Grammys 2021: Who is the History-Making Nominee Mickey Guyton and What is Her Net Worth?
It’s no secret that many major award shows have had to deal with diversity problems in recent years. In the era of #OscarsSoWhite, everyone wants to see themselves represented among the nominees — and not just get nominated but win. The Grammy Awards have particularly received criticism for the Academy’s racial and gender makeup and how it’s reflected in who gets nominated and wins.
One artist who has been making waves with her work is country singer Mickey Guyton.
Mickey Guyton’s career
Mickey Guyton was born and raised in Texas, and she’s always been proud of her Southern roots. However, when she was first starting out as a musician a decade ago, she was told that as a Black woman trying to break into the country music scene, she should steer clear of anything that would alienate white audiences.
In a 2020 interview with CNN, she recalled being told things like “Make sure your songs sound really country because listeners might think you’re being disingenuous” and “Don’t make your songs sound too R&B.” At one point, a country radio DJ told her to write songs about “fluffy” and “happy” topics as opposed to ones that reflected the often-difficult lives of Black people in America. The stress and anxiety of microaggressive instances like these caused Guyton to develop insomnia and a drinking problem.
Mickey Guyton made Grammys history as a country singer
Guyton scored her first country chart hit with her 2015 single “Better Than You Left Me” from her self-titled sophomore EP. Over the next few years, Guyton released several one-off singles that she wasn’t passionate about, nor were they commercial successes. She told The Washington Post in 2020 that she was trying to conform to what the music industry believed country music should sound (and look) like: “I was trying so hard to fit into the stereotype of what country music is, that I forgot why I fell in love with country music.”
Starting in 2019, Guyton decided to start writing music that was rooted in her experiences as a Black woman in America. Songs such as “What Are You Gonna Tell Her?” and “Black Like Me” helped create Guyton’s new musical voice, and she began being celebrated for it. Her 2020 EP Bridges is a presentation of this new persona.
After the release of “Black Like Me,” Guyton was the first Black woman to perform at the Academy of Country Music awards. Guyton made history again at the 2021 Grammy Awards when she became the first Black woman to be nominated in a country category when “Black Like Me” received a nod for Best Country Solo Performance.
Mickey Guyton’s net worth
In just a few short years, Mickey Guyton has transformed artistically and became a pioneer just by living her life as she wants to.
All that hard work has started to pay off for her since she began writing music more authentic to her. According to Gossip Gist, Guyton’s net worth is estimated to be upwards of $1 million, and is only continuing to climb.
