Lady Antebellum Changes Band Name to Lady A Over Its Association With Slavery

Lady Antebellum Performs On ABC's "Good Morning America"

Photo by Getty Images

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.

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Dear Fans,⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ As a band, we have strived for our music to be a refuge…inclusive of all. We’ve watched and listened more than ever these last few weeks, and our hearts have been stirred with conviction, our eyes opened wide to the injustices, inequality and biases Black women and men have always faced and continue to face everyday. Now, blindspots we didn’t even know existed have been revealed.⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ After much personal reflection, band discussion, prayer and many honest conversations with some of our closest Black friends and colleagues, we have decided to drop the word “antebellum” from our name and move forward as Lady A, the nickname our fans gave us almost from the start.⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ When we set out together almost 14 years ago, we named our band after the southern “antebellum” style home where we took our first photos. As musicians, it reminded us of all the music born in the south that influenced us…Southern Rock, Blues, R&B, Gospel and of course Country. But we are regretful and embarrassed to say that we did not take into account the associations that weigh down this word referring to the period of history before The Civil War, which includes slavery. We are deeply sorry for the hurt this has caused and for anyone who has felt unsafe, unseen or unvalued. Causing pain was never our hearts’ intention, but it doesn’t change the fact that indeed, it did just that. So today, we speak up and make a change. We hope you will dig in and join us.⁣⁣⁣ ⁣ We feel like we have been Awakened, but this is just one step. 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. Our next outward step will be a donation to the Equal Justice Initiative through LadyAID. 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.
A post shared by Lady A (@ladya) on Jun 11, 2020 at 8:01am PDT