Lady Antebellum Meaning & Why The Band Decided To Change Their Name

And what the band formerly known as Lady Antebellum changed their name to.

By Emily Francos — Written on Jun 12, 2020

Photo: Debby Wong / Shutterstock

Lady Antebellum Meaning & Why The Band Decided To Change Their Name

In the midst of all these racial protests throughout the United States, popular country music group Lady Antebellum has changed their band name, citing that they did not want to align themselves with the true 'antebellum' meaning.

On Thursday, June 11, 2020, the group made a statement apologizing for any unintended feelings their group's name may have caused. Because of the racial connection that is associated with the word antebellum, they are permanently changing their name to Lady A.

What 'Antebellum' means

Antebellum is defined as "before or existing before a war, especially the American Civil War; prewar."

Lady Antebellum explained that because their name means prewar, specifically the Antebellum South which was a period of slavery and horrible treatment of African Americans pre-Civil War, they understand the connotations it has.

"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," the band wrote in a statement published on Instagram.

In this time of protest with all eyes on the Black Lives Matter movement, the band admitted to becoming aware of how their former name furthered the racial injustices that African Americans have faced.

"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.”

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

Where the name 'Lade Antebellum' came from

The Lady Antebellum band started about 14 years ago. The members revealed that they decided to name their bands after the Southern Antebellum-style homes where they were first photographed as a band.

"As musicians, it reminded us of all the music born in the south that influenced us," the band wrote. "Southern rock, blues, R&B, Gospel and of course country."

What they've changed their name to

In this time of racial protests and Black Lives Matter discussions, Lady Antebellum decided to make sure that their name did not offend anyone because that was not their intention in using the name in the first place.

However, telling fans that they now feel "awakened," they've decided to change their name to Lady A, which is the nickname the band was given by their fans from the beginning.

Above all else, they stressed in their post that they are truly sorry for any hurt their name may have caused. They never wanted anyone to feel "unseen, unsafe, or unvalued."