Lady A (The Singer) Fires Back At Lady A (The Trio) With "My Name Is All I Got" [Stream]

While the media attention surrounding the battle between Seattle blues/soul singer Lady A and the band Lady A—formerly known as Lady Antebellum—may have cooled, the legal battle continues. On Tuesday, singer Lady A—real name Anita White—released “My Name Is All I Got” as she remains embroiled with the pop-country trio in a fight to keep the name she’s used for years.

The story began in May with the unlawful killing of George Floyd as many acts, including Lady Antebellum and The Chicks (formerly known as The Dixie Chicks), reassessed the societal impact of their band names’ references to the Confederate South. Lady Antebellum announced that they would change their band’s name to Lady A in order to eliminate any allusions to systemic racism. The only problem was that there was already a Black woman performing as Lady A in Seattle who suddenly found herself at the center of controversy.

Back in July, White attempted to take back her name with a copyright suit alleging that she had dominion over the name Lady A for having used it onstage for years. Lady A (the band) then shot back with a suit of their own that neither sought monetary settlement from White nor would have forced her to stop using the name Lady A, but rather asserted that Lady Antebellum had used the name Lady A as shorthand dating back 13 years.

With the case fading from the limelight over the past five months, the new single from Lady A brings her fight back to headlines. As White engages in an almost Crucible-like fight for her own name, she has found support from members of the country community whom she praises in her call-and-response track, “My Name Is All I Got”. Of note, she recognizes Margo Price, who recently used her time onstage at the Grand Ole Opry to implore the Nashville institution to invite White to its hallowed stage. “Tthat’s what true allyship looks like,” Lady A said. She also gives a shoutout to Chris Stapleton who made a point of saying “Black Lives Matter” during an interview with CBS.

White winds down the song by invoking a quote from Bettye Lavette, who said, “you take our culture, our music, our artistry…leave us our name.” Lady A is unabashed in her righteousness as she ends the song, “Can’t nobody change my name but the lord, so I’m gonna keep this name. Jesus’ll work it out.”

Listen to “My Name Is All I Got” from Lady A via the player below.

Lady A – “My Name Is All I Got”

[H/T Pitchfork]