Whomever is advising the band formerly known as Lady Antebellum should be removed quicker than a 100 year old monument.
Last month the band shocked everyone by announcing that they were no longer going to use Lady Antebellum, the name they have used since 2006, and issued an apology for having made some people feel "unsafe". At that point there had been exactly zero calls for a name change.
It's not like the Atlanta Braves or Washington Redskins who have had groups demanding name changes for years.
The word Antebellum means "a period before a war". In America the word is most often associated with the architecture of the South before the Civil War. In fact they said that's what they named their band after. in their apology.
But they felt like the George Floyd protests woke them to the idea that their name inspired fear in some people when they hear the word Antebellum. What? So are the millions of Southerners living in Antebellum homes supposed to feel like they're oppressing black people?
They go on to say that they are working to grow into better humans and they want to lead by example in love and empathy.
Many critics said that this was a publicity stunt. Record sales have been in a free fall. Their first album sold 2.1 million in 2008. That's by far their best selling album. Their last album released in November of 2019 has sold 62,400 copies. They haven't earned a record certification (like silver, gold or platinum) since their 2014 release "747" went Gold.... in Canada.
The racial harmony and love hit a rough spot the day after they issued the apology and name change when they found out that a black R&B singer named Anita White has been using Lady A for over 20 years. Now they had country fans upset about the name change and some R&B fans suddenly ticked as well. They were in a tight spot but felt like they had talked their way out of the R&B issue after a few days and proudly announced that they had had a great meeting with the original Lady A.
"We are excited to share we are moving forward with positive solutions and common ground. The hurt is turning into hope. More to come". Guess what was to come...The original Lady A calling up Rolling Stone magazine to say her impression of that meeting was them trying to steal her name and she is ticked off.
Well for the last few weeks we've all been watching to see what the band would do next. Apparently their quiet conversations were the band attempting to persuade the original Lady A to surrender or even sell her name to them on the cheap. Anita wasn't having it! According to the bands lawyers Anita was only willing to part with her name for 10 million dollars!
So now they have decided to sue the woman!
The Hollywood Reporter reports that earlier today the band filed a lawsuit against the singer. Their statement says in part; We're disappointed that we won’t be able to work together with Anita for that greater purpose. We’re still committed to educating ourselves, our children and doing our part to fight for the racial justice so desperately needed in our country and around the world.
In conclusion the white band tried to make millions of Southerners feel like we are making black people feel unsafe by celebrating antebellum architecture, then they end up actually suing a black female, in love and empathy to help lead the fight for racial justice.
Like I said at the top, whomever is advising this band needs to go.