Mickey Guyton tells country music fans to imagine being ‘black like me’ – Variety

As the blackest woman in country music – and one who has been waiting to enjoy a big radio hit despite multiple boozy singles over the past five years – Mickey Guyton has sometimes felt that she has faced a “double whammy” of race and gender. , Where he said he often felt “walking in egg pits” to keep a friendly face for Jenner’s gatekeepers

But the powerhouse vocalist has clearly found the power of new momentum. In February, he asked “Will you tell him?” Revealed, a spectacular ballet that is probably the most powerful song he has ever written about systematic sexualism. And that was the tip of the iceberg in Gaiton to meet this moment of the year. Once the Black Lives Matter protest began, he released a song, “Black Like Me,” which he kept for the upcoming album, to encourage fans in the country (and the industry as well) to see things through their eyes.

He spoke with Diversity From his apartment in Los Angeles, where he is working on releasing a new Universal Music Nashville this fall.

Different: You ask “What would you tell him?” With systemic sexualism addressed to, then you seemed like the softest country of the year already back in February. Then “Black Like Me” really took away the previous one.

Gaitun: I didn’t have things to try on purpose. There was no media strategy to get me to this stage. It is like God aligning all this; This is the music he put in my heart. I hope this will really encourage everyone to start singing the truth to others. In fact, I’ve been inspired by pop music and how truthful they have been in their music (recently). I forgot that feeling, because that’s what makes me love country music – because they sing real songs – and that’s why I wanted to be a part of this genre. Then something happened where everyone wanted a light and shaking party song and it was really hard for me to find it. So I just made my own feet.

You kept “Black Like Me” for your album but you just decided to get it out now. How was the reaction?

The response has been quite shocking to me. This song was very close to my heart with the things that I have taken in art and it is through my life that I have done that. I’ve been feeling a lot of pain for a long time and I feel unable to speak because people don’t like uncomfortable conversations. I Improve In uncomfortable conversations, because of this there is healing, and we can be better. The idea came from the book I read, “Black Like Me,” written by John Howard Griffin, a white man in the 1960s who darkened his skin with radiation and went deep south to see what it was like to be a black man in America. And this song is just saying: Take a step out of your shoes for a second and see what it’s like to be like someone else. Before writing “Black Like Me” I was already feeling these feelings of sadness, being in an industry that makes you embryo to talk about the injustices that happen in society. I have felt silent for a very long time.

Where did you feel the pressure to remain silent?

Some of it was my job. And much of it was looking at the discarded culture, which began in country music during the Dixie Chicks. When you’ve already become a woman and aren’t already playing on the radio, say one more thing to stop the last time you don’t want to play. I felt like I was walking on a lot of egg shells. But if you’re telling the truth in love… I’m not here to embarrass anyone. I want to stand up to the people in my industry and bring this issue out.

At the same time you released “Black Like Me”, and one of the top black country artists, Kan Brown, put on a lot more inspirational songs with the “Worldwide Beautiful” contest. His position on that song and on his social media is that the world could be a better place if we could be color-blind.

I hope that was true. I appreciate her for trying to write this, but I don’t think everyone is colorless, otherwise we wouldn’t be in this position.

Recent protests and increased racial awareness have exposed many things. It took Lady Antebellum’s name to make the issue public this year, although it had been whispered for almost 15 years.

I don’t understand why the people in this town whisper and (False) say oh and ah and just don’t say it. Why aren’t people having this uncomfortable conversation? I know the hearts of the people. Dave (Haywood) is an amazing man. And if people had said something too long ago, I would have paid for it, they could have changed it.

There was a lot of sensitive response to the George Floyd-related country’s artists ’protests. But there were some more stereotypical attitudes about the genre that got stronger. One of the first responses from a country star was Chase Rice tweeting: “Yes, riots help.”

