Mickey Guyton on Family, Freedom and Finding Her Voice

It’s well before dawn in China when we ping Mickey Guyton, who’s there to compete on Singer 2025, a popular vocal competition airing on Hunan television.

But the Nashville dynamo appears unfazed by the 13-hour time difference. Speaking by phone, she’s positively upbeat about her stint in Asia, raving about the climate’s glowy effect on her skin — and the way Chinese culture honors children and the elderly.

Plus, “You can even go for a walk at midnight and not worry about being kidnapped!” the country artist enthuses exclusively to Us Weekly.

Life has been a whirlwind since Guyton, 42, broke out with her soul-stirring single “Black Like Me” in 2020. The tender but piercing ballad about racial alienation became the surprise touchstone she’d been looking for during a decade of relative obscurity.

In 2021, she snagged the first Grammy nomination for a Black female singer in the country genre. Then, just five weeks after giving birth to her son, Grayson, she made her debut as a Grammy performer, the first Black female country artist to do so.

More recently, Guyton cut a well-received second album, 2024’s House on Fire, completed a 22-city tour, and has performed with everyone from Metallica to Sheryl Crow.

“You could feel the whole room change when she sang,” Crow said.

Guyton has also evolved as a beacon for other musicians. When fellow Texan Beyoncé released her own genre-bending country album, Cowboy Carter, last year, she sent Guyton a lavish flower bouquet with a note saying, “Mickey, thank you for opening doors for me, queen. Keep shining. Love and respect, Beyoncé.”

While being a voice of change has sometimes stirred controversy in the conservative country music space, Guyton makes no apologies for writing from the heart. “I got the praise. And I had the pushback,” she tells Us. “I wasn’t intentionally being an activist. But I’m an empath, and I think it takes being an empath to be an activist, because you feel so much more than most.”

When it comes to her feelings for her country, Guyton displayed her gratitude in her unifying anthem “All American,” and she is especially mindful as we mark Black Music Month and the upcoming July 4th holiday.

“I am definitely living my American dream,” she says in Us Country Stars Celebrate America issue. “My husband [lawyer Grant Savoy] and I have worked really hard. We now see the fruits of our labor. We have a house in Nashville, and we live in a beautiful neighborhood where people really care about each other. But at the same time, my empath side sees so many people struggling.”

Although she’s a bonafide innovator, Guyton says she is full-on traditional when it comes to Independence Day. And she’s giving her 4-year-old son Grayson the whole Texas experience, passing down her favorite dishes from her childhood in the Longhorn State.

“Being from a Black household, we used to make that fruit salad with the whipped cream and marshmallows,” she says. “And you have to have a blueberry pie or a cherry pie. My mom and I make this amazing dish called Blueberry Delight. It’s the best.”

Other menu essentials include wings and her beloved old standby, Texas Firecrackers, which are saltines dusted with hot spices and ranch dressing mix.

“That’s definitely a southern thing,” she says, laughing.

Related: Mickey Guyton‘s Husband Gets ‘No Veto Power‘ Over Her Love Songs

Mickey Guyton’s never been afraid to share her emotions in her music — and those closest to her trust her to sing the truth. The country star’s new album, House on Fire, features several love songs about her husband, Grant Savoy. According to Guyton, her partner of 14 years likes being the subject of her […]

Meanwhile, Guyton is at work on her next project — a Christmas album with all original material.

“We’re writing now, and they’re songs you’ve never heard before,” she says. “I’m really ex- cited about it.” Us too.

For more on Guyton, pick up the latest issue of Us Weekly — on newsstands now.