Lady A used to be Lady Antebellum. Then, in 2020, the members of the band decided to shorten the name. This came after several social changes made them feel that their name alienated some of their fans. The group wanted to be more inclusive.
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With the band performing at CMA Country Christmas on December 14, some listeners are still getting acquainted with the name change years later. One X (formerly Twitter) user noted they are still struggling with the “usurping” of their band name, while another acknowledged the “political conscious” reason behind the change.
Ultimately, Lady A continues to put on a brilliant show, performing a beautiful rendition of “What Christmas Means to Me” at CMA Country Christmas.
[RELATED: Lady A Share New Nostalgic Track “Love You Back”]
Background Over Lady A’s Name Change
The term antebellum means “before the war” in Latin. In the context of American history, it refers to the time before the Civil War. More specifically, it is the name given to the period between the War of 1812 and the Civil War. As a result, the word makes many people think of The Antebellum South which inevitably conjures images of slavery.
That was not the band’s intention with the name. They released a statement on social media in June 2020 that explained the origins of the name and their decision to change it. “When we set out together almost 14 years ago, we named our band after the Southern Antebellum-style home where we took our first pictures,” the statement read. “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,” the band continued.
Then, they discussed why they shortened the band name to Lady A from Lady Antebellum. “We are regretful and embarrassed to say that we did not take into account the association that weighs down this word, which includes slavery.”
“After much personal reflection, band discussions, 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,” the band added.
Legal Issues Over Lady A’s Name Change
The band wanted to erase any connection to racism by changing their name from Lady Antebellum to Lady A. However, a Black Seattle-based blues artist and activist named Anita White had been performing under that name since the 80s, according to a Billboard report.
“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,” The original Lady A stated.
Both sides of the divide filed lawsuits. However, neither suit went anywhere. The parties involved were able to come to a settlement without going through court proceedings.
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