Mickey Guyton‘s unfathomable hard work is, finally, starting to pay off. The Texas native will be honored as the CMT Breakout Artist of the Year, at the upcoming CMT Artists of the Year ceremony, which will take place next month.
“Look at God,” Guyton said on social media, after the news was announced. “Thank you so much [CMT] for this incredible honor. This means more than you know.”
Look at God. Thank you so much @cmt for this incredible honor. This means more than you know. 🤍 https://t.co/gekPlIqJLM
— Mickey Guyton (@MickeyGuyton) September 23, 2021
Guyton made history earlier this year as the first Black female solo artist to earn a Grammy nomination in a country category, for Best Country Solo Performance with “Black Like Me.” The honor is only part of the reason why CMT wanted to honor Guyton at the upcoming ceremony.
“We are thrilled to honor the immensely talented Mickey Guyton as this year’s ‘Breakout Artist of the Year,” Leslie Fram, Senior Vice President, Music & Talent, CMT, says. “After relentlessly chasing her dreams in country music for years, her perseverance, tenacity and spirit have culminated in this spectacular moment of recognition where she’s finally receiving the credit she deserves. Congratulations Mickey! We look forward to celebrating with you, and all of our honorees on October 13th.”
Guyton’s long-awaited Remember Her Name record is out now. The debut album came after years and years of hard work, struggling to make her voice heard in a white, male-dominated industry.
“This body of work, it means so much to me because it really is a body of work of self-rediscovery for me,” she said on Apple Music Country’s Color Me Country. “I started out so excited, and so determined, and so bright-eyed, and green, and just wanting to do this so badly. Then life got in the way. When you’re told no over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over again for nine years, eventually you start to believe it. A part of me almost still does, if you want me to be perfectly honest.
“This album is me rediscovering who I am and knowing that I am enough,” she continues. “Some of these songs are way old, some of them are very new, but I rediscovered what made me, me, and accepting that, and loving that. That’s what this body of work means to me.”
Guyton is only the fourth artist to be named CMT Breakout Artist of the Year, following in the footsteps of Chris Stapleton, Kelsea Ballerini and Ashley McBryde. Stapleton and Ballerini will also be honored this year, along with Gabby Barrett, Kane Brown and Luke Combs.
The CMT Artists of the Year ceremony will air live on CMT from Nashville’s Schermerhorn Symphony Center on Wednesday, October 13, at 9:00 PM ET. Purchase Remember Her Name here.
