NEWS
Mickey Guyton
Phylicia J. L. Munn*Mickey Guyton dives into some serious topics on the new episode of Becky G’s Facebook Watch series Face to Face With Becky G. In the episode titled “Becky G & Mickey Guyton: Battling Systemic Racism in Country Music,” which premieres Tuesday, Jan. 4, Guyton discusses her personal experiences confronting racism and sexism as a Black female artist working in the country music industry.
“We’re used to being unseen. We’re used to the micro aggressions, we’re used to the constant battles of trying to just be who you are,” Guyton told Becky G during a clip from the interview. “And finally, the veil has been lifted, and we’re like, ‘Oh my god, how did we survive for so long?’ And that’s the point, we were just surviving. But now we’re thriving.”
Guyton also shared how she cares for herself after receiving backlash on social media for calling out the music industry for sexism and racism.
“I’m still working on it,” Guyton said. “Feb. 6, 2021, I was nine months pregnant, about to give birth to my son, and I got an influx of awful hate mail because I called out the industry and its racism and sexism. And people didn’t like that.”
“What was so hard is, I’m a Christian woman and I had all these people spewing hate, using Jesus,” Guyton recalled. “To have that kind of hate when you’re so hormonal was awful. I was in a really bad place, and I had to go on antidepressants that were life-changing.”
In 2020, Guyton released a pair of soaring (and searing) tracks, including “What Are You Gonna Tell Her?” which addressed sexism, while “Black Like Me” detailed some of Guyton’s personal experiences with racism. “Black Like Me” also earned Guyton her first Grammy nomination, in the best country solo performance category.
In 2021, a decade after signing to a major label, Guyton also released her debut full-length album, Remember Her Name. She also co-hosted the Academy of Country Music Awards alongside Keith Urban, and earned three additional Grammy nominations. Leading into this year’s Grammy Awards, Guyton is nominated for best country album (Remember Her Name), best country solo performance and best country song (both for “Remember Her Name”).
The Face to Face series provides a platform for celebrities to have honest conversations surrounding personal topics. During the first episode, Demi Lovato discussed coming out as non-binary. Other celebrities who have appeared on Face to Face With Becky G include Tinashe, Chiquis, and Anthony Ramos.
New episodes of Face to Face With Becky G debut each week via Facebook Watch. Guyton’s episode premieres Jan. 4 at 12 p.m. ET.
Watch a clip from the episode below:
NEWS
Brad Paisley has called Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding “one of the least pretentious weddings he’s ever seen”.
The country star attended the ceremony alongside his actress wife, Kimberly Williams-Paisley. They joined around 1,000 guests at New York City’s Madison Square Garden earlier this month as the global pop icon married the American football star.
Although the celebration attracted enormous attention and involved tight security and a stunning makeover of the famous arena, Paisley said the occasion never came across as excessive.
“Ironically, (it) was one of the least pretentious weddings that I've ever seen or ever will see,” Paisley told The Associated Press during an interview. “It meant a lot to be (invited). It was, kind of, a big thank you from her to invite us.”
Paisley, who chose Swift as an opening performer for his tour when she was a teenager in 2007, said he was delighted to be included in what many considered the biggest celebrity wedding of the year.
“They were very clear with the invite, and I took this personally when I got the invite, because in the invite, it said, ‘If you're getting this, you mean a lot to us,’” he revealed.
The musician also explained that guests were not told the wedding’s exact location until the date drew nearer.
“It was really fun to watch the cat and mouse game of, like, ‘We can tell you roughly where it's going to be, we're not gonna say what building... and here's the date. If you're in, we'll tell you more,’” he continued. “I went to my wife, I said, ‘Want to go?’ and she said, ‘Absolutely, we gotta be there!’ So, we did it, it was RSVP yes.”
Other famous attendees included Brad Pitt, Gigi Hadid, Bradley Cooper, Ed Sheeran, Sabrina Carpenter, Hugh Grant, Haim and Tom Hanks.
