Mickey Guyton.Photo: Kristina Bumphrey/Shutterstock
Country starMickey Guytonsays forget the old adage about never meeting your heroes: her encounters with her idolsLeAnn RimesandDolly Partonwere dreams come true.
Asked which country artists might hypothetically inspire her to record full-blown tribute albums, the 39-year-old country artist, who’s been riding high since her 2020 breakout hit “Black Like Me,” tells PEOPLE who topped her list: “It’d be LeAnn Rimes and Dolly Parton for sure — absolutely, hands down!” Guyton went on to reveal the profound influence both singers had on her own path.
Mickey Guyton and LeAnn Rimes.David M. Russell/CBS via Getty
“LeAnn Rimes has become a friend of mine, which is crazy!” says Guyton. “Because she inspired me so long ago. She’s been so instrumental in my career.”
“What’s been so fun about getting to know her is knowing what a kind-hearted, thoughtful, caring, loving, nurturing person that she is,” Guyton continued, noting that during Rimes' rise during an earlier Internet era fans had less of a direct window into their favorite stars' lives. “You didn’t get the social media of LeAnn when she was coming up in her career, and I’ve gotten to just be on the inside of that — and she is guarded because shehas gone through a lot. And when you get to know her, she is like chef’s kiss of a human being. Really.”
And then there’s bona fide country legend Parton, whose lasting legacy also loomed large in Guyton’s young life. “My grandma was ahugeDolly Parton fan,” says the singer who recalled her early exposure to the larger-than-life icon while visiting her grandmother’s home in rural Riesel, Texas.
Guyton got to meet Parton for the first time in 2016,whenCBS This Morninghost Gayle King arranged an on-camera surprise visitfrom the country legend during an interview segment with the still-rising singer, who greeted Parton with squeals of shock and joy.
“I mean, I screamed, I cried — it’s a whole thing,” Guyton laughed at the memory. “And she’s so little! Her waist is, like,thatsmall. I’m not kidding. She made me feel really good about myself — but my waist!”
“That touches me deep,” Parton told the singer during their first meeting. “I’m just happy that I’ve been an inspiration of some sort to you. That means so much to me, really. Seeing how [you feel], I know why I do it.”
Guyton also tells PEOPLE that along with inspiring others herself, she hopes to open up doors for musical artists who want to follow in her footsteps. “I think everyone, no matter where you’re from, just wants to feel like they have a safe space, and I want to create that safe space for artists when they’re coming up,” she explains. “No matter who they are, but especially for artists of color. I want them to feel like they have a safe space in any genre that they pursue. And that’s something that has given me a lot of purpose, is being that for people.”
She says her upcoming collection of songs will both dig into traditional country music stylings and push the boundaries of the country genre. “I’m doing a little bit of both,” she says. “I think it’s all about balance, and I’m doing a little bit of pushing the boundaries and I’m also staying true to what it is.”
source: people.com
