Lady A Drop ‘Antebellum’ from Their Name

Country trio Lady Antebellum have decided to drop the latter half of their group name, shortening it to simply “Lady A” — a nickname they’ve already been using for years. The Grammy-winning band of Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott, and Dave Haywood made the announcement in an Instagram post on Thursday.

“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 every day. Now, blind spots we didn’t even known existed have been revealed,” they wrote.

“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,” they continued.

The group had originally adopted the problematic name after taking their first photos outside an antebellum home, thinking about the way Southern music had influenced them all as performers. They admit they hadn’t given much thought to the word’s definition and its negative connotations with nostalgic notions of the pre-Civil War South.

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