Country trio Lady Antebellum have decided to drop the latter half of their group name, shortening it to simply “Lady A” — a nickname they’ve already been using for years.

The Grammy-winning band of Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott, and Dave Haywood made the announcement on social media today (June 11, 2020).

The band said in a statement they are regretful and embarrassed for not taking into consideration the word’s associations with slavery.

Lady Antebellum 2018 CMT Artists Of The Year - Inside — Lady Antebellum onstage during the 2018 CMT Artists of The Year at Schermerhorn Symphony Center on October 17, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Getty Images)

The statement said that they chose the name after the antebellum-style home where they shot their first band photos, and it reminded them of Southern styles of music.

“Causing pain was never our hearts’ intention, but it doesn’t change the fact that indeed, it did just that,” they said. “So today, we speak up and make a change. We hope you will dig in and join us.⁣⁣⁣”

The band said they feel “awakened” and are committed to becoming more actively anti-racist, and would be making a donation to the Equal Justice Initiative, a nonprofit working to end mass incarceration.

Lady Antebellum Vegas Magazine's 16th Anniversary Party — Recording artists Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott and Dave Haywood of Lady Antebellum attend Vegas Magazine’s 16th anniversary party at KAOS Nightclub at Palms Casino Resort on May 17, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

“Our prayer is that if we lead by example…with humility, love, empathy and action…we can be better allies to those suffering from spoken and unspoken injustices, while influencing our children & generations to come,” the band said.

Read Lady A‘s full statement below.