Lady Antebellum is changing their name! The trio, made up of Hillary Scott, Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood, announced on social media that they are dropping “Antebellum” and will now simply be known as Lady A. The surprising decision was made in light of all that is happening in the country right now, sparked by the senseless death of George Floyd.
“As a band, we have strived for our music to be a refuge…inclusive of all,” Lady A began a lengthy letter written to their fans. “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 every day. Now, blind spots 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.”
Dear fans… pic.twitter.com/7JlcH2NMl6
— Lady A (@ladya) June 11, 2020
Lady A never imagined, when they started in 2007, that the word “antebellum” could be offensive, although they now acknowledge the damage of the word,
“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,” Lady A noted. “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 world 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,” they added. “Causing pain was never our heart’s 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.”
Lady A acknowledged that the change could have –– and maybe should have –– come earlier, but their hearts and minds weren’t fully open to the damage they were potentially causing until recently.
“We understand that many of you may ask the question ‘Why have you not made this change until now?'” the threesome acknowledged. “The answer is that we can make no excuse for our lateness to this realization. What we can do is acknowledge it, turn from it and take action.
“We feel like we have been awakened, but this is just one step,” they maintained. “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.”
Lady A concluded the lengthy letter by revealing proactive steps they are taking to fight racial injustice, hoping to inspire others in the process.
“Our next outward step will be a donation to the Equal Justice Initiative through LadyAid,” Lady A concluded. “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 and generations to come.”
Lady Antebellum was supposed to be on their Ocean 2020 Tour this year, which unfortunately had to be canceled due to COVID-19. Their current single, “Champagne Night,” is in the Top 30.