Following George Floyd’s death and the Black Lives Matter movement, the American country band, Lady Antebellum, has announced their decision to change their name to Lady A.
The group, which has won Grammys, expressed in a statement released via their Twitter page on Thursday, that they made the decision “after much personal reflection” and conversations with “closest black friends.” They acknowledged that the term Antebellum refers to a period associated with slavery.
The term ‘antebellum’ has historical connotations of the era of slavery and is used to refer to the period and architecture in the US South before the Civil War.
The band members, Hillary Scott, Charles Kelley, and Dave Haywood, conveyed in their statement that they are “deeply sorry for the hurt this has caused.”
They explained that the band was originally named after the antebellum-style of a home where they took their first photos 14 years ago.
“When we set out together almost 14 years ago, we named our band after the Southern ‘Antebellum’ style where we took our first photos … 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. We are deeply sorry for the hurt this has caused.”
Dear fans… pic.twitter.com/7JlcH2NMl6
— Lady A (@ladya) June 11, 2020
The Nashville trio are best known for their hit “Need You Now,” which reached number two in the US and the top 20 in the UK in 2010. They have achieved significant success in the music industry, winning multiple Grammys and having several top 10 albums in the US, including three number ones.