The nation is finally beginning to see that “country music is for everyone,” and Mickey Guyton loves it.
Guyton, 41, has been a trailblazer in country music for years: In 2021, she became the first Black woman to co-host the Academy of Country Music Awards and the first Black woman solo artist to be nominated for a Grammy in a country music category. Now, with artists like Beyoncé and Shaboozey making strides in the predominantly white industry, Guyton said she’s happy to see the mainstream shift.
“There’s a country music renaissance happening,” Guyton said in an interview, referring to her recent partnership with Anthropologie on a Western-themed pop-up in New York City.
“It’s infectious and everybody is wanting to be a part of it. It’s everybody’s music,” Guyton said. “Country music is a very universal music about life, and we’re all living, right? We all have different stories that nobody knows anything about, and people are finally writing about that and I think that’s really great.”
Guyton is one of the few country artists who have been vocal about Blackness and identity in their music; she released her poignant and popular track “Black Like Me” during the George Floyd protests of 2020.
She’s continuing this pattern of authenticity and bravery with her second studio album, “House on Fire,” released last week.
The new album has themes centering on family, hometown culture and Guyton’s personal life, set to dance-pop beats. “House on Fire” is Guyton’s first studio album since 2021’s “Remember Her Name,” a groundbreaking project that tackled racism and sexism. “The song, and album,” she told CMT at the time, “are dedicated to [Breonna Taylor] and giving her the justice that she deserves.”
With “House on Fire” out in the world, a new music video, and a tour that kicked off last week, Guyton said she’s ready for a new adventure in country music. She called the new album a love letter to her husband, Grant Savoy, along with reflections on becoming a mother — the couple welcomed their first child, Grayson Clark, in 2021.
“It’s me becoming free,” she said of the new project. “I grew up in the Bible Belt of America, so very conservative, and I didn’t always feel like I could live completely myself,” she said, comparing her upbringing in Arlington, Texas, to Savoy’s “wild child” California childhood.
“It’s the safety of home. Your home life is where you are yourself the most, and that’s what this album is. I hope people can take away that it’s OK to be who you are, and someone’s going to love you for that.”
And Guyton has certainly earned the rest and freedom that recent years have brought her. She has cemented herself as one of country music’s most important voices, and one who has consistently challenged the genre on matters of gender equality and race — and the larger music world has noticed.
Fellow Texan Beyoncé sent Guyton flowers after the release of “Cowboy Carter” earlier this year, thanking her for opening doors for Black women in country. Men, particularly white men, have long dominated the country music industry, and a 2021 study from musicologist Jada Watson found that only 1% of the more than 400 artists signed to the top three Nashville country music labels were Black, and just 3.2% were people of color.
With all the recent appreciation of Black artists in country music, Guyton said she was “disappointed” to see Beyoncé virtually shut out of CMA Award nominations. News of the singer’s snub made headlines, especially since Beyoncé has spoken about feeling unwelcome in the genre. Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter” will compete for best country album at the Grammys, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
“Country music is a good ol’ boys town. It’s a community that they hold very dear to their community,” Guyton said.
“But there’s one thing you can’t stop: It’s the amount of people that are singing country music. I hope it’s not just a fad. I hope it doesn’t just go away. Even after this happened with the CMAs, I hope it doesn’t discourage other artists of color from pursuing country music.”
For Guyton, the recent years of her career have been about creating the music she wants and refusing to shy away from race and social issues. Guyton recently performed her 2021 song “All American” at the opening night of the 2024 Democratic National Convention and “God Bless America” at the U.S. Open Tennis Championships just weeks later.
“For a long time, the word ‘patriot’ was supposed to mean one thing,” she told NBC News. “When I got to sing at the DNC, I looked out at people from all different nationalities standing up, waving their flags. I want to be proud to wave my flag, too. It’s my flag too, is what it felt like.”
