The Chicks Say They’re “Proud” Of Taylor Swift For Getting Political, Understand Past Silence
“She was told not to be like us, that’s not news to us either."
The Chicks — FKA The Dixie Chicks — have said they’re proud of Taylor Swift for speaking out on political issues in recent years, while stating they understand why she didn’t do so earlier.
In her Netflix documentary Miss Americana, Swift reveals that she was repeatedly told throughout her career to “not be like the Dixie Chicks”, who were effectively blacklisted after criticising then-president George W. Bush back in 2003.
Swift was repeatedly criticised for refusing to speak up on political issues, especially a reluctance to denounce Donald Trump in the lead-up and following the 2016 election. In 2018, this changed — as did her label deal — and she publicly denounced Republican Marsha Blackburn ahead of the US mid-term elections.
Since then, Swift has been much more vocal on many social issues including LBGTIQ+ and women’s rights, and recently supported the Black Lives Matter movement, calling out Trump directly and supporting protestors’ demands to tear down confederacy statues.
In an interview on Andy Cohen’s Watch What Happens Live (via Vulture), The Chicks — who just released Gaslighter, their first album in fourteen years — discussed Taylor Swift’s shift to using her platform to express political views. Last year, they collaboarated with Swift for Lover track ‘Soon You’ll Get Better’.
“[We’re] just proud of her,” said Emily Robison. “She started her career when she was so young and had people she went to as kind of a panel when she was younger, so it’s good to see her as she becomes her own woman questioning these things and saying ‘No, I really do want to talk about it’.”
They said they weren’t surprised she was warned to not be like them, either. “She was told not to be like us, that’s not news to us either,” said Robison, prompting her bandmates to laugh.
In the short chat, The Chicks also discussed their recent decision to change their name to be “reflect the current moment”, as well as the mess around Lady Antebellum, who have also changed their name to Lady A — a name already in use for decades by a Black soul musician who they are now suing.
“I think it was the right move but it’s been very awkward and uncomfortable to have this lawsuit and it kind of goes against changing the name.”
As for any fans upset by their name change? The message is simple: “We really don’t care”. Watch the interview below, and find the music video for ‘March March’, which features footage from Black Lives Matter protests across the US.