Mickey Guyton Earns First GRAMMY Nomination, See Her Response
She's thrilled over her nomination!
Mickey Guyton’s morning began by teaming up with The Recording Academy to help announce the nominations for the 2021 GRAMMY Awards. But little did she know that she, too, would become a nominee.
The singer, who has had a breakout year, was recognized for her powerful anthem, “Black Like Me” with a nomination for Best Country Solo Performance.
“I am speechless,” shared Guyton in a press release. “This nomination is a testament to never give up and live your truth. I can’t think of a better song to make history with than ‘Black Like Me’ and I hope that I can continue to help open doors for other women and people who look like me.”
The song was written well before racial inequality protests swept the nation earlier this summer, but Guyton decided to release it after seeing things continue to escalate. Rather than shying away from the tough topic, the Texas native shared her heartfelt plea with the world.
“It’s a hard life, here on easy street / Just white picket fences, as far as the eye can see / If you think we live, in the land of the free / You should try to be, black like me,” she sings in the powerful and insightful chorus.
“All I wanted to do when I came into this industry was just write really cool, meaningful country songs. That’s it. That is all I ever wanted to do and it’s just taken on this different life,” she told Sounds Like Nashville in our November Cover Story. “It’s something I didn’t have any intentions in doing. I was just writing my feelings and to know that these songs can change the world, it’s such a responsibility that I take so seriously because there are advocates and activists actively out there on the frontlines every day fighting for equality that are doing the hard work that will never get the attention that they deserve. I’m not a hero. I was just writing my feelings.”
“Black Like Me” is one of several polarizing songs Guyton has released this year. She’s also shared “What Are You Gonna Tell Her?” and “Heaven Down Here,” all of which appear on her Bridges EP.
The 2021 GRAMMY Awards will be broadcast on the CBS Television Network, Sunday, Jan. 31, at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT.
