Lady Antebellum Drops “Antebellum” From Name

Audio By Carbonatix

After 14 years, Lady Antebellum is no more. Well, not exactly...the group has announced that they've changed their name due to the negative connotations of the word 'Antebellum.' From now on they will simply go by Lady A.

“As a band, we have strived for our music to be a refuge…inclusive of all,” they offer via social media. “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.⁣⁣⁣ ⁣”

They go on to say that they originally named their band for architectural reasons - specifically, the southern “antebellum” style home where they took their first photos. "As musicians, it reminded us of all the music born in the south that influenced us,” they explain. "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.”

• Moving forward, they're hoping for forgiveness. “We are deeply sorry for the hurt this has caused and for anyone who has felt unsafe, unseen or unvalued," they write. "Causing pain was never our hearts’ intention, but it doesn’t change the fact that indeed, it did just that. 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.”
• Lady A also announced they will be making a donation to the Equal Justice Initiative through LadyAID.

How have fans reacted? In a word..."mixed."

• On one side, many have been very supportive of the move, with one person noting, “I think your awareness and willingness to change is really honorable,” while another added, “I've been proud to call myself a fan of you guys every day since I first heard your music, but this right here is the proudest I've ever felt."
• But there were others who blasted the band for the change. “This has to be the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard!!,” one person commented, while another added, "Sickening woke Crap.” 

Source: Lady A