After officially changing their name to “Lady A” last week, the members of the former Lady Antebellum trio now say they’ve reached an agreement with the original Lady A, a blues singer based in Seattle.
The band announced the name change Thursday (June 11) as racial disparity protests swept the nation following the death of George Floyd, seeking to distance themselves from the slave-holding, pre-Civil War connotations of thew word “Antebellum.” Charles Kelly, Hillary Scott and Dave Haywood explained in a series of social media posts that they chose the name years ago based on the old-style mansion where they took some of their first band photos, but now understood the hurt that word held.
Then on Friday, singer Anita White (a black artist who has used the name “Lady A” for 20 years and even has an album set for release this year), revealed that she had not been contacted by the band or anyone from their team before the announcement was made. “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,” White wrote.
But now, the new Lady A say they’ve connected with the original Lady A, and that an agreement has been made. Posting a screen shot of a video call which included both parties — plus John Oliver III and blues guitarist Dexter Allen — the band say they’ve had “Transparent, honest, and authentic conversations,” and promise to make another announcement soon. And for her part, White tells USA Today that Scott made a personal apology, and that “I accept that apology, now we are turning hurt into hope.”
