure due to her leaving the major label mix in 2009, seasoned veteran Mya continues to show growth. Sweet XVI is a nice reminder that her singing is still like "Wo."

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(Photo: Planet 9 Records)