See Mickey Guyton’s Soulful ‘If I Were a Boy’ Cover
Mickey Guyton has earned praise for her engaging stage presence as well as her empowering songwriting, but she’s also cast a wide net in gathering up songs to cover both on and offstage. From a gutsy rendition of Patsy Cline’s “Crazy,” performed at the White House in 2011, to a sweet take on Frozen favorite “Do You Want to Build a Snowman” from the 2015 CMA Country Christmas special, the “Better Than You Left Me” singer has released two EPs since 2014 and filled in the gaps with impromptu performances and video clips posted to Facebook and website.
Guyton’s latest post is a cover of “If I Were a Boy,” the slow-burning pop hit by Beyoncé that was a emotional highlight of the singer’s 2008 LP, I Am… Sasha Fierce. Accompanied only by acoustic guitar in the above in-studio clip, Guyton adds just a hint of Texas twang to her powerful vocal and injects the tune with the same spine-tingling runs and sky-high notes that made Queen Bey’s original an edge-of-your-seat ballad and an anthem for female empowerment, while never quite letting go of its elegiac intensity. Watch it below.
Post-performance, Guyton — who toured with Brad Paisley in 2015 — delivers a personal message to the pop icon: “Bam! All right, Beyoncé, watch this so you can love me. We could be sisters! I’m just sayin’.”
“If I Were a Boy” was previously covered by Reba McEntire, who, not surprisingly delivered a more countrified version of the tune on her 2010 LP, All the Women I Am.