Not everyone is happy with Lady Antebellum‘s new name.
Just one day after the country band, made up of Hillary Scott, Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood, announced that they were changing their name to Lady A in response to the nation’s ongoing conversations about racism, blues singer Lady A is speaking out over the band’s new moniker.
“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 Seattle-based musician, whose real name is Anita White, 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.”
Acknowledging the history associated with the word “antebellum,” which means occurring or existing before a particular war and is often used while referring to the pre-American Civil War South, Lady A continued, “It shouldn’t have taken George Floyd to die for them to realize that their name had a slave reference to it. It’s an opportunity for them to pretend they’re not racist or pretend this means something to them.”
“If it did, they would’ve done some research,” she added. “And I’m not happy about that. You found me on Spotify easily—why couldn’t they?”
According to Rolling Stone, a rep for Lady Antebellum said that “the band was not aware of the other artist and plans to reach out to her.”
On June 11, Lady Antebellum shared the news that they were changing their name to Lady A in an open letter to fans via social media, noting that it came “after much personal reflection, band discussions, prayer and many honest conversations with some of our closest Black friends and colleagues.”
Lady A instagram, Taylor Hill/Getty Images
“As a band, we have strived for our music to be a refuge…inclusive of all,” the Grammy winners began. “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.”
In the post, they revealed that “Lady A” is “nickname” that fans have given the “Need You Now” artists “almost from the start.”
“As musicians, it reminded us of all the music born in the south that has influenced us…southern rock, blues, R&B, gospel and of course country,” they continued. “But we are regretful and embarrassed to say that we did not take into account the associations that weigh down this word referencing the period of history before the Civil War, which includes slavery.”
After apologizing “for the hurt this has caused and for anyone who has felt unsafe, unseen or unvalued,” the trio’s statement continued, “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 change. We hope you will dig in and join us.”
“There are countless more that need to be taken,” they added. “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.”
E! News reached out to reps for Lady A for comment.
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