By Christi Carras
Los Angeles Times
The country band formerly known as the Dixie Chicks debuted a new song Thursday —and under a new name: the Chicks.
Though the trio provided little explanation, the change likely was made in an effort to dissociate the band from the racist history of the American South, also known as “Dixie” during the Civil War era. Lady A, the country act previously known as Lady Antebellum, made a similar move recently.
“We want to meet this moment,” Chicks members Natalie Maines, Emily Strayer and Martie Maguire said in a brief joint statement on their website.
The music video released Thursday for the Chicks’ “March March” features footage from Black Lives Matter protests and lists the names of several victims of racial violence, including David McAtee, Sandra Bland, Tamir Rice, Trayvon Martin, Rayshard Brooks, Tony McDade and George Floyd.
“March, march to my own drum / March, march to my own drum,” the Chicks sing in the chorus. “Hey, hey, I’m an army of one / Oh, I’m an army of one.”
On YouTube, a description beneath the video also directs viewers to the websites of several activist organizations, such as Black Lives Matter, the American Civil Liberties Union, the Native American Rights Fund, March for Our Lives and the Innocence Project.
Earlier this month, a “regretful and embarrassed” Lady A announced that it had dropped the word “antebellum” from its name, acknowledging the pre-Civil War period term’s ties to slavery.
The bandmates were almost immediately challenged, however, by veteran blues singer Anita White, who has been performing under the name Lady A for decades. The two Lady As later met via video chat to work things out.
The Chicks appear to have taken precautions to avoid a similar mishap, offering a “sincere and heartfelt thank you” to “‘The Chicks’ of NZ for their gracious gesture in allowing us to share their name.”
“We are honored to co-exist together in the world with these exceptionally talented sisters,” the American Chicks said in a statement obtained by Variety. “Chicks Rock!”
“Gaslighter,” the Chicks’ first new album in 14 years, launches July 17.
