HOME / ENTERTAINMENT / MUSIC

ACM Awards 2020: Mickey Guyton makes history as first Black woman to ever perform on show and fans are overjoyed

She performed her song 'What Are You Gonna Tell Her?' with Keith Urban on piano, which was one of the highlights of the show

The 55th Academy of Country Music Awards held on September 16 had some really powerful performances like that of Mickey Guyton. The singer, who dazzled in an elegant white gown showing her baby bump, created history by being the first Black woman to perform at the awards while garnering a lot of attention for her breakthrough single ‘What Are You Gonna Tell Her?’. During her act, she was accompanied by Keith Urban who played the piano, perfectly complementing her soul-stirring voice. It was one of the most majestic and magical moments of the show and even the ACM Awards Twitter handle shared a post about it. 

Her song ‘What Are You Gonna Tell Her?’ enshrines experiences of marginalization based on color and gender. It expresses how women face struggles in terms of getting opportunities due to gender inequality. The iconic star spoke with ET before her performance where she opened up about what she was hoping to bring to the stage as a Black woman in an industry dominated by White men. "There's not a single woman that I know that hasn't gone through something, and I just hope that this song and people hearing me sing it inspires change," she said. "I hope this song gives everybody that fire within them to change to help make change for our future."

She further added, "Starting my career off, I never thought of myself as some activist. I was actually always someone that kind of just stayed in the back and didn't want to make any noise or rock the boat -- and then everything kind of shifted for me. To step in that role as a woman, as a black woman, it is such an honor that people are giving me this opportunity to be heard and to hopefully incite change. It means the world to me." Earlier, the singer also called the song a "call to action" to address the "injustice happening in country music" regarding "under-representation of women" in the industry as reported by Lab FM.

Song gains recognition

Washington Post reported that the singer who has released some of the critically acclaimed songs like ‘What Are You Gonna Tell Her?’ and ‘Black Like Me’ has become a force to reckon with, in the country music genre as highlighted by Cindy Mabe, president of Universal Music Group Nashville. The site further reported that her honesty has struck a chord especially in an era where many artistes try to stay away from anything too serious. Previously, The Boot reported that Guyton drew a standing ovation for ‘What Are You Gonna Tell Her’ at Universal Music Group's annual Country Radio Seminar for her a chilling reflection on the injustice of marginalization. 

#MickeyMakesHistory trends

Her deeply emotional performance was lauded by music lovers who started trending #MickeyMakesHistory to express how she is a harbinger of change. Several notable stars along with fans were amazed to see her as the first Black female to ever perform on the ACM awards. Host and blogger Kelly Sutton wrote, "I’m crying. @MickeyGuyton this moment. I am just overjoyed for you. I’m sorry it took so long. Love you." Another wrote, "First black female to ever perform on the ACM awards MickeyGuyton," while a fan said, "Listen to our past, understand our present. Watch our future. Be witness as #MickeyMakesHistory."

A fan wrote on her achievement, "Carrie became the first woman to win EOTY three times and Mickey Guyton became the first black woman to perform on the #ACMs. There’s still so much progress to be made but as Mickey said, ‘whether the victory is big or small, you have to celebrate it’" Singer Cam also lauded her saying, "It’s really rare that you are aware of history happening as you watch a moment unfold. It’s even more rare to be friends with the woman who is responsible for that moment." Another fan wrote, "First black woman in country music to perform on the ACM stage. Bravo @MickeyGuyton I hope the country music industry listens, status quo isn’t going to keep fans around anymore."