Lady Antebellum has made a bold change for an important reason! As People reports, on Tuesday the country trio— made up of Hillary Scott, Dave Haywood, and Charles Kelley— released a statement on social media announcing their decision to cut their name down to simply "Lady A". "As a band we have strived for our music to be a refuge…inclusive of all," the group wrote.
"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, blindspots we didn’t even know existed have been revealed."
Lady A "regretful and embarrassed" about old name association
Lady A then went on to explain why they felt it was best to shorten their name. "After much personal reflection, band discussion, prayer and many honest conversations with some of our closest Black friends and colleagues," they said, "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."
"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 shared. "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."
Lady A on actively being antiracist: "We want to do better"
Lady A then apologized to their fans for the unfortunate connotation of their former name. "We are deeply sorry for the hurt this has caused and for anyone who has felt unsafe, unseen or unvalued," they said. "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." The trio acknowledged the fact that their name change "is just one step," and that "there are countless more that need to be taken" moving forward. "We want to do better," they wrote.
"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 talks about what they plan to do to be "better allies"
Lady A concluded their statement by sharing what their plan of action is moving forward. "Our next outward step will be a donation to the Equal Justice Initiative through LadyAID," they said.
"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." As People mentions, last month the band also released a statement addressing the Black Lives Matter movement.
"We can't speak to how it feels to be the target of racism in America, but we can see the pain, the suffering and the toll it continues to take," they said. "Our hope is that we all take the time to listen, educate ourselves, have difficult conversations and make changes through our own actions."
Read Lady A's full statement on their name change here!
"I'm Right Over Here, Why Can't You See Me Oh Oh Oh"
