Country singer Candace Mycale "Mickey" Guyton, 41, is opening up about her American Idol experience in 2008. Things worked out well for her in the long run - she has been a quadruple Grammy nominee - but she's not so thrilled about what happened when she was a contestant on season 7 of the show 16 years ago.
Being on American Idol is a poses a big challenge for any wannabe superstar. The competition is keen, the judges are pretty exacting, and the voting audience can be fickle and unpredictable. Lots of truly gifted singers have left the Idol stage empty-handed and crestfallen. Some, like Adam Lambert, have eked out spectacular careers even minus an Idol first prize. Perhaps others who were voted off took the loss hard and never got past the setback.
Guyton dished about being on Idol recently on Watch What Happens Live hosted by Andy Cohen. Let's find out what she said.
'They Threw Me Away,' Mickey Guyton Contends
She Did Not Let That Disappointment Stop Her
Per americansongwriter.com, "Judges Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson cut Guyton just before the top 24 live shows. She only made a brief TV appearance during her final performance of the audition rounds. Seven years later, Guyton's debut single, 'Better Than You Left Me,' reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot Country Airplay chart. In 2020, she released the poignant 'Black Like Me.'"
Mickey Guyton's talent won out, even if she did not win on American Idol.
One 'American Idol' Judge Contacted Guyton Since She Was On The Show
Former Judge Randy Jackson Has Reached Out To Mickey Guyton
Guyton said on Watch What Happens Live via americansongwriter.com, "I heard from Mr. Randy Jackson, and he has been very lovely to me. I'm sure Simon [Cowell] and Paula [Abdul]—at the time—did not remember me. But yes, I have heard from Randy Jackson. He has been so lovely."
