Image Courtesy UMG/David McClisterCountry newcomer Mickey Guyton made her Grand Ole Opry debut this past weekend performing her first single, “Better Than You Left Me.” The song is shaping up to be a big hit at country radio, and Mickey is excited to follow in the footsteps of her country female vocalist heroes like Reba, Martina McBride and Faith Hill. In fact, it was another big-voiced female country star that first inspired Mickey to sing country music in the first place.
While attending a Texas Rangers baseball game with her family, an eight-year-old Mickey heard a then-10-year-old LeAnn Rimes sing the national anthem. The country newcomer calls that experience “a turning point” in her life.
Mickey tells ABC News Radio, “The voice that came out of her just mesmerized me. I couldn’t believe that someone close to my age sounded like a grown woman.”
From there, Mickey went on to find her own voice studying the music of Reba, Patty Loveless and Whitney Houston throughout the 1990s.
“That was the decade of female, powerful voices, especially in country music, which I miss hearing so much,” Mickey says. “I get that from, obviously, Carrie, Miranda and Kacey, but I miss all those voices. That’s what got me there.”
Mickey recruited her friends and her dog, Charlie, to appear in the music video for “Better Than You Left Me.” It’s now streaming on Vevo.
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