Y'all Know What

Celebrity Scoop and Trending News

Lady A, Formerly Lady Antebellum, Sues Blues Singer Who Has Been Using The Name For 20 Years

Lady A, Formerly Lady Antebellum, Sues Blues Singer Who Has Been Using The Name For 20 Years

Lady A, formerly known as Lady Antebellum, is suing a Seattle-based Blues singer Anita White  who has been using the name Lady A for over 20 years.

The country group decided to change their name in the wake of George Floyd‘s death after realizing Lady Antebellum related to the institution of slavery.

View this post on Instagram

Dear Fans,⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ As a band, we have strived for our music to be a refuge…inclusive of all. We’ve watched and listened more than ever these last few weeks, and our hearts have been stirred with conviction, our eyes opened wide to the injustices, inequality and biases Black women and men have always faced and continue to face everyday. Now, blindspots we didn’t even know existed have been revealed.⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ 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.⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ When we set out together almost 14 years ago, we named our band after the southern “antebellum” style home where we took our first photos. As musicians, it reminded us of all the music born in the south that influenced us…Southern Rock, Blues, R&B, Gospel and of course Country. 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 and for anyone who has felt unsafe, unseen or unvalued. Causing pain was never our hearts’ intention, but it doesn’t change the fact that indeed, it did just that. So today, we speak up and make a change. We hope you will dig in and join us.⁣⁣⁣ ⁣ We feel like we have been Awakened, but this is just one step. There are countless more that need to be taken. We want to do better. We are committed to examining our individual and collective impact and making the necessary changes to practice antiracism. 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. Our next outward step will be a donation to the Equal Justice Initiative through LadyAID. Our prayer is that if we lead by example…with humility, love, empathy and action…we can be better allies to those suffering from spoken and unspoken injustices, while influencing our children & generations to come.

A post shared by Lady A (@ladya) on

But now the country singers are trying to strip the name from a black artist. Really?

wow gif

 

Anita eventually found out that the group was using her name and spoke with Rolling Stone regarding the issue.

This is my life. Lady A is my brand, I’ve used it for over 20 years, and I’m proud of what I’ve done,” said Anita. “It shouldn’t have taken George Floyd to die for them to realize that their name had a slave reference to it.”

She also appeared on New Day.

 

 

The Grammy award singers then revealed that they had a refreshing conversation with the original Lady A and even said they would be working together.

 

The meeting seemed to have went well, but the next day the original Lady A said she received a drafted agreement showing that the group was trying to completely erase her and she no longer trusted them. This led to Lady A demanding $10 million from the country singers, and now they are suing her.

Today we are sad to share that our sincere hope to join together with Anita White in unity and common purpose has ended. She and her team have demanded a $10 million payment, so reluctantly we have come to the conclusion that we need to ask a court to affirm our right to continue to use the name Lady A, a trademark we have held for many years.

We never even entertained the idea that she shouldn’t also be able to use the name Lady A, and never will – today’s action doesn’t change that. …We felt we had been brought together for a reason and saw this as living out the calling that brought us to make this change in the first place.

We’re disappointed that we won’t be able to work together with Anita for that greater purpose. We’re still committed to educating ourselves, our children and doing our part to fight for the racial justice so desperately needed in our country and around the world. …We hope Anita and the advisers she is now listening to will change their minds about their approach. We can do so much more together than in this dispute.

They also noted in their lawsuit that the real Lady A has used that name since 2010 but Anita said she’s used it for over 20 years.

She also has music on Spotify; however, Lady Antebellum believe because the real Lady A has only 166 listeners (actually 3,000 listeners) and they have 7 million, they’re more entitled to have the name.

Absolutely ridiculous!

If y’all would like to support The Original Lady A, stream her music on Spotify. Check it out below.

 

Her latest album is set to be released on her birthday, July 18. Pre-order is available. We got you, sis!

 

Related Posts