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Lady Antebellum has apologized to the blues singer Lady A after the band decided to change its stage name to the same name that the singer used for more than 20 years.
What’s happened:
- As I reported for the Deseret News, Lady Antebellum announced it had switched its name to “Lady A” as a way to distance themselves from the term’s ties to slavery and the Civil War.
- Lady A, a black blues singer, criticized the band on Friday with an Instagram post. She said: “How can you say Black Lives Matter and put your knee on the neck of another Black artist? I’m not mad...I am however not giving up my name, my brand I worked hard for. #GodWillFightMyBattle #TheRealLadyA #LadyABluesSoulFunkGospelArtist #TheTruthIsLoud.”
- The original Lady A told Rolling Stone that no one in the band reached out to her. “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. 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. It shouldn’t have taken George Floyd to die for them to realize that their name had a slave reference to it.”
So what now?
- This week, Lady Antebellum said in a new post that the band’s members reached out to the singer, whose real name is Anita White, privately, according to USA Today.
- White said: “Transparent, honest and authentic conversations were had. We are excited to share we are moving forward with positive solutions and common ground. The hurt is turning into hope. More to come.”
- White told USA Today she had “open and honest conversations” with the band. “I accept that apology, now we are turning hurt into hope.”