Mickey Guyton has made her own path in Country Music since her 2014 debut. She has never been an artist content with the typical, and her songwriting talents have been on full display from the start. “Better Than You Left Me” broke ground for Mickey Guyton with audiences who usually don't listen to country, and the ode to accountability and independence forged in heartbreak brought the singer’s soaring vocal range to the masses.
She’s had lots of one-on-one exposure to listeners by now, being on tour with Brad Paisley and other marquee makers. When it comes to songs, Mickey still creates straight from the heart, and her new song, “Nice Things” is about how what is most treasured in life can be thoughtlessly tossed away forever. The song also marks a homecoming to the strains of gospel, bluegrass, and original Americana that were such a part of Mickey Guyton's musical foundation.
Drawing from history
No one can ever accuse Mickey Guyton of not being authentic in her craft. She is just 34 but insists that her “one bad relationship and breakup in my life” was enough to fuel a lifetime of cathartic energy and passion in her songs.
“I guess this guy can be my muse,” Guyton now reflects, remembering how her initial anger and rejection blinded her from seeing the creative blessing derived from pain.
Now seasoned by the separation of a few years, the songwriter accepts the silver lining in the sorrow. “I'm able to relate so much to so many different people’s emotions,” the songwriter reflected in an interview with Sounds Like Nashville. Now grateful for the “really, really great songs” that she has been able to write in the wake of that gut-wrenching goodbye, Mickey Guyton appreciates the message of “Nice Things” even more.
Doing Dolly proud
Cherishing the sound of her new song is natural for Mickey Guyton. Her country music inspiration has always been Dolly Parton, and the country music legend could fit right in playing chords from “Nice Things.” Just imagining that studio session would likely bring a smile to Mickey Guyton, who got to meet Dolly in a surprise interview ambush arranged by Gayle King in 2016.
Mickey Guyton takes exception with the notion that this is a “more country” sound than she has adopted in recent years. The woman who redefined more than a few boundaries for young African-American women in music emphasizes that this music “has always been who I really am.”
Mickey Guyton says that people miss the kind of songs like the one she created with Liz Rose and Stephanie Chapman. The notion of missing things made the foundation for “Nice Things.” The threesome of ladies became consumed with pondering why nice things can never be kept or treasured in these times, and the song came together organically.
Mickey Guyton’s lovely, longing voice above the simple sentiment and strings of “Nice Things” is one of the nicest things to come along on the country music charts in a long time.