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:
Metallica bassist Jason Newsted says he is now “free and clear” after facing throat cancer.
The 63 year old musician, who played with the Enter Sandman legends from 1986 through 2001, has shared details of his diagnosis publicly for the first time. He explained that doctors discovered it early, and on May 8, 2025 he “underwent a procedure” to treat the condition.
Speaking on the Let There Be Talk podcast, he said: “They took a bunch of s*** outta here and then they went in with lasers this way and took a bunch of s*** out.
“So the cavern inside my head is different than it was, but we got it early. And I got my ‘free and clear’ about three weeks ago. So I beat it.”
Jason contributed to several of Metallica’s most iconic releases, including 1988’s ...And Justice For All, their self titled 1991 album, 1996’s Load, the 1997 follow up Reload, and 1998’s Garage Inc.
After going through his cancer experience, the bassist made a point to slow down and actually give himself time to recover instead of constantly pushing forward.
He explained: “I promised myself I was going to rest, and that was the first time I’ve done that in my life.
"I’m usually just on or off. And so I promised myself I was gonna take the gravity off and lay down for the right amount of hours."
The health scare also led Jason to give up smoking weed and drinking alcohol, something he admits he likely would not have done otherwise.
He added: “The great spirit got my attention and said, ‘That’s not good right now, man.’ And so it pulled me off it.
"And so now I’m more clear-headed than I’ve been in my entire adult life. And so there’s blessings within everything. The lemonade I’m making this summer, bro — mm. Sweet. Ooh.”
Jason has previously said that his unexpected departure ultimately helped Metallica continue moving forward, while James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich later admitted they struggled to process his decision at the time.
Lars told Apple Music in 2021: “Jason is the only member of Metallica who has ever left willingly. And that in itself is a statistic.
"And the resentment from James and I was just so… 'You can’t do that. You can only leave if we want you to leave'.
"And then we weren’t equipped at the time to do a deep dive into why he was leaving. So of course, now you can see 20 years later, it makes complete sense.”
