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Lady Antebellum Changes Their Name Following George Floyd’s Death: ‘We Are Deeply Sorry’
Lady Antebellum officially changed their name to Lady A, the popular nickname given to them by fans, following George Floyd’s death. In a series of tweets, the country music group — which is composed of Hillary Scott, Charles Kelley, and Dave Haywood — explained they “did not take into account” how their name might be associated with “slavery.”
“We are deeply sorry for the hurt this has caused and for anyone who has felt unsafe, unseen or unvalued. Causing pain was never our heart’s intention, but it doesn’t change the fact that indeed, it did just that. So today we speak up and make a change,” the group said on Thursday, June 11.
The trio revealed they decided to call themselves Lady Antebellum almost 14 years ago because they did their first photo shoot at a “southern ‘Antebellum'” style home. All of the band members admired the house and it reminded them of the “music born in the south” that “influenced” the records they created.
However, the group noted, they 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.” Because of their tardiness to change their name, the group asked their fans for forgiveness. “What we can do is acknowledge it, turn from it and take action,” they said.
Lady A’s new moniker comes a few weeks after Floyd died on May 25 while being restrained by white police officer Derek Chauvin, who knelt on his neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds. Floyd’s death, which was caught on camera, sparked outrage worldwide. Since then, many celebrities have used their platform to speak out about racial injustice and others have talked to their kids about police brutality.
Serena Williams‘ husband, Alexis Ohanian, even decided to step down “as a member of the Reddit board” so he could give his seat to a “black candidate.”
When fans found out that Lady A was changing their name, they showed their support online. “‘Need You Now’ was [definitely] a cute moment for Lady Antebellum but I always felt a way about liking the song because of the band’s name. Good on them for dropping Antebellum from the group name,” one person commented. Another said, “I am so very proud of @BradPaisley, @carrieunderwood, @reba, @ladyantebellum [and] other country singers for stepping up at this moment to fight for racial justice.”
Looks like Lady A is already making a change in Hollywood.
