It’s been a whirlwind couple of years for Mickey Guyton, and the rollercoaster ride continues as she is set to earn the honor of “Breakthrough Artist of the Year” from CMT.
“Look at God. Thank you so much @cmt for this incredible honor. This means more than you know. 🤍 #CMTAOTY,” Guyton wrote in her celebratory caption on Instagram.
The country singer/songwriter will receive the prestigious honor during the 2021 CMT Artists of the Year ceremony, and is slated to perform among her esteemed colleagues during the show. Guyton finds herself in great company, as previous winners of this accolade include Chris Stapleton, Kelsea Ballerini and Ashley McBryde. Just like Guyton, the team at CMT is delighted to highlight her artistry.
“We are thrilled to honor the immensely talented Mickey Guyton as this year’s ‘Breakout Artist of the Year.’ 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,” said Leslie Fram, Senior Vice President of Music & Talent for CMT.
As she prepares for the big night, Guyton has been making the rounds within the podcast world and bringing her story to the ears of listeners. She met up with Kelleigh Bannen for Today’s Country Radio to discuss some of her most poignant songs on her debut album, Remember Her Name, and how they represent her real life in music form.
While diving into the meaning behind “Indigo,” Guyton reflected upon her connection to the color and how she could relate to its place within the rainbow.
“When you think of the rainbow, you think of ROYGBIV, but we always forget the color indigo. You can’t really see it in the rainbow, but it’s there and that’s me. I feel like I’m the indigo of the rainbow. I felt like I was misunderstood. People didn’t necessarily see me but the reality of it is, is that if all the colors aren’t there, then it isn’t a rainbow… and that’s me. I felt like I had been forgotten and that’s what indigo is about,” she told Bannen.
Following that same wavelength, Guyton got candid about the stressful journey she went on to create this collection but how worth all the work was in the long run when sitting down with Rissi Palmer for an episode of Color Me Country Radio.
“This body of work, it means so much to me because it really is a body of work of self-rediscovery for me,” Guyton explained emotionally. “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. 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.”
Fans can stream Guyton’s first full-length album, Remember Her Name, now. She will officially earn the honor of “Breakthrough Artist of the Year” at the 2021 CMT Artists of the Year, which is set to air live from Nashville on Wednesday, October 13 at 9 p.m. local time on CMT.