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Mickey Guyton released a powerful anthem to celebrate International Women’s Day on Friday (March 8). The Texas-born singer-songwriter debuted “Woman,” her first release of 2024 with more on the way, per her record label. Guyton wrote “Woman” with Victor Franco, Oliver Frid, Kameron Glasper and Tayla Parx.
“I loved the idea of writing a song that celebrates the power women have,” Guyton said in a statement. “Throughout history and even today, women have taken pain, setbacks, and doubt, and they turn that into inner strength, and they persevere to achieve incredible things. Releasing this on International Women’s Day seemed only fitting. We’re miracle workers, y’all!
“The idea actually came from Tayla (Parx),” Guyton added of the story behind the song. “At the time there was so much going on online about what defined a woman, and there was so many interpretations and the whole internet was ablaze, and we thought it was so important to release a song called ‘Woman’ on International Women’s Day. It’s funny how we wrote it. Tayla was actually in her Tesla driving from New York to L.A., so we literally wrote this song while she was in, while her Tesla was driving to L.A. and it was just a special moment and the song just felt so powerful. We wrote it about two years ago maybe, and so it’s just so really cool to finally seeing it have a little moment.”
Guyton posted a photo from the recording studio on Instagram last week, teasing that she’s been “working on something.” Since then, she’s been stirring empowering conversations with other women in the comments on her Instagram posts. She prompted women over 30 to leave words of advice for women in their 20s, for example (hers is: “Don’t ever be afraid to take up space. Closed mouths don’t get fed, so don’t hesitate to speak up for yourself.”). Guyton also asked women to “share the best advice an inspirational woman in your life gave you and tag her in the comments.” Guyton credits Billie Jean King with telling her, “‘Do not accept the crumbs.’ Words to live by!”
Guyton has often expressed female empowerment in her music, including with the title track of her 2021 full-length album, Remember Her Name. Guyton also credits a powerhouse artist with inspiring her to pursue a career in music: LeAnn Rimes. Guyton, who grew up singing in her church, was 8 years old when she went with her church to a Texas Rangers game. Rimes, then 10 years old, performed the National Anthem, “and that was before ‘Blue’ came out. I was already stuck on her, and then when ‘Blue’ came out, I was just like done,” Guyton recalled. She went on to listen to other powerful women in country, including Dolly Parton, Patsy Cline, Patty Loveless, Reba McEntire, Faith Hill and Martina McBride.
Listen to “Woman” here: