Lady Antebellum, the country-pop group known for the hits “Need You Now” and “Love Don’t Live Here,” has announced it is changing its name to Lady A.
The band, which formed in 2006 in Nashville, Tennessee, is made up of lead vocalists Hillary Scott and Charles Kelley and musician Dave Haywood. Kelley and Haywood grew up in Evans and attended the University of Georgia. Scott is from Nashville.
The trio announced the name change across the group’s social media Thursday.
"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," the group said in a statement. "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."
The band said it named itself Lady Antebellum “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,” the statement said. “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.”
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The band went on to apologize "for the hurt this has caused and for anyone who has felt unsafe, unseen or unvalued." The group also announced it would make changes to practice antiracism, including donating to the Equal Justice Initiative, a Montgomery, Alabama-based nonprofit that works to end mass incarceration, excessive punishment and racial inequality. The donation will be made through the group's LadyAID organization.
Some were critical of the band’s decision.
"You can do what ever you want with your name. But you have to know that you are going to lose a lot of your fans," one person wrote on Instagram. "I am going to be one of them."
Still, most expressed support and were pleased with the name change.
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