“Hello, my name is Faith Fennidy and I’m proud to say that I inspired the song you’re about to hear by an artist I love,” the teenage student from Louisiana began at Wednesday night’s (Nov.10) CMA Awards. “A few years ago, I was sent home from school because my braids were said to be a distraction—it was devastating for me. But this next artist created this song to make sure that girls like me feel seen and loved. That’s how you turn something very painful into something positive.”
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Fennidy’s appearance at Wednesday night’s award ceremony marked a full-circle moment—after telling her story to a national audience, she got to introduce Mickey Guyton, who wrote the aforementioned song: “Love My Hair.” The 37-year-old breakout country star was joined by Brittney Spencer and Madeline Edwards for an empowering performance of the tune.
First making waves with her 2020 single, “Black Like Me”—which dropped in the midst of the international protests in response to the murder of George Floyd—Guyton has become a beacon of representation in the country music world. With “Love My Hair” and its straight-shooting yet poignant lyrics, she’s continuing to share a powerful and uplifting message of acceptance.
You want to touch it, don’t you? / Try to run your fingers through / Like the weight of your hand / Could ever make you understand / What it feels like to be / A different just like me / You know the weight of your hand / Could never make you understand
The things I’d do to try to fit right in / I’m tired of trying to justify my skin
I used to think / What God gave me wasn’t fair / I’d braid it all / Just to hide the curls up there / I found my freedom / When I learned not to care / Now I’m not scared / To love who I am / I love my hair
“I feel so honored and grateful to have this team of incredibly talented people supporting me on this journey,” Guyton wrote on Instagram, sharing a photo with Edwards, Spencer and her team. “It truly takes a village. Thank you for seeing us.”
Check out more coverage of the 2021 CMA Awards HERE.
Photo Credit: Donn Jones/CMA
