The musicians of the US country band Lady Antebellum have decided to change their name in the context of the racism debate after the death of the African American George Floyd. In a statement on Instagram, they said they wanted to call themselves Lady A from now on. "We are ashamed that we didn't take the name into account," said the five-time Grammy winner.
The term "antebellum" comes from Latin and literally means "before the war". In the southern United States, the period before the Civil War in 1861 to 1865 is called this: a time when slave farming was quite normal in the Southern States. It was not until the war with the northern states that slavery was officially abolished.
"We are ashamed"
When the band was founded 14 years ago, it was named after the antebellum architectural style that was widespread in the southern states before the war. "As a musician, it reminded us of all the music that originated and influenced us in the south," they write on Instagram. "We are sorry that we caused pain with it. It was never our intention."