Dear Gossips, 

Mickey Guyton became the first Black woman to perform at the Academy of Country Music Awards last night. Ahead of the event, she told PEOPLE that: 

"Let me tell you, it has been a long time coming for me. It's been a struggle for me for a long time. To get this opportunity to represent for Black women at the ACM Awards and to sing a song about the oppression of women and trying to change that — it really does mean a lot to me to be able to do that at the ACMs."

 

Of course it’s a meaningful experience for her. That can be true and it can also be true that it’s not a good look on country that it’s 2020 and this is the one and only time that a Black woman has been featured on the ACM stage for a solo performance, especially since the true history of country music is that it was built by Black artists who were then taken out of the narrative by white industry executives because they wanted to market the genre to white audiences and those problems continue to exist today. 

As it is in country music, women don’t get a fair shot. Most country music radio stations do not play two female artists back to back. When you’re a female artist and you are Black, it’s even an even bigger battle. 

Of course it’s wonderful that the spotlight was on Mickey Guyton at the ACM Awards last night. At the same time, being an F.O.D. (First. Only. Different.) also means that the second word in that expression – “only” – can be lonely. This is why Mickey shouted out Rissi Palmer who has also been on her own. 

 

Two people don’t make a community. So this is the bigger goal – to open doors to more. Because the point of F.O.D. is to eventually become O.O.M.: One. Of. Many. 

Yours in gossip,

Lainey