Mickey Guyton

Candace Mycale Guyton was born on June 17,[2] 1983 in Arlington, Texas,[3][4] to parents Phyllis Ann Roddy and Michael Eugene Guyton.[5][6][7] She said that she was inspired to begin a singing career after, at the age of eight, she saw LeAnn Rimes sing "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the start of a Texas Rangers game.[6] In 2011, Guyton signed with Capitol Nashville and recorded an extended play, Unbreakable, three years later.[3] Guyton auditioned for American Idol and was cut just before the live shows for the top 24.[8] She was only seen for a few seconds during her final singing performance during the auditions.[8]

Guyton wrote her debut single, "Better Than You Left Me", with Jennifer Hanson and Jenn Schott. She debuted the single at the Grand Ole Opry on January 10, 2015, and released both it and the music video two days later.[9][10]

The song debuted at number 56 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart dated for the week ending January 24, 2015.[11] An article in The Guardian made note of the song's early success on the charts, particularly in relation to Guyton's being an African American female in a genre dominated by white men.[12] In 2016, she was nominated for the New Female Vocalist of the Year honour at the ACM awards.[13]

In 2020, she became the first black woman to perform solo at the ACM Awards.[14] In November 2020, she was featured on the single "Boys" by Canadian country singer Dean Brody.[15] Also in November 2020, she became the first black female solo artist to receive a Grammy nomination in a country category, which she received for Best Country Solo Performance for "Black Like Me".[16]

Guyton married Grant Savoy in Kauai, Hawaii on June 26, 2017.[17] The couple announced their first pregnancy in August 2020.[18] The couple welcomed a boy named Grayon born on February 8, 2021.[19]

• Official website