REMEMBER HER NAME

Mickey Guyton is finally having her moment after years of trying to get her foot into country music. It has long been notoriously difficult of late to break into the male dominated genre and with Guyton being an African-American female made the challenge especially fraught. Despite moving to Nashville in 2011, getting signed to the Capitol Records Nashville label and putting the hard work in, Guyton struggled to find a place in country and her music was largely ignored, leading to strain in her romantic relationship and some substance abuse issues.

But the #MeToo and Black Lives Matter movements helped pry open the long-held closed door policy of the gate-keepers of country radio who had made it clear that they had no real interest in anyone who was not a white male. Guyton finally saw some opportunities come her way; a performance on the Grammys of her nominated single, "Black Like Me" and co-hosting the Academy of Country Music Awards. But also let's understand that this recent attention to Guyton is definitely based on her musical talent and not on her race and gender.

And now years after she began her journey into country music, Guyton has released her first full-length studio album, "Remember Her Name" last September. Guyton co-wrote all of the songs (with the exception of a cover of Beyoncé"s "If I Were a Boy") and they come largely from her experiences as an African-American woman trying to find her place not only in country music but the world at large. There is "Rosé", a song about an enjoyable alternative to beer; "Words" deals with the racist opinions she had read regarding herself; "Love My Hair" explores the complicated issues with society involving natural Black hair; "All American" drives home the point that the term should be inclusive and the title track pays tribute to Breonna Taylor. The album has received critical praise, charting on the Billboard Top Country Albums (peaking at number forty-seven) and recently receiving three Grammy Award nominations including Best Country Album.