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Mickey Guyton is setting out to prove that “country music is for everyone.”
Guyton, a trailblazer in the genre, opened up about her road to success in a new interview with ELLE. Guyton — who is set to host A Capitol Fourth on the Fourth of July — recalled everything from growing up listening to country music to walking into meetings with label executives and others questioning her future in country music. Now, the “Remember Her Name” singer is motivated to help open the door for other Black artists to be successful.
“I’ve been the only Black woman in the room from a very early age. As much change as we’re seeing, there’s still so much work to be done,” Guyton said while speaking with ELLE, in a video she shared on Instagram. “I remember when I first was pursuing country music, there was a meeting I took at a record label, and I could tell one of the label heads was questioning me and my authenticity, and grilling me on country music and if I knew it or not. Country music and gospel and R&B, they have a way closer relationship than people think. I mean, the banjo came from Africa. I realize that it was not enough to just see one Black person every 15 to 25 (or) 30 years make it. We need to see a sea of people of color — Black people — make it in this industry. That is how you truly find change.”
Guyton, a history-making artist, is working on her music and aiming to promote change to help others. She wrote in her Instagram caption on Monday (June 13): “When the odds are stacked against me, what keeps me going is knowing that I can hold the door open for other Black artists. Be the support that I needed when I was starting out in music. That's what keeps me going.”
See her post here: