Mickey Guyton Shares How Her Son Grayson Inspired Her to Use Her Voice in the Industry (Exclusive)

Mickey Guyton has her 1-year-old son, Grayson, to credit for her desire to speak out against disparities in the country music industry.

“The reason why I even started using my voice was I did see such disparities in my particular industry against women and women of color,” the 39-year-old country singer told ET. “And then once I became pregnant, it was like, how could I not say something? Like, I don’t want my son when he grows up to look back and know that I said nothing. He's been a huge motivation for that. I realize, no matter what career you have, you can’t enjoy it if you see people struggling.” 

She continued, “It will never be OK for me and that’s something where I can sleep at night knowing that I’m seeing so many incredible artists of color coming up in this industry. That is the most important. You know that phrase that Maya Angelou said? She says, 'People forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel.' And it is true. It is so, so true, and that has made being an artist and pursuing music so much more fulfilling.” 

Guyton and her husband, Grant Savoy, welcomed their son in 2021. For the "Black Like Me" singer, who has already performed at the Super Bowl, America’s Juneteenth Celebration and is gearing up to host A Capitol Fourth special on PBS, it’s still hard to find that work-life balance.  

“I am barely making it to be honest,” Guyton admitted. “I am exhausted. I am exhausted. It doesn’t matter what I think the balance is. I’ll be on a stage singing at the Juneteenth event, hosting at the Capitol Fourth and I’ll leave the event after doing something like that in hair and makeup and I’ll still go home and change my son’s diapers. And that is really the most grounding, humbling thing.” 

She added, “I'm exhausted but that definitely grounds me. I'm still trying to find the balance of time. But that is so true when they say, 'When you have that baby you are exhausted for the next 18 years.'" 

Guyton’s balance is allowing her time to catch her baby boy’s latest milestones. “He’s starting to say so many words,” she gushed. “He can say ‘up,’ he can say ‘fish.’ He can say ‘no’ very, very well. 'No' is his favorite word. Those are the best moments, he's starting to understand me, and I can say, 'Go get your book.' And he can say 'book' and he even said 'poop.'” 

The "Better Than You Left Me" singer admitted that Grayson is picking up everything -- sometimes even the bad words. But when it comes to singing, he’s not quite there yet.  

“He hasn't sang anything yet, but he loves music,” Guyton shared. “I’ve recently discovered Gracie’s Corner. It's like Coco Melon, but the Black version. It is amazing! Like, it is so good."

Grayson is going to get a chance to see his mom in action -- and maybe make a cameo appearance -- as she hosts A Capitol Fourth celebration, which she is calling a family affair.  

“My mom and dad are coming,” she said of the guest list. “My baby’s going to be there. My husband’s going to be there. As long as my son is there, that's really all that matters. He’s the real rock star in the family and I’d love for him to be on stage with me celebrating.” 

A Capitol Fourth airs at 7 p.m. ET on PBS stations nationwide, as well as To Our Troops Around The World on the American Forces Network. 

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