Blues Singer Anita White Says ‘I Will Not Be Erased’ As Band Formerly Known As Lady Antebellum Sues Her Over ‘Lady A’ Name

Anita White, Lady Antebellum

Blues Singer Anita White Says ‘I Will Not Be Erased’ As Band Formerly Known As Lady Antebellum Sues Her Over ‘Lady A’ Name

The battle over the name Lady A is getting intense.

Grammy award-winning group, Lady A, formerly known as Lady Antebellum changed their name last month because of its racial history. They announced the change on Instagram stating,

“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 continued on addressing their fans,

“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.”

See the full statement below.

Now, the group is now suing a Black blues singer by the name of Anita White, who has been using the Lady A name for more than 20 years, for trademark rights of the name. Their lawsuit comes after Anita White said it would cost them $10 million for her to give up Lady A.

On June 12, the Seattle-based singer shared her reaction to learning about the news during an interview with New Day Northwest.  White states,

“I’m not giving up my name.  I’ve worked too hard for it, it’s my brand.  People know me by that name.  I have CDs out by that name.”

Still, before the lawsuit drama, the group and Anita White spoke virtually and seemed to make progress. Anita White shared a photo of all parties involved on June 15 with the caption,

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.

Now, Anita White is sharing her thoughts on the lawsuit, making it clear she’s not going away.

She said during an interview,

“I was quiet for two weeks because I was trying to believe that it was going to be okay and that they would realize that it would be easier to just change their name, or pay me for my name. But here we go again with another white person trying to take something from a Black person, even though they say they’re trying to help.”

She continued,

“You don’t get to just come and take because you have that privilege. We don’t have that luxury or that privilege, so we need somebody to help us and lift us up.”

She also alleged that the group members asked her multiple times to share a snapshot of their Zoom meeting. Still, she added that she thinks they

“always knew what they were gonna do.”

She ended with,

“If you want to be an advocate or an ally, you help those who you’re oppressing. And that might require you to give up something because I am not going to be erased.”

She also vowed that should she get the $10 million, half of it would go towards organizations that help progress black artists.

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