Lady A, the Grammy-winning country music group formerly known as Lady Antebellum, has decided to stick with its recent name change after speaking with Seattle-based blues singer Anita White, who has been performing under the name Lady A for decades and recently called the country group out for co-opting it.
“Today, we connected privately with the artist Lady A,” the country group Lady A said Tuesday. “Transparent, honest, and authentic conversations were had. We are excited to share we are moving forward with positive solutions and common ground. The hurt is turning into hope. More to come.”
Today, we connected privately with the artist Lady A. Transparent, honest, and authentic conversations were had. We are excited to share we are moving forward with positive solutions and common ground. The hurt is turning into hope. More to come.#LadyABluesSoulFunkGospelArtist pic.twitter.com/P3uyhfO3gX
— Lady A (@ladya) June 15, 2020
“They have agreed that both should continue to move forward as Lady A,” a publicist for the country group told CBS News.
Last week, then-Lady Antebellum announced that they were changing their name due to the association of the word “antebellum,” which means “before the war” in Latin, with slavery. The Antebellum period of U.S. history refers, roughly, to the time between the War of 1812 and the start of the Civil War.
But after the group announced the switch, the blues singer Lady A suggested on Instagram that the country group was sabotaging the brand she worked hard to build over the last two decades.
“This is my life. Lady A is my brand, I’ve used it for over 20 years, and I’m proud of what I’ve done,” the blues singer told Rolling Stone. “This is too much right now. They’re using the name because of a Black Lives Matter incident that, for them, is just a moment in time. If it mattered, it would have mattered to them before. It shouldn’t have taken George Floyd to die for them to realize that their name had a slave reference to it.”
According to CBS News, the country group has since apologized to the blues singer Lady A, who has accepted the apology and forgiven them, but she has also emphasized that “we need to work to make a better change.”
In the original statement announcing their name change, Lady A revealed that their “next outward step” would be a donation to the Equal Justice Initiative, a legal organization that takes on criminal defense and wrongful conviction cases. The organization is “committed to ending mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the United States, to challenging racial and economic injustice, and to protecting basic human rights,” according to its mission statement.
“We feel like we have been Awakened, but this is just one step,” said the country group. “There are countless more that need to be taken. We want to do better. We are committed to examining our individual and collective impact and making the necessary changes to practice antiracism. We will continue to educate ourselves, have hard conversations, and search the parts of our hearts that need pruning—to grow into better humans, better neighbors.”
Dear fans… pic.twitter.com/7JlcH2NMl6
— Lady A (@ladya) June 11, 2020
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a member.