Oh, I responded to it (on Twitter) I’m not saying that riots and looting are what you should do when you are frustrated, when there is social unrest. But Chase Rice has benefited from the black culture. “Cruise” song [that he co-wrote], Which Florida Georgia Line recorded, are R&B melodies and lyrics; He has made a few millions from black culture. Yet he did not say a word about marginalizing and abusing blacks. And if you can’t say that blacks have been marginalized and abused, you can comment on the riots, you’re part of the problem. It’s my job as a black woman in this industry to let her and everyone in the world know if I see harmful comments like this: If you can talk about marginalizing people of color first, that’s your way – but you should keep quiet until you do.

How do you feel about the more positive things that the country’s artists have said on social media about people of color in the last one or two times? Does it look real or token?

I used to get frustrated when people would post and then add a biblical verse to it. I felt like they were trying to look at the injury, or maybe people couldn’t tell them as money. And in my view, Jesus had nothing to do with it! Jesus did not treat blacks badly. Don’t add him to your story! It was frustrating for me. But at the same time, I appreciate it – whether the responses were great or not, I was grateful. I needed to tell people Something. Because if no one says anything, I don’t know how I can stay in the industry and be okay. I needed to tell them that I am black so black life is important. I have experienced discrimination. I have been called n-word in this industry. And if they don’t say anything – and there are still some people who haven’t said anything, and I know their names and I’m sure you know them too; We all do. We all see … if you don’t say anything, it says you don’t care about me. What I’m not here for is telling me it’s not saying that blue life doesn’t matter. This is not to say that white life is not an issue. It specifically says that I It doesn’t matter – that’s how they feel, when they say nothing, whether it’s their motive or not.

If there is more awareness about race in the country now, will it last?

My fear is that it will return to our normal scheduled programming. I have that fear that it’s like the epidemic first started and everyone was doing Instagram live and trying to entertain people in this time of uncertainty, and then it died. However, I am still very, very optimistic because there is so much more good than bad, and many people are aware of systemic racism. This does not necessarily mean that anyone is intentionally racist, but people are now aware of what systematic racism really is. And I’ve received a lot of messages from people who are not only generous, but also say, “I’m a conservative woman, and I won’t teach my boys how to hate.” This is a beautiful thing. And even though the message was being sent from NASCAR, no one has found a way to fly the flag over the races, but people are realizing the pain it is causing. So I have hope and faith in it but I am afraid.

Your message may seem fairly uncontroversial but you have not been able to get a positive response publicly on social media.

I saw some anger [from suggesting that people] Say “I support Krishnajivan” … I have seen comments like “I don’t support you anymore”. Why? If I said I support white life, would you support me? Because I care about everyone’s life, but at the moment a lot of time in black life is not considered and not so much care is taken. And it’s just heavy. A harsh reality that I see has added to my grief. I knew it was already there, but it’s so shameless and it’s so open. I never understand why people hate. No one is hanging Hitler’s flag around their country, that’s their heritage, you know? No one wants to be reminded of the monster that tortured so many people. Who wants it? But for some reason, the American people have captured this horrible man who tortures and terrorizes people.

You grew up in a large white neighborhood in Texas. So being part of a genre – if we can be as bold as we say it is – is not an unfamiliar feeling to you, known for its whiteness.

Yes, I used to go to All-Black Churches on Sundays and then I would go to an All-White School during the day. It always reminds me of where my place is. I had a few close friends in those years. But they don’t want black kids to go to that public school – it was in the 90’s! – And so I went to a private school. My mother was a teacher’s help so my brother and my sisters could all go to this school and I still have experience … I remember my best friend at school said that her grandmother and her mother called the black kids “n-less”. I got second place in a spell bee and [someone who placed lower] Said, “Yeah, well, at least I’m not black.” In a Christian private school. So, imagine who that person is probably today.

