***UPDATE: The band posted an update on instagram today (Monday, June 15th.) See below.

Last week, the band formerly known as Lady Antebellum changed their name to Lady A, but it looks like that name is already taken.

On Thursday, Lady Antebellum said they were officially dropping the word “Antebellum” from the name because of it’s association to slavery in the period before the Civil War, and the fan feedback wasn’t all positive.

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 Jun 11, 2020 at 8:01am PDT

Well now, changing the name to avoid negative racial connotation could threaten the band in other ways because it turns out the name “Lady A” is already used by a black woman in Seattle named Anita White, who is a blues singer, and has been performing as “Lady A” for more than 30 years. She told Rolling Stone she has released 3 full albums and 2 EP’s under the name “Lady A” and she doesn’t plan on changing the name.

UPDATE: And in an update posted by the band today (Monday, June 15th), it looks like they have connected with Lady A (Anita White) personally and had a nice conversation, so now we can only hope for the best for BOTH of them coming out of this and that things will get worked out soon.

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Today, we connected privately with the artist Lady A. 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. #LadyABluesSoulFunkGospelArtist #TheTruthIsLoud @ladya_bluesdiva @dexter_allen_entertainment @oliveriiijohn

A post shared by Lady A (@ladya) on Jun 15, 2020 at 4:00pm PDT

In the meantime…we still wait to hear what we call them now.

6-15-20