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 â and her career â almost never happened.
âI had been trying to pursue a country career for like 8 years, and constantly we were told â not only as a Black woman but as a woman â why we will fail in this industry, and I was ready to give it up,â she explained. âIt wasnât until my husband told me that the reason I wasnât 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 âBlack Like Me.'â
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.
âThereâs plenty of times when I question, on a daily basis, why Iâm still doing this,â she said after opening up about a recent racist attack on Twitter. âAnd thatâs when I get a message from a Black girl telling me Iâve given her courage to want to pursue a career in country music⊠weâre making strides. Itâs not where I want it to be⊠So, Iâm working hard!â
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.
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