Being one of the few colorful people in the country music, it can be difficult for your label, the press and the people who support you to know how to deal with it. Does your blackness have something to play and celebrate, or something to play with because you should be identified as an ordinary country artist who can only be black? Maybe it’s something that people shouldn’t be afraid to talk about so much, now that you’ve made it absolutely clear that you want to talk about it.

The label is trying to help me and position me; They try to spark change at me. But in the same sense, the discussion was, “Okay, what if you start getting hate mail? If he starts getting death threats, we should talk about giving him protection.” It was a conversation at one point. And it was horrible for me. Because I didn’t know that a black man who is American, who is from this country, he was talking about my experience that there could be so much hatred behind it. It’s hard for me to understand in these times. But it’s not even about my struggles as a black woman in this industry. E.g. A black man in this art, I am also trying to fight for the women in this art, because the women in this music business, in the country, are becoming severely discriminated against. And for anyone who knows for themselves what it feels like, it’s a bigger burden than my skin color. So let that sink. [She softly laughs.] It was too heavy for me for a long time.

Gears Shifting – Are you actively working on an album during the epidemic?

I I’m using this time. আমি একটি দুর্দান্ত লেবেল পেয়েছি (ইউনিভার্সাল মিউজিক ন্যাশভিল) এবং আমরা কীভাবে দূরবর্তীভাবে স্টাফগুলি কাজ করতে পারি তা আবিষ্কার করেছি। আমি এল.এ. [where Guyton lives part-time with her husband], তবে আমি কীভাবে ন্যাশভিলের মধ্যে আমার প্রযোজকের সাথে রেকর্ড করতে পারি তা শিখেছি। আমি আমার মাইক, আমার অডিও ইন্টারফেস এবং তার প্রয়োজনীয় সমস্ত সেটআপ পেয়েছি। এবং আমি আমার স্ক্রিনটি ভাগ করতে পারি, আমার মাউসকে তার নিয়ন্ত্রণ দিতে পারি এবং সে আমার কম্পিউটারে একটি প্রোটুলস সেশন পরিচালনা করতে পারে এবং আমার ভোকাল রেকর্ড করতে পারে এবং সেগুলি নিজের কাছে প্রেরণ করতে পারে এবং ট্র্যাকে রাখতে পারে। সুতরাং এটি দুর্দান্ত ছিল।

তাই আমি আমার অ্যাপার্টমেন্টে স্বপ্নের জীবনযাপন করছি।[Laughs.] আমি হাঁপানিতে আক্রান্ত তাই আমি মানুষের আশেপাশে সত্যই ভয়ঙ্কর হয়ে উঠি। এবং তারপরে ডিএল-র কী হয়েছিল তা দেখার পরে হুগে (যিনি ন্যাশভিলের একটি কমেডি ক্লাবে মঞ্চে ভেঙে পড়েছিলেন এবং তারপরে করোনাভাইরাস ধরা পড়েছিল)… আমি নো-মাস্ক জিনিসটির সাথে সত্যিই খারাপ। এটি সে বা লোকেরা বলুক “সমস্ত জীবন গুরুত্বপূর্ণ,” আমি সেই প্যাসিভ-আক্রমনাত্মক ব্যক্তি হব যা তাদের দিকে ঝকঝকে।

আপনি পাঁচ বছর আগে প্রদর্শন করছিলেন এবং তখন এত ভাল উপাদান ছিল তবে এটি ন্যাশভিলের পকেটে ছিল এবং আপনি ইদানীং প্রকাশিত এই গানের মতো প্রায় নির্দেশিত নয়। যেহেতু উপাদানটি বেরিয়ে আসতে এত বেশি সময় লেগেছে, আপনি কি অনুভব করছেন যে আপনি আপনার রেকর্ডে থাকা উপাদানের ভারসাম্য বজায় রাখতে পারেন তার চেয়ে আপনার কি?

