Planet 9
An American independent record label founded and developed by singer Mýa.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Planet 9 is an American independent record label and creative venture established by singer Mýa Harrison after her separation from Universal Motown. The label emerged from a difficult period in Harrison’s recording career. Her fourth studio album, Liberation, became entangled in release and distribution problems after material was accidentally made available in Japan when the album’s release schedule changed. Rather than continue relying exclusively on the major-label system, Harrison chose to develop a more autonomous business model for recording, financing, engineering, releasing, and promoting her music. The label was formed in 2008, following advice from Harrison’s mentors, including J. Prince. Planet 9 was designed as a flexible platform rather than simply a conventional album imprint. Harrison used different arrangements for different projects, including an exclusive relationship with the Japan-based R&B-oriented label Manhattan Recordings. Through that relationship, Planet 9-associated releases reached Japanese audiences while Harrison retained a high degree of creative and financial control. Sugar & Spice, released in 2008, was self-funded, recorded, and engineered by Harrison and became the first major project of this independent phase. A revised edition, Sugar & Spice: The Perfect Edition, followed in 2009, and K.I.S.S. (Keep It Sexy & Simple) was released in 2011. After the Japan-exclusive projects, Planet 9 supported a series of independently released projects that explored contemporary R&B, dance, club music, and romantic soul. These included the EPs With Love and Sweet XVI in 2014, Love Elevation Suite in 2015, and the album Smoove Jones in 2016. Smoove Jones received a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Album, giving the independent venture recognition beyond its original market strategy. Harrison followed it with TKO (The Knock Out) in 2018, a project associated with the twentieth anniversary of her 1998 debut album. Later releases listed under the Planet 9 period include the 2023 EP Whine (Dance Mix) and the throwback-inspired album Retrospect in 2026. The Planet 9 name has also been extended beyond recorded music. The venture has been associated with apparel and with Planet 9 Fine Wine, an organic vegan wine developed in partnership with Frey Vineyards. This expansion reflects Harrison’s broader approach to the label as a personal brand and lifestyle platform, linking music with fashion, wellness, and consumer products. Planet 9 remains closely identified with Harrison rather than operating as a large multi-artist corporate label. Its significance lies in its artist-led structure, direct control over production and releases, and use of targeted partnerships to distribute independent music internationally.
History
Planet 9 grew out of Mýa Harrison’s transition from major-label recording to artist-controlled independent production. Before establishing the imprint, Harrison had released three studio albums in the United States: Mýa in 1998, Fear of Flying in 2000, and Moodring in 2003. Her early commercial profile included strong chart performance, the successful single “Case of the Ex,” a Grammy win as part of “Lady Marmalade,” and acting work including Chicago. These accomplishments placed her within the mainstream pop and R&B system, but the business circumstances surrounding her next album contributed to a change in direction. After Moodring, Harrison experienced a dispute with management and later moved within the Universal structure from Interscope to Universal Motown. Her fourth studio album, Liberation, encountered serious release complications. A change in the planned release date resulted in the album being made available in Japan prematurely, and portions of the project also circulated online. Rather than pursue a prolonged legal battle, Harrison decided that a more sustainable path would be to control her own recording and release process. Advice from mentors, including J. Prince, helped shape the creation of Planet 9 in 2008. The new label was not intended to follow a single conventional distribution model. Harrison financed, recorded, and engineered her independent work and used selective licensing or exclusive arrangements when they served a particular market. The most prominent early arrangement was with Manhattan Recordings, a Japanese R&B-focused company. Sugar & Spice was issued through that relationship in 2008, followed by Sugar & Spice: The Perfect Edition in 2009 and K.I.S.S. (Keep It Sexy & Simple) in 2011. The releases allowed Harrison to maintain an independent identity while building an international audience through a focused regional partner. Planet 9 subsequently became the umbrella for a continuing sequence of independent projects. Harrison released the R&B-oriented EPs With Love and Sweet XVI in 2014, followed by Love Elevation Suite in 2015. Smoove Jones appeared in 2016 and received a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Album. In 2018, TKO (The Knock Out) commemorated the twentieth anniversary of Harrison’s debut album. The label’s catalog also includes the mixtape Beauty & the Streets Vol. 1 and later material such as Whine (Dance Mix), released in 2023. Retrospect, described as a throwback-inspired ninth studio album, was released in 2026 according to the reference material. The Planet 9 identity has expanded into areas outside recorded music. Harrison used the name for apparel and for Planet 9 Fine Wine, an organic vegan wine developed with Frey Vineyards. These extensions position the imprint as a personal creative and lifestyle brand rather than only a vehicle for album releases. Its history is therefore defined by independence, flexible partnerships, direct artist participation in production, and the attempt to convert a performer’s name and creative control into a broader business platform.
- 2026
Retrospect is released
[1]The throwback-inspired album Retrospect is identified as Harrison’s ninth studio project under the independent era.
