Country band Lady Antebellum joins woke mob, apologizes and changes name because... slavery

US country music band Lady Antebellum have changed their name after “personal reflection” and conversations with their “closest black friends” amid widespread protests over the death of George Floyd.

The Grammy-winning group announced the change through social media on Thursday, with a long statement from members Hillary Scott, Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood. They will now be called Lady A.  

“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 everyday,” the statement reads.

The members claim the “antebellum” name initially came from the location of the band’s first photo shoot, which felt very southern, but they apologized for not taking “into account the associations that weigh down this word,” including slavery.

We are deeply sorry for the hurt this has caused.

“Antebellum” is a word long associated in the US with the historical period before the American Civil War and after the War of 1812, particularly in the South.

Reaction on social media to the abrupt name change has varied, with some praising the band for their progressive statement, and others seeing the switch as just another recent example of cancel culture in the US.

“I'm old enough to remember when the Right canceled the Dixie Chicks because they were against the Iraq War. Now left and right are switching sides because of their freakin' name. We are not a serious country,” writer Franklin Harris pointed out on Twitter.

“The Left is pushing us toward civil war and erasing how devastating the first one was isn’t how you deter people from starting another,” actress Mindy Robinson added.

Some used the band’s decision to sarcastically call for more country acts to change their names so as not to offend anyone.

The band’s decision follows a slew of other shifts in pop culture, sparked by the ongoing protests against police brutality and racial inequality. 'COPS' and 'Live PD,' two reality shows that follow police officers on their beat in major cities, were both canceled after criticism of their positive depiction of policing. 

NASCAR also announced an end to the display of Confederate flags at their events, and liberal activists have openly called for the cancellation of films and TV shows which have police as protagonists.

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