হ্যাঁ। আপনি জানেন, আমি চার বছর ধরে রেকর্ডিং করছি, কেবল ন্যাশভিল যা চায় তার মধ্যে ফিট করার চেষ্টা করছি। এবং তারা না জানা তারা কি চান. এবং তাই আমি কেবল একধরনের বেসিকগুলিতে ফিরে গিয়েছিলাম এবং কেন আমি কেন দেশী সংগীতের প্রেমে পড়ি, কেননা তারা সর্বদা সত্য সম্পর্কে গান করে বলে মনে হয়েছিল। এখন আর অনেক কিছুই আছে বলে মনে হয় না, তবে আমি যা করার চেষ্টা করেই শুরু করেছি।

আমার মনে আছে পাঁচ বছর আগে, আপনি এল.এ.র একটি ক্লাবে শোকেস করতে দেখে এবং আপনার একটি মজাদার, সেক্সি গান “সুন্দর লিটল মুস্তং” বলেছিলেন। দ্বিতীয় সর্বদা এটি একটি রেকর্ডে শুনতে চেয়েছিল। তবে এখন যে গানটি পালাতে পারা সেই একই অ্যালবামে “আপনি কি তাকে বলছেন” এবং “ব্ল্যাক লাইক মি” এর মতো কল্পনা করা কিছুটা কঠিন difficult

হ্যাঁ। এটি কাজ করবে না! [Laughs.]

তবে আপনি কি গুরুতর পাশাপাশি হালকা গান করতে পারেন, বা আপনার মনে হচ্ছে যে আপনার উপাদানের সুরের ক্ষেত্রে কোনও মৌলিক পরিবর্তন হয়েছে এবং আপনি যখন অ্যালবাম বের করে ফেলতে চান তবে কীভাবে আপনি এটি পেতে চান?

আমি এখনও মজাদার গান আছে। আমি এমনকি দেশী গান পান। তবে এর মধ্যে একটি বার্তা রয়েছে। লাইক, আমার কাছে “রোস” নামে একটি পানীয় পানীয়ের গান রয়েছে é মহিলাদের কিছু পান করার গান রয়েছে তবে সাধারণত এটি একজন পুরুষ। কারও কাছে ব্রঞ্চ, দিনের সময় নেই, “আমি এখানে বসে আমার রোসে চুমুক দেব” দেশের গানের ধরণ। সুতরাং এটি এখনও সচেতন, আমার অর্থে একজন মহিলা হয়ে ওঠার মতো গানও পেতে চাইছে। অথবা আমি একটি উচ্চ রক্ষণাবেক্ষণ নামে একটি গান লিখেছি। মহিলাদের জন্য, এটি উচ্চ রক্ষণাবেক্ষণ করার জন্য একটি নেতিবাচক ধারণা পেয়েছিল, তাই না? এটি একটি মজাদার গান, তবে আমার সংস্করণটি হ’ল, হ্যাঁ, মেয়ে, উচ্চ রক্ষণাবেক্ষণ করুন। যদি আপনি এই পোশাক পরে পুরোটা সময় ব্যয় করে থাকেন এবং এই ছেলেরা আপগ্রেড করতে চান এবং ইনস্টাগ্রামে এই মেয়েদের দেখতে চান তবে তাদের এটিকে বাড়িয়ে তোলা এবং আপনার সাথে চিকিত্সা করা দরকার [right]. ” এখনও এর মতো মজাদার গান রয়েছে তবে তাদের মধ্যে সর্বদা একটি বার্তা রয়েছে।

আপনার চিত্রটি যেভাবেই হোক পরিবর্তিত হচ্ছে। আপনি এত দিন “পরবর্তী ক্যারি আন্ডারউড” ছিলেন। তবে এই মুহুর্তে, আপনি দেশের সামাজিক বিবেক – এর প্রধান প্রতিবাদী গায়ক। সেখানে একটু হুইপল্যাশ থাকতে পারে।

আমি জানি. [Laughs.] তবে আমি একজন মিথুন, তাই আমি এটি পরিবর্তন করতে পারি।