The Chicks considered rebranding to MEN

Columbia RecordsWhen the band formerly known as the Dixie Chicks rebranded to The Chicks, frontwoman Natalie Maines had a different direction in mind for what she wanted the new band name to be. 

The Grammy-decorated trio of Natalie and sisters Martie Maguire and Emily Strayer officially changed its name to The Chicks in June following the wave of protests for racial justice after the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery. 

In interview with Vulture, The Chicks reveal that one idea they had when brainstorming new band names was MEN, representing the initials for each of their names: Martie, Emily and Natalie. 

“Recently, the one I leaned toward the most if we didn’t go with the Chicks, or couldn’t go with the Chicks legally, was gonna be MEN,” Natalie explains. “I liked that we would go from Chicks to MEN.” 

The trio previously shared with the The New York Times that they’d wanted to change the band name for years so they’d no longer be aligned with the word “dixie,” which is associated with the Confederate states during the Civil War. 

The Chicks’ new album, Gaslighter, will be released on Friday.

By Cillea Houghton
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