The Chicks' Natalie Maines has weighed in on a fellow country group also undergoing a name change.
Last month amid the ongoing Black Lives Matter movement, the group formerly known as The Dixie Chicks announced they were dropping the "Dixie" from their famous name, a term that has Confederate south and minstrel roots.
"We want to meet the moment," the trio said in a statement at the time.
"A sincere and heartfelt thank you goes out to 'The Chicks' of NZ for their gracious gesture in allowing us to share their name," the women said in a statement. "We are honored to co-exist together in the world with these exceptionally talented sisters. Chicks Rock!"
The announcement came on the heels of the group formerly known as Lady Antebellum also shifting to Lady A, citing their regret for using a word that references "the period of history before the Civil War, which includes slavery."
Reacting to Lady A's name change on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen on Tuesday, Maines said, "I think that was good. It was news to us that I guess they had gotten that trademark six years ago or something—I wasn't up to date, up to speed on what they were doing."
"I think it was the right move," she continued. However, Maines also commented on Lady A's current legal battle with singer Anita White, who has been performing under the name Lady A for more than 30 years.
She told Cohen, "I think it's been very awkward and uncomfortable to have this whole lawsuit and it's kind of going against the point of changing their name—unfortunate."
In June, the group formerly known as Lady Antebellum filed a lawsuit against White. The group explained in a statement, "Today we are sad to share that our sincere hope to join together with Anita White in unity and common purpose has ended. She and her team have demanded a $10 million payment, so reluctantly we have come to the conclusion that we need to ask a court to affirm our right to continue to use the name Lady A, a trademark we have held for many years." The band is not seeking any money from the songstress and does not wish to prevent her from using the name Lady A.
However, in an interview with Vulture, the singer explained that she intended to use $5 million to rebrand and to donate the remaining $5 million, including to "organizations that provide support to other independent Black artists," the article described. The piece also pointed out that, in using the name Lady A, the group has pushed White down in search results.
As White explained to Vulture, "I was quiet for two weeks because I was trying to believe that it was going to be okay and that they would realize that it would be easier to just change their name, or pay me for my name. Five million dollars is nothing, and I'm actually worth more than that, regardless of what they think."
She continued, "But here we go again with another white person trying to take something from a Black person, even though they say they're trying to help. If you want to be an advocate or an ally, you help those who you're oppressing. And that might require you to give up something because I am not going to be erased."