12 June 2020

Lady Antebellum have officially changed their name to Lady A after becoming aware to the historic attachment associated to their former moniker. The group, made up of Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott and Dave Haywood, revealed the news in a social media post after discovering that while the name was picked with completely innocent intentions – being the place where they shot their first band photos – they were completely unaware that the place had links to slavery. “As a band, we have strived for our music to be a refuge…inclusive of all,” the trio said in a statement. 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 every day.  “Now, blindspots we didn’t even know existed have been revealed. After much personal reflection, band discussion, prayer and many honest conversations with some of our closest black friends and colleagues, we have decided to drop the word ‘Antebellum’ from our name and move forward as Lady A, the nickname our fans gave us almost from the start.  “We are regretful and embarrassed to say that 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. “We are deeply sorry for the hurt this has caused and for anyone who has felt unsafe, unseen or unvalued. Causing pain was never our hearts’ intention, but it doesn’t change the fact that indeed, it did just that.  “We understand that many of you may ask the question ‘why have you not made this change until now?’ The answer to that we can make no excuse for our lateness to this realisation. What we can do is acknowledge it, turn from it and take action.” The most recent Black Lives Matter movement, sparked following the death of George Floyd at the hands of the police, has – amongst other crucial things – exposed how much slavery is still referred to, be it via statues or place names.

Rising UK artist Vic Allen has released her new single I Can, which will be very familiar to those who have regularly attended her live gigs. You can watch the video for the song below. [wpdevart_youtube]t10e30GZ58c[/wpdevart_youtube] Allen, who shared a four-track EP titled ‘Enough’ back in October, has seen the song be welcomed brilliantly on the live circuit so as such, opted to release a studio version of the track, complete with a video. Speaking about the song itself, Allen explained that it came out of a place of great pain and practically immediately after being subjected to it, while also stating that it is her favourite song that she has written. “I wrote this song literally minutes after my last relationship ended,” Allen said. “We were long distance and so broke up via a very emotional phone call. When we hung up, this song just poured out of me. It’s everything I wanted to say and is definitely my favourite thing I’ve ever written.” Prior to lockdown, Vic Allen was invited to be part of the Song Suffragettes UK tour after flying out to Nashville just before it struck to take part in the sixth anniversary of it, while she has also experienced Radio Disney Country airplay out in the States this year.