- 2023
Whine (Dance Mix) is released
[1]Planet 9’s listed catalog expands with the dance-oriented EP Whine (Dance Mix).
- 2018
TKO marks Mýa’s twentieth anniversary
[1]TKO (The Knock Out) is released in connection with the twentieth anniversary of Harrison’s debut album.
- 2016
Smoove Jones earns Grammy recognition
[1]Smoove Jones receives a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Album.
- 2011
K.I.S.S. is released
[1]K.I.S.S. (Keep It Sexy & Simple), a dance- and club-oriented project, is released through the Japanese partnership.
- 2008
Planet 9 is founded
[1]Mýa Harrison establishes Planet 9 after leaving Universal Motown and pursuing a more independent recording and release model.
- 2008
Sugar & Spice is released
[1]Harrison’s first major independent project under the Planet 9 period is released through the Japan-based Manhattan Recordings relationship.
Products and positioning
An artist-controlled independent music and lifestyle venture emphasizing creative autonomy, self-financed production, selective distribution partnerships, and extensions into apparel and wine.
Studio album · 2008
Sugar & Spice
Released in 2008, Sugar & Spice was Mýa’s first major project associated with Planet 9. She self-funded, recorded, and engineered the project, then issued it through the label’s exclusive arrangement with Manhattan Recordings in Japan. The album represents the label’s initial strategy of combining artist control with a targeted international distribution partner.
Studio album · 2011
K.I.S.S. (Keep It Sexy & Simple)
K.I.S.S. followed the initial Japan-focused releases in 2011. Its sound was oriented toward dance and club music, broadening the range of Planet 9’s independent output beyond the more traditionally R&B-centered material associated with Harrison’s catalog.
EP · 2014
With Love
With Love is a 2014 independent EP released during Planet 9’s continuing post-major-label phase. It belongs to a group of projects that returned Harrison’s work to a relatively R&B-rooted format after the earlier Japan-exclusive album releases.
EP · 2014
Sweet XVI
Sweet XVI was released in 2014 as another short-form Planet 9 project. The EP formed part of Harrison’s steady independent release schedule and reinforced the label’s role as a platform for compact, self-directed projects rather than only full-length albums.
EP · 2015
Love Elevation Suite
Released in 2015, Love Elevation Suite continued Planet 9’s R&B-oriented independent catalog. It preceded Smoove Jones and illustrates Harrison’s use of EPs to maintain creative output and develop themes between larger album releases.
Studio album · 2016
Smoove Jones
Smoove Jones was released in 2016 and became one of Planet 9’s most prominent projects. Its recognition through a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Album gave the independent label wider industry visibility and underscored the viability of Harrison’s artist-led production and release model.
Studio album · 2018
TKO (The Knock Out)
TKO arrived in 2018 as a commemorative project connected to the twentieth anniversary of Mýa’s debut album. It continued Planet 9’s practice of using independently released music to connect Harrison’s earlier mainstream career with her later autonomous catalog.
EP · 2023
Whine (Dance Mix)
Whine (Dance Mix), listed as a 2023 EP, represents a later dance-oriented addition to the Planet 9 catalog and continues the imprint’s interest in club-focused material alongside R&B releases.
Studio album · 2026
Retrospect
Retrospect is described as a throwback-inspired studio album released in 2026. It is identified in the reference material as the ninth studio album of Harrison’s independent period under the Planet 9 identity.
Wine
Planet 9 Fine Wine
Planet 9 Fine Wine extends the label name into consumer goods. Developed in partnership with Frey Vineyards, it is described as an organic vegan wine, linking Harrison’s music identity with a broader lifestyle and wellness-oriented brand platform.
Brand decisions
2008
Move from major-label recording to artist-led independenceStrategyBackground
The premature Japanese release and online circulation of material from Liberation, combined with earlier management and label difficulties, led Harrison to reconsider dependence on the major-label system.
Action taken
Harrison formed Planet 9 and adopted a flexible model involving self-financing, recording, engineering, and selective distribution agreements.
Aftermath
The model produced a continuing independent catalog, beginning with Sugar & Spice and later including Grammy-nominated Smoove Jones.
2008
Use a Japan-focused partnership with Manhattan RecordingsStrategyBackground
Harrison sought a release structure that preserved independence while providing access to an established market and specialist R&B distribution partner.
Action taken
Planet 9 entered a non-exclusive arrangement under which several projects were released exclusively in Japan through Manhattan Recordings.
Aftermath
Sugar & Spice, its revised edition, and K.I.S.S. were issued through the arrangement before Harrison continued with further independent projects.
- Expand the Planet 9 identity into lifestyle productsStrategy
Background
The label developed from a music imprint into a broader personal brand associated with Harrison’s creative and commercial activities.
Action taken
Planet 9 was extended into apparel and Planet 9 Fine Wine, an organic vegan wine made in partnership with Frey Vineyards.
Aftermath
The expansion positioned Planet 9 as a lifestyle venture in addition to an independent record label.
Sources1 sources
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