Who: Mickey Guyton
What: New Capital Records Nashville Artist
Where: Arlington, Texas
When: EP is out this week
Born in Arlington, Texas, Mickey Guyton moved around the Lone Star state as her father’s engineering job took them to Waco, Tyler, Dallas and Fort Worth. Music was a constant in her nomadic life. She began singing gospel in church when she was only five and grew up listening to a variety of artists, including Dolly Parton, John Denver, Whitney Houston and gospel innovators BeBe and CeCe Winans. “Those were huge influences,” she says, recalling a particularly pivotal moment. “I was at a Texas Rangers baseball game and LeAnn Rimes was singing the National Anthem. This was right when she came out with ‘Blue’. I was completely mesmerized.”
Mickey knew instantly what she wanted to do with her life, and although she possesses the kind of strong, evocative voice that could succeed in any genre, Country music is her passion. “Of all the genres that are out there, Country is the most honest, the most genuine and speaks to my heart” she says.
Mickey moved to Los Angeles after high school to attend Santa Monica College. She worked long hours at two jobs, struggling to make ends meet, but held on to her dream of becoming a Country singer. A chance encounter turned everything around. A friend introduced her to producer Julian Raymond (Glen Campbell, the Wallflowers) who was immediately impressed with Mickey. He began working with the young artist and connected her to Gary Borman and his partner Steve Moir, the company that built the careers of Faith Hill, Keith Urban and Lady Antebellum from day one.
“I sang for them and they saw potential in me,” explains Mickey. “Now I have a record deal with Capitol Records, I've sung at the White House and I’m making an album. It’s very, very humbling because if you would have asked me a few years ago if I would have pictured myself being at this point, I probably would of laughed and said, ‘Yeah right!’ I’m very appreciative of it because I understand how hard it is for artists to get to this point. I feel extremely blessed.”
The Texas Native's first national television appearance was November 2011 on stage at the White House during an all-star concert that included James Taylor, Dierks Bentley, Kris Kristofferson, The Band Perry, Darius Rucker and Lyle Lovett. The show was captured by PBS and broadcast as part of their "In Performance at the White House" series. Mickey's riveting rendition of Patsy Cline's classic "Crazy" was one of the highlights of the night.
Mickey will release an acoustic EP, Unbreakable, in conjunction with her iTunes Festival performance in Austin, TX on March 15. She is currently working on her debut album with producer Nathan Chapman (Taylor Swift, Keith Urban, Lady Antebellum).
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