The Dixie Chicks have quietly changed their name, dropping the word Dixie, and rebranded as The Chicks on Thursday.
Natalie Maines, Martie Erwin Maguire and Emily Strayer changed their band’s social media handles to The Chicks but released no statement about the new moniker.
The group also declared their support for the Black Lives Matter movement by debuting a brand new music video for their anthem, March March, which features scenes of protests throughout history.
Rename: The Dixie Chicks quietly changed their name, dropping the word Dixie, and have rebranded as The Chicks on Thursday and released a music video for their anthem March March
In addition to changing their official social media handles, the cover of the band’s upcoming album, Gaslighter, has been modified from Dixie Chicks to The Chicks.
The group also released a powerful music video for their song, March March, which featured the names of Black men, women and children who have been murdered by police violence.
‘Breonna Taylor, Elijah McClain, Tamir Rice, Brian Keith Day, Eric Reason,’ were some of the names of the innocent victims emblazoned across the screen.
‘March, march to my own drum // March, march to my own drum // Hey, hey, I’m an army of one,’ the group sings in the melodic chorus.
Making a statement: The group also released a powerful music video for their song, March March, which featured the names of Black men, women and children who have been murdered by police violence
‘March, march to my own drum // March, march to my own drum // Hey, hey, I’m an army of one,’ the group sings in the melodic chorus.
Powerful: The video shows a series of clips of protesters and marches throughout history fighting for issues like climate change, gun violence, suffrage, LGBTQ+ rights, segregation, the Civil Rights Movement, gender equality and Black Lives Matter
March March dropped as the U.S. is in the midst of race revolution as weeks of protests continue across the country following a string of innocent Black people who were killed at the hands of police.
The death of George Floyd, who was killed when a now-former Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for over eight minutes, was the catalyst to the current reckoning of racism and white supremacy in America.
The Chicks music video shows a series of clips of protesters and marches throughout history fighting for issues like climate change, gun violence, suffrage, LGBTQ+ rights, segregation, the Civil Rights Movement, gender equality and Black Lives Matter.
In the lyrics, the group singing about standing with Emma, in reference to gun violence advocate Emma Gonzalez who is a survivor of the 2018 Stoneman Douglas High School mass shooting.
‘Breonna Taylor, Elijah McClain, Tamir Rice, Brian Keith Day, Eric Reason,’ were some of the names of the innocent victims emblazoned across the screen
Taking to the streets: March March dropped as the U.S. is in the midst of race revolution as weeks of protests continue across the country following a string of innocent Black people who were killed at the hands of police
Demanding change: The death of George Floyd, who was killed when a now-former Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for over eight minutes, was the catalyst to the current reckoning of racism and white supremacy in America
The lyrics read: ‘Standing with Emma and our sons and daughters // Watchin’ our youth have to solve our problems // I’ll follow them so who’s comin’ with me?’
Emma’s image flashes on the screen along with other young activists on the forefront of hot button issues like Greta Thunberg and Malala Yousafzai.
While the trio didn’t give a reason for the name change, the band has faced growing pressure recently to re-name due to the link between the word Dixie and the racial history of the South.
Dixie is a term used for parts of the Southern United States, particularly the states the made up the Confederacy.
Stop the violence: In the lyrics, the group singing about standing with Emma, in reference to gun violence advocate Emma Gonzalez who is a survivor of the 2018 Stoneman Douglas High School mass shooting
On the front lines: Emma’s image flashes on the screen along with other young activists on the forefront of hot button issues like Greta Thunberg and Malala Yousafzai
The Confederacy was an area of slave-holding states below the Mason-Dixon line that seceded from the union over the issue of wanting to keep slavery in place, leading to the U.S. Civil War.
People have taken to social media recently to put pressure on the Dixie Chicks to change their name due to the implications of the word Dixie, particularly considering the fact that the trio has established themselves as liberal country stars.
A recent opinion column in Variety also asked whether now was the finally the time for the Dixie Chicks to change their name and suggested that the answer was an obvious ‘yes’.
The author, Jeremy Helligar, called the term dixie the ‘epitome of white America’ and said called out Dixie Chicks for being silent regarding the BLM movement. ‘Their silence has been deafening,’ he penned.
Pressure: While the trio didn’t give a reason for the name change, the band has faced growing pressure recently to re-name due to the link between the word Dixie and the racial history of the South (Pictured in 2014)
New look: In addition to changing their official social media handles, the cover of the upcoming album, Gaslighter, has been modified from Dixie Chicks to The Chicks
Calls for The Chicks to make ‘Dixie’ a thing of the past reached then fever pitch after country group Lady Antebellum changed their name to Lady A earlier in June.
The group, comprised of members Hillary Scott, Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood, made the announcement via social media that they would be henceforth adopting the nickname fans had used for the trio for years.
The ‘antebellum south’ refers to the pre-Civil War period in the Southern United States between 1830-1860 when slavery was practiced.
The band, who has used the name since 2006, said they felt compelled to make the change after the past few weeks opened their eyes to ‘blindspots we didn’t even know existed’.
Following suit: Calls for The Chicks to make ‘Dixie’ a thing of the past reached then fever pitch after country group Lady Antebellum changed their name to Lady A earlier in June
In their statement Lady A said in part: ‘We are regretful and embarrassed to say that we did not take into account the associations that weigh down this word referring to the period of history before the Civil War, which includes slavery.’
‘We are deeply sorry for the hurt this has caused and for anyone who has felt unsafe, unseen, or unvalued.’
The Chicks will release their upcoming album, Gaslighter, following a long giatus under their new name.
The release, which is a comeback for the group who hasn’t put out a new album in well over a decade, was delayed previously due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Formed in 1989, The Dixie Chicks reached the pinnacle of their popularity in the early 2000s but plummeted out of the spotlight after they criticized then-president George W. Bush over the Iraq war.
Coming soon: March March is off of The Chicks upcoming album Gaslighter, their comeback album following a nearly 15 year hiatus; it drops July 17
In 2003, a little over a week before the U.S. invasion of Iraq, lead singer Natalie Maines criticized the impending war and President Bush during a concert in London.
‘Just so you know, we’re on the good side with y’all. We do not want this war, this violence, and we’re ashamed that the President of the United States is from Texas,’ Maines said from the stage.
The remarks sparked a huge backlash from their mostly right-winged Southern fan base and were subsequently blacklisted from country music radio stations.
Maines apologized but it did little to quell outrage and the group fell from stardom. Later, in the 2006 documentary Shut up and Sing, she recanted her apology.
The Chicks’s new album Gaslighter drops in July 17.
Controversy: Formed in 1989, The Dixie Chicks reached the pinnacle of their popularity in the early 2000s but plummeted out of the spotlight after they criticized then-president George W. Bush over the Iraq war (Pictured in 2017)