Mickey Guyton Shares Why She Takes ‘1 Shot of Tequila’ Before Shows

Every artist has their own pre-show ritual, and Mickey Guyton’s involves enjoying a fun adult beverage.

“I definitely have some rosé because it just gets me loose,” the country star, 41, exclusively shares in the latest issue of Us Weekly. “Sometimes a shot of tequila. Like, one shot of tequila just gets me going, takes away the fear and I’m ready to go. And a prayer, we always make sure we say a prayer with the band before we walk out there.”

When it comes to her wine preferences, Guyton jokes that her backstage rosé can be “any” kind, adding, “It can be canned. It can be in a glass. As long as it’s cold and in my hand.”

Another of Guyton’s dressing must-haves is “great lighting.” She explains: “We need good lighting but, like, not too cold because a lot of times these backstages are freezing. And [we need] a good candle. I like a good-smelling candle. That’s something I definitely need. I’m not too picky, to be honest.”

Guyton — who released her new album House on Fire in September — wrapped up her first-ever headline tour with CMT on Tour earlier this month. She previously hit the road with Brad Paisley on his Crushin’ It World Tour back in 2015, during which had her craziest tour experience.

“Our bus broke down in the middle of the night twice, so we had to catch a flight,” she tells Us. “I did my makeup with my fingers. I didn’t even have a hair [curler] or anything. And [I] got to my set that day, like, 10 minutes before my set and had to go out there with my hair not done.”

As if the incident couldn’t get any worse, “Our bus broke down and we never had a bus that whole night and we had to ride other band members’ buses on our way to the next video,” she says. “It was terrible. It was terrible and it was raining.”

Despite the complications, Guyton says her performance “surprisingly” went “really well.”

Having released music since 2015, Guyton says her “favorite” song to perform live is one of her earlier songs, “Better Than You Left Me.” She tells Us: “It’s the first song that I ever wrote and people just seem to really like that song and it really engages the crowd.”

Any good show deserves an equally fun afterparty. Guyton — who appears on the new Hulu series It’s All Country — likes to keep things chill in a “lounge” rather than hitting up a club. “That’s just not for me,” she shares. “[I prefer] a good lounge, a good drink, free drinks, open bar.”

However, country isn’t the genre of music Guyton leans toward when chilling after a show. “I really like old ‘90s hip-hip,” she notes. “A little Biggie [Smalls], little Tupac [Shakur], some Snoop Dogg, you know, like, West Coast rap. … It just always brings the mood up.”

For more on Guyton, pick up the latest issue of Us Weekly, on newsstands now.

With reporting by Eliza Thompson