The real Lady A isnt surprised the band used the name Lady Antebellum for so long

Posted by Valeria Galgano on Monday, May 13, 2024

In June, the country band Lady Antebellum decided to formally change their band name to Lady A. They did so with the acknowledgement that “antebellum” is a word used to denote and glorify the pre-Civil War south. The name change was part of a larger movement of white artists trying to look woke, often without doing the work of actually being woke. So it was with Lady Antebellum – they ended up in a legal fight with Anita White, the real Lady A, an independent blues singer who has been recording music under the name Lady A since 1987. Last week, the band sued Anita White, basically arguing that they (the band) should be the only ones who get to use and trademark the name Lady A. Anita White is a Black artist and they are literally suing her for her name. Super-woke! Anyway, the real Lady A gave an interview to Vulture last week, which we discussed, and when Pitchfork contacted her, she issued another statement, which you can read in part below:

I first heard about Lady Antebellum’s planned name change after they went public on June 11, 2020, at which point I was shocked and taken aback. During initial calls with the members of the band—Hillary Scott, Charles Kelley, and Dave Haywood—I hoped that we could reach an agreement that left both sides whole. Lady Antebellum understood that their use of “Antebellum” was offensive and that their adoption of Lady A harms me, as I have been using the name professionally for over 30 years.

…After being called out for taking my name, Lady Antebellum and their team of publicists and attorneys are doing what many folks of privilege do when asked to cease and desist bad behavior. Hillary, Charles, and Dave are attempting to change the narrative by minimizing my voice and belittling my experience as an artist – as if having a lot of money gives them permission to tread on my rights. I have worked too long and too hard to just give my name away.

The band’s decision to change their name to Lady A follows the trend of many other groups and organizations working to distance themselves from racism in the wake of the uprisings in this post-George Floyd world. Someone finally told them—or perhaps they knew all along and didn’t care until now—that their name reminds Black folks of just how much was taken from us in the past: our lives, freedom, languages, families, and, yes, our names. It is absurd that Lady Antebellum has chosen to show its commitment to racial equality by taking the name of a Black woman, particularly in this time when we are reminded every day to “Say Her Name.” It is one more demonstration of what continues to be taken away from us in the present. Given the way that Hillary, Charles, and Dave have treated me, I am not surprised that they used the name Lady Antebellum for so long or that their cure is to adopt a name that is only less overtly racist. The A in their name stands for Antebellum and always will. If they are truly committed to racial equality, why do they want to maintain that association, especially when it means making a public, intentional stand to disregard me and my rights?

Lady A is my identity—and it has been since 1987. I want to be able to freely use my brand that I spent decades building. I do not want to part with it. It is particularly painful to me, as a Black woman, to lose my name in THIS time and place so Lady Antebellum can use it as shorthand to celebrate a time and place connected to and very heavily reliant upon slavery. I asked for $5 million to compensate me for this loss, and to help me rebuild under a new name. I also asked that they donate $5 million to a charity so that we could work together to promote racial equality. It was my impression from our communications that this would appeal to Hillary, Charles, and Dave. I guess I was wrong.

Their refusal to come to an agreement that would be respectful of my work and my rights, however, has given me the clarity and the drive to not back down. Black lives, names, experiences, work, art—they all matter. Fellow independent artists have reached out to me to share their stories of name feuds that they lost because they were on the opposite side of big money and privilege. Not only will I not be one of them, but I am hopeful that this fight for what is rightfully mine will help those damaged by this type of bullying and erasure in the past, and that it will prevent it from happening in the future. I will not allow Lady Antebellum to obliterate me and my career so they can look “woke” to their fans.

[From Pitchfork]

Yes to all of it. I’m still shocked that the band would not see how problematic their lawsuit is, or how they will never win the optics. All of what Anita White says here is so on-point: “It is absurd that Lady Antebellum has chosen to show its commitment to racial equality by taking the name of a Black woman, particularly in this time when we are reminded every day to “Say Her Name.”” And “I am not surprised that they used the name Lady Antebellum for so long.” That’s what they’ve shown – that they were only doing the name change for optics, not because they actually felt differently or had learned something from the larger conversations about race and racism.

CMA Awards 2019 Arrivals

Photos courtesy of WENN, Instagram.

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