Carnival of Soul

The country band formerly known as Lady Antebellum is going to court — suing a Seattle blues singer known for the last 30 years as “Lady A.”

The country band filed the lawsuit after changing its name to “Lady A” in June, to remove any association with slavery.

KIRO 7′s Deedee Sun talked with the original “Lady A” — a Black artist — who says she is not backing down.

The Seattle blues, soul, funk, and gospel singer is now fighting for her identity.

“I’m not giving up, I will not be erased,” said Lady A, or Anita White. “I’ve been using this name since 1987, it’s tattooed on my arm, it’s my brand, it’s who I am,” she said.

But recently, controversy has suddenly surrounded the moniker.

“It’s been a roller coaster,” White said.

The well-known country band, Lady Antebellum, changed its name to “Lady A” in June, after the death of George Floyd. The band posted on social media, “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 country band has now filed a lawsuit against the Seattle Lady A in an effort to get a judge to rule they can keep the name. The band wants to make clear they are not asking White to stop using the “Lady A” name.

“I’m not going to allow that to happen because you have big money. Because that’s what privilege is about,” White said. “Black people, indigenous people, people of color, have always had things taken from us. I don’t intend to have my name taken from me,” she said.

White and her team said they were working with the country band to reach a resolution, and talked about coexisting. Both artists even posted photos of the video call on social media.

“One thing we wanted to do is work together,” said John Oliver, a producer and drummer for the Seattle Lady A.

Lady A, or White, has albums on Amazon, Spotify, iTunes, and has performed for decades — all under “Lady A.” Her concern? The country band taking her name would overshadow her work.

She says she was reassured by the band.

“Oh no, don’t worry about it. We’re going to make sure you don’t disappear. I guarantee it,” White recalled.

But almost immediately, her concerns became reality.

“I started disappearing off of social media the day after (they changed their name),” White said. She said even when trying to tag her own fan page on Facebook, the country band is what pops up instead.

The country band says its name change is an effort to be anti-racist. But to the Seattle Lady A, that rings untrue.

“If you’re genuine in trying to not have a racial divide, and say that Black Lives Matter, Lady Antebellum, then how can you possibly erase me from all social platforms and say this is what you want to do?” White asked.

“You’re not an ally, you don’t want to be an ally. You should change your name if you want to be an ally,” she said.

The lawsuit filed by Lady A, the country band, said in part, “We’re disappointed that we won’t be able to work together with Anita for that greater purpose …. We can do so much more together than in this dispute.”

The country band also says the Seattle performer is asking for $10 million, which is what prompted the band to file the lawsuit. White said she is asking for most of that money to go to charity and to use a portion for rebranding herself, if that ends up being the path forward.

The country band, Lady A, shared this statement with KIRO 7:

“Today we are sad to share that our sincere hope to join together with Anita White in unity and common purpose has ended. She and her team have demanded a $10 million payment, so reluctantly we have come to the conclusion that we need to ask a court to affirm our right to continue to use the name Lady A, a trademark we have held for many years. It was a stirring in our hearts and reflection on our own blindspots that led us to announce a few weeks ago that we were dropping the word ‘Antebellum’ from our name and moving forward using only the name so many of our fans already knew us by. When we learned that Ms. White had also been performing under the name Lady A, we had heartfelt discussions with her about how we can all come together and make something special and beautiful out of this moment. We never even entertained the idea that she shouldn’t also be able to use the name Lady A, and never will – today’s action doesn’t change that. Instead, we shared our stories, listened to each other, prayed and spent hours on the phone and text writing a song about this experience together. We felt we had been brought together for a reason and saw this as living out the calling that brought us to make this change in the first place. 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. We’ve only taken the first small steps and will prioritize racial equality as a key pillar of the work of LadyAID, specifically leaning into supporting and empowering our youth. We hope Anita and the advisers she is now listening to will change their minds about their approach. We can do so much more together than in this dispute.”