Lady Antebellum drops the 'antebellum' over its association with the slavery-era South

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Lady A, formerly known as Lady Antebellum
(Image credit: Brett Carlsen/Getty Images for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital)

The Grammy Award-winning country music group Lady Antebellum will henceforth be known just as Lady A, after the band interrogated the nostalgia for the pre-Civil War era, "which includes slavery," implied by their former name.

The band explained Thursday that they'd named themselves "Lady Antebellum" back in 2006 after the "southern 'antebellum' style home where we took our first photos" — AKA a slave plantation — but are now "regretful and embarrassed to say that we did not take into account the associations that weigh down this word … we are deeply sorry for the hurt this has caused and for anyone who has felt unsafe, unseen, or unvalued."

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Jeva Lange
Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.