Anita White, the Seattle-based blues singer who has been going on stage as "Lady A," has responded to Lady Antebellum's lawsuit move, in an interview on Thursday, July 9.
On Wednesday (July 8), the country trio formerly known as Lady Antebellum has taken to Nashville court to file a lawsuit. The band is suing for the right to use the name "Lady A," the very stage name Anita White has been using since 1987.
In the copy of the court documents obtained by Pitchfork, the band does not prevent White from using the name. They are also not after monetary damages, only for the right to use the stage name.
In an article from Vulture, White said: "I think they always knew what they were gonna do." For most of her career, the Seattle blues artist and independent musician did not have the machinery that the Nashville band did when they claimed trademark for the name in 2010. "You don't get to just come and take because you have that privilege," White said. She added that artists like her do not have "that luxury or that privilege, so we need somebody to help us and lift us up." White shared that during her first meeting with Lady Antebellum - Hillary Scott, Charles Kelley, and Dave Haywood - the three asked to take a picture with her to show thet they are "moving forward with positive solutions and common ground." She later explained that the first proposal she received "had no substance." Moreover, as the band rebranded themselves across online platforms, the black indie artist fell further into obscurity. She even recalled that when she tried uploading her single on indiependent distribution DistroKid, she could not verify her stage name for several days. As for the $10 million she is seeking from the band, White explained to Vulture's Andrea Williams that she will be using it to support herself and the community. She was planning to use half of it to rebrand herself and start over, although she has been "Lady A" even before Lady Antebellum was formed in 2006. The other half was supposed to go to charities of her choice. RELATED: Lady Antebellum: Owning The Nights Since 2006 Their statement regarding the legal action claimed that the band "had heartfelt discussions" with White, talking about making "something special and beautiful out of this moment." Lady Antebellum has first announced their intent to change their name to "Lady A," their fan-given nickname, on June 11. The trio has acknowledged the negative connotations of slavery and oppression attached to the term "Antebellum." It was the period of US history before the start of the American Civil War in 1861. RELATED: Antebellum's Meaning Compels Band to Change Name On Friday (June 12), Anita White has released a statement objecting to the country band's use of the name. "This is my life," the blues artist told Rolling Stone. "Lady A is my band, I've used it for over 20 years, and I'm proud of what I've done." She then said that Lady Antebellum is just using the name because of a "Black Lives Matter incident," adding that it was "just a moment in time" for the band. She further argued that if the issue surrounding their name actually mattered to the band, it wouldn't have taken George Floyd's death for them to act. "It's an opportunity for them to pretend they're not racist or pretend this means something to them." Anita White, now 61 years old, is an African-American woman who has been performing blues under the said stage name, She started her career as a gospel singer at their local church. White later adapted the contested stage name for her night gigs singing at various establishments. Seattle Times said that White claims to own the business Lady A LLC. Unfortunately, the black woman is not sure if that alone gives her the trademark rights to "Lady A," which the Nashville band filed for a trademark in 2010. White has released several albums under her stage name. The sixty-one-year-old woman juggled her music career with her day job at the Seattle Public Utilities. Anita White has an upcoming album, "Lady A: Live in New Orleans," in celebration of her July 18th birthday. About the band's name change, Anita expressed her thoughts with Rolling Stone. "I'm not happy about that. You found me on Spotify easily - why couldn't they?"
Anita White, who has been going on-stage as "Lady A," has posted a picture of her on her Twitter account. She has captioned her post with the popular bible verse from Isaiah 54:17.
There was nothing "special and beautiful out of this moment."
Anita White: A Seattle-based blues singer since the 80s
