THE ANGELS The band Lady Antebellum changed its name to Lady A due to the Black Lives Matter movement. The band defends itself by registering the name as a trademark ten years ago.
The three-member country group Lady Antebellum was founded in 2006 and soon gained a strong position in its genre. The band has released six albums and won five Grammy Awards. The felt lyrics and the captivating voice of the singer Hillary Scott certainly have a great deal of credit for that.
The problem arose when a wave of protests arose in America on the Black Lives Matter movement. Antebellum means “before the war” in Latin. This, of course, means the civil war from 1861 to 1865, in which the fate of black slaves was fought. Lady Antebellum proudly claimed the southern legacy and its romantic portrayal, which viewers may know from a feature film Them to the North. The name did not refer to racism and slavery.
With the advent of the racial equality movement, the band decided to change its name, shortening Antebellum to a simple A. This happened in June. At that time, the band had no idea that black activist, gospel and country singer Anitha White was performing under the name Lady A. “That name is my life,” White told the media at the time.
According to the band, they tried to reach an agreement with the singer via the Zoom teleconferencing platform, but the negotiations apparently failed when White’s representatives began to demand financial compensation of ten million dollars from the band.
In an interview with Thursday for Vulture magazine White revealed that she wants to use half of the amount to promote herself and create a new artistic identity (so-called rebranding). He wants to donate the second to charities supporting independent black artists.
“Five million is nothing. I’m worth a lot more money, even if they don’t even think so. Again and again we have a case of whites taking something from blacks, even though they promised to help them. If you want to be a lawyer or an ally, you have to help those who are otherwise oppressed by your people. Of course, this means giving up something of your own, because I won’t just get erased, “says the singer in the interview.
She is said to be suffering from a change in the band’s name. When she tried to upload her new single to music streaming platforms, the verification system didn’t want to allow her to upload.
The band Lady A intends to defend itself in court. Coincidentally, the members registered the name Lady A as a trademark in 2010, although they had never used it before.
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