Last month we told you about the country band Lady Antebellum announcing that, in a quest to rid themselves of anything that sounded remotely Confederate, they’d be changing their name to “Lady A.” Much to their surprise, the band formerly known as Lady Antebellum found out that a black blues singer named Anita White has been performing under the name “Lady A” for decades. So what happened next? The newly woke band filed a lawsuit against “Lady A” for use of the name.
Judging from a new statement from Lady A, the band formerly called Lady Antebellum is going to face plenty of pushback:
Blues singer Anita “Lady A” White has issued a new statement: “I will not allow Lady Antebellum to obliterate me and my career so they can look ‘woke’ to their fans” https://t.co/g29rzwj9Hg pic.twitter.com/qN9EzHpCIV
— Pitchfork (@pitchfork) July 11, 2020
The lengthy statement ends this way:
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.
This will definitely be an interesting story to follow. Better get some popcorn ready.
Hell yes. https://t.co/ebCeq83iqP
— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) July 11, 2020
God Bless Her https://t.co/d3v2yen9k5
— Benny (@bennyjohnson) July 11, 2020
Forgetting what's legal & permissible (an area I have no expertise in), it's pretty damn shitty for a band to "fix" their under-"woke" name (with roots in Southern slavery days) by taking the name a black blues singer has used since 1987, and then suggesting she just suck it up https://t.co/PcHEutRoHg
— Amy Alkon (@amyalkon) July 11, 2020
Where do I contribute? https://t.co/QO2y7OnFOj
— DaveinTexas (@DaveinTexas) July 11, 2020
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