We are deeply sorry for the hurt this has caused and for anyone who has felt unsafe, unseen or unvalued. Country trio Lady Antebellum have decided to drop the latter half of their group name, shortening it to simply “Lady A” — a nickname they’ve already been using for years. So today, we speak up and make a change. Lady Antebellum is now Lady A. Find out more about how we use your information in our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy. She’s Back With a Bold New Album, Keith Urban and Mickey Guyton to Co-Host 2021 ACM Awards, Our Last Shows: A Look Back at Final Concerts Before the World Went Quiet. Country trio Lady Antebellum changed its name to Lady A and apologized for the name’s connection to slavery in an Instagram announcement Thursday, June 11. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Your Privacy Controls. The group is composed of Hillary Scott (lead and background vocals), Charles Kelley (lead and background vocals, guitar), and Dave Haywood (background vocals, guitar, piano, mandolin). Lady Antebellum members Hillary Scott, Charles Kelley, and Dave Haywood first got the idea of the name from a home they were staying in back in 2006. 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. “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 continued. The antebellum period (from the Latin ante, “before,” and bellum, “war”) was the time period in America from after the birth of the United States to the start of the American Civil War.The Antebellum Age was a time of great transition because of the industrial revolution in America. "Lady Antebellum" is one way of referring to that period's culture in a romanticized way. It's romanticized. © Copyright 2021 Rolling Stone, LLC, a subsidiary of Penske Business Media, LLC. We want to do better. What we can do is acknowledge it, turn from it, and take action.” The band also pledged to make a donation to the Equal Justice Initiative via their own LadyAID fund. We are deeply sorry for the hurt this has caused and for anyone who has felt unsafe, unseen, or unvalued,” they wrote. They originally wanted to name themselves Springdale. Given that the name has been a common criticism of the trio since its arrival in 2007, Lady A also addressed why they’re just now making this change. To enable Verizon Media and our partners to process your personal data select 'I agree', or select 'Manage settings' for more information and to manage your choices. Charles Kelley is a pro inside and outside of the music industry Harry How/Getty Images Lady Antebellum changed its name to Lady A on Thursday in an effort to dissociate itself from the racist history of the pre-Civil War era. We hope you will dig in and join us.”. Scott is the daughter of country music singer Linda Davis, and Kelley is the brother of pop singer Josh Kelley. Country group Lady Antebellum formed back in 2006, and since then, they have become titans of the genre, releasing a handful of multi-Platinum … After their announcement, a Seattle-based Black artist who also goes by the name of Lady A voiced her frustration with the band's decision, and the band addressed the matter with an Instagram post. Lady Antebellum, the popular country music trio from Nashville, have officially changed their name to Lady A. Circa 1845-1870. The group announced on Thursday that it will drop the word "Antebellum" from the name it has used since its formation in 2006 and go by Lady A, a nickname it says fans have long used. The decision was made as white Americans are having more conversations about racism after the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and other victims of racial violence. Yahoo is part of Verizon Media. Well, this entire situation has taken an even more unfortunate turn. The group announced on their Twitter today to say that they would be changing their name amid the Black Lives Matter protests, around the same time that NASCAR also said they would be banning the use of Confederate flags at their events. Dear Fans,⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ As a band, we have strived for our music to be a refuge…inclusive of all. Our next outward step will be a donation to the Equal Justice Initiative through LadyAID. We want to hear from you! Lady Antebellum announced on Thursday that they will be dropping "Antebellum" from the group's name and will now go by Lady A. And "Antebellum" refers to that time period. Hillary Scott is the co-lead singer of the country music group Lady A, recently renamed from Lady Antebellum.The multiple-Grammy-award-winning singer came from a …