Luke Bryan Weighs in on Lady A’s Name Change: ‘What a Mess’

Luke Bryan appeared on Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live Tuesday night, where he was asked by host Andy Cohen via fan questions what he thinks about fellow country act, Lady A’s recent name change and subsequent lawsuit. “I don’t think they were anticipating the aftermath of being called Lady A,” Bryan started.

“I can say that for years, everyone in the community, in the country music community, has really referred to them as Lady A,” he explained. “Only because it seems… like when I would call and say, ‘Hey, get the Lady A guys on the phone,’ you know?” Bryan adds how he thinks it was a great option for them to choose, “but now it’s tricky” to navigate. “Like I said, who knows what they’ll have to figure out. But God, what a mess. What a mess in the aftermath of removing ‘Antebellum.’”

Lady A originally announced in June that they would be changing their name, a decision they made without contacting Anita White, a Seattle-based blues singer. The latter has been going by the name of Lady A for years and says she never heard anything from the band before their announcement. The two acts attempted to work out the use of the name in conversation but were unable to do so, and Lady A is currently suing White for the right to use the name. The country trio has owned the trademark to Lady A since 2010, and White has been performing and releasing music under the name since at least 2006.

Bryan chose his words carefully while speaking to Cohen about the band, and in a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times, explained he’s “always gonna walk a smart line” but that he’s “not scared” when it comes to controversial topics. “Look at ‘Most People Are Good,’ a song I had a couple [of] years ago,” he said. “It touched on ‘Love who you love,’ and that can be taken a lot of ways. I had a lot of people ask me, ‘Well, does that mean you want to plant a flag and support the gay and lesbian community?’ I’m like, ‘I’m not saying I’m gonna go fly that flag — but I’m not saying I’m not either.’”

“As you get a higher profile, you do watch your words carefully,” he added. “And that’s frustrating too. You oughta be able to say a lot of stuff, and if one thing is misconstrued, you oughta be able to say, ‘I didn’t mean it that way,’ apologize and move on.”