Mickey Guyton Makes Grammys Debut With Performance of ‘Black Like Me’ During 2021 Awards

Mickey Guyton was one of multiple performers who took the stage during the 2021 Grammy Awards on Sunday night, delivering a moving rendition of her song “Black Like Me.” Wearing a custom gold Naeem Khan dress, Guyton stood at her microphone while joined by an all-Black choir, displaying her impressive voice as she shared the song’s poignant message in her Grammys debut.

“It’s a hard life on easy street / Just white painted picket fences far as you can see,” she sang. “If you think we live in the land of the free / You should try to be black like me.” The Texas native was nominated for Best Country Solo Performance for “Black Like Me,” making her the first Black female solo artist to be nominated for Grammy in a country music category. Guyton originally released “Black Like Me” in June amid racial unrest in the United States and later included the song on her September EP, Bridges.

After her performance, Guyton posted a series of photos from the show with her team, thanking them for their hard work. “Dream team! I couldn’t have done this without every single person on that stage,” she wrote. “It was so special to be able to perform ‘Black Like Me’, a song that is so so special to me. Sharing this moment together is something I will never forget.”

Her slideshow also included a video of the singer getting ready to perform and declaring, “God is crazy.” “This is God, right here,” she continued. “Every person in this room right now. God is right here, and this moment means so much to everybody in this room and sitting right here. Had I not gone through what I went through, I wouldn’t have written this song, I would never be in this moment.”

“I’m just overwhelmed,” Guyton concluded. “God is so good. Church isn’t always in a church, it’s in your heart, it’s right here on this stage and I’m just overwhelmed by His miracles and His grace.”

Prior to her performance, the new mom shared, “My performance at the GRAMMYs is going to be so special and emotional. Like it’s not just about me, the song ‘Black Like Me’ is so many peoples stories, and that was my goal in this performance. There’s representation as well, which is really important to me in this performance. But I just wanted people to feel like they’re coming together. This is a huge moment for Black people in country music and I just feel so honored to stand in this shoes right now.”