Mickey Guyton Says Carrie Underwood Prayed Her Through the ACM Awards

For anyone who tuned into this year’s 54th annual ACM Awards ceremony in Las Vegas, one moment stood out from the rest of the night’s glitz and glamour. A powerful, spirt-stirring performance of the ballad “I’m Standing With You” by actress Chrissy Metz, Carrie Underwood, Lauren Alaina, Maddie & Tae and Mickey Guyton.

The track is part of the faith-based film Breakthrough, which stars Metz and also features songs by each of the other performers – including Guyton, who wrote and performs the resilient standout “Hold On.” In a new interview for the podcast All Our Favorite People, Guyton explains what her first ACM Awards performance was like … and how she got through it. It was one of the most nerve-racking moments of her life, Guyton tells hosts Ashley Eicher and Hunter Kelly, but Underwood came to her rescue.

According to the “Better Than You Left Me” singer, a week of anxiety over everything from the lack of a dress to the sheer pressure of a nationally televised stage was taking a huge toll. But right before the big moment, Underwood came over to Guyton and said a simple prayer for her, taking all those nerves away.

“I think she could tell I was a deer in headlights, and she just turned around, and she hugged me, and said a prayer,” Guyton explains. “And then, I just walked out there like, ‘I’ve got this.’ It was the moment of her basically saying, ‘You got this. God’s got this,’ and it was really cool.”

Guyton goes on to explain more about her big TV moment – as well as her marriage, her new collaborative relationship with Breakthrough’s producer and the implications of releasing new music this summer. Check out the full podcast here.