Hillary Scott, Charles Kelley, and Dave Haywood are working to solve the issues with the original Lady A whose real name is Anita White following criticisms.
- Jun 17, 2020
AceShowbiz - The stars of Lady Antebellum are pushing ahead under their new moniker Lady A after holding a virtual meeting with blues singer Anita White, who has been performing under the title for 20 years.
White was stunned to learn the country trio had dropped 'Antebellum' from their name due to racial sensitivities this week and intended to perform and record as Lady A.
Hillary Scott, Charles Kelley, and Dave Haywood explained the 'Antebellum' name had too many links to the American Civil War, insisting, "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."
While White had previously insisted, "It shouldn't have taken George Floyd to die for them to realise that their name had a slave reference to it," in snaps shared online by the "Need You Now" group, they're seen connecting with the singer as they collectively worked to find a way forward.
"Today, we connected privately with the artist Lady A," the country group began. "Transparent, honest, and authentic conversations were had. We are excited to share we are moving forward with positive solutions and common ground."
"The hurt is turning into hope. More to come," they concluded, along with the hashtags, "#LadyABluesSoulFunkGospelArtist #TheTruthIsLoud."
The original Lady A shared the same photo and message and, in her Instagram story, she also shared a post from black country artist Michael Ricks, who uploaded a photo of the Rolling Stone article where White spoke about Lady Antebellum taking the name.
Alongside the screenshot, he added, "Do a song together? In the spirit of racial reconciliation?" and "Be the next Lil Nas X and Billy Ray," referring to their massive hit "Old Town Road".
While White didn't add anything to the post, she appeared to hint a collaboration between herself and the new Lady A could be on the cards.
