Mickey Guyton is one of the breakout stars in country music this year, and her song “Black Like Me” is up for an award in the Best Country Solo Performance category. A powerful track that addressed the Black Lives Matter protests surrounding the killing of George Floyd, the song was a much-needed flashpoint in the mostly Conservative and very white genre of country, and Guyton’s voice was a welcome addition.
She’s been lauded by plenty of her famous peers within the Nashville framework, especially as examples of the worst parts of the genre were portrayed when rising star Morgan Wallen was caught on tape issuing a racist slur. Guyton represents the best of the genre’s future, and even if Wallen’s behavior represented the worst, it’s nice to see her honored tonight by the industry’s powers that be.
Last September, Guyton’s latest EP, Bridges included the single “Black Like Me,” and showed her breadth as a songwriter and performer with other more tongue-in-cheek tracks like “Rosé,” before returning to more serious topics on the soul-searching “Heaven Down Here.” In tonight’s performance, Guyton made her debut on the Grammys stage with the kind of easy grace that proves she’s a star in the making. Check out her performance below.
