Mickey Guyton Reveals She Was Told She'd Fail As A Black Woman In Country

Mickey Guyton released her song "Black Like Me" in June 2020 helping launch her career in country music. But in a new interview on The Ellen Show, she revealed the song — and her career — almost never happened.

“I had been trying to pursue a country career for like 8 years, and constantly we were told — not only as a Black woman but as a woman — why we will fail in this industry, and I was ready to give it up,” she explained. “It wasn’t until my husband told me that the reason I wasn’t making it in this industry was because I was running away from everything that makes me different, and that changed everything for me. And then I wrote ‘Black Like Me.'”

While the song put her on the country music map, Guyton admitted there are times she questions herself for choosing a career in country music as a Black woman because of all the racist hate she receives.

“There’s plenty of times when I question, on a daily basis, why I’m still doing this,” she said after opening up about a recent racist attack on Twitter. “And that’s when I get a message from a Black girl telling me I’ve given her courage to want to pursue a career in country music… we’re making strides. It’s not where I want it to be… So, I’m working hard!”

Her hard work is paying off, especially for representation. Guyton recently made history as the first Black woman to host the ACM Awards this past weekend as well as last month when she became the first Black female solo artist to earn a Grammy nomination in a country category.

Photo: Getty Images


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