In a recent interview with The New York Times, The Chicks (formerly known as the Dixie Chicks) opened up about their experience at the 2016 CMA Awards, when they shared the stage with fellow Texan Beyoncé.
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The trio, which had famously been absent from country music events and award shows since Natalie Maines' infamous comments about President George W. Bush, reflected on the night they returned to the country sphere and, according to Maines, the vibes backstage was less than welcoming upon their arrival.
"They treated us very weird backstage," Maines said.
The trio never planned to perform at the annual country awards ceremony, but "then Beyoncé called," Maines explained.
The Chicks took the stage with the Beyoncé to perform "Daddy Lessons," from Beyoncé's album Lemonade and incorporated an excerpt from The Chicks' song "Long Time Gone." And while the perforance was one of the most rousing of the night, not everyone was a fan. The perfomance was the subject of online backlash.
"For them to disrespect [Beyoncé] that way," Maines told the New York Times, "was disgusting."
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The band also discussed their recent name change. Sisters Martie Maguire and Emily Strayer had chosen the name "Dixie Chicks" in 1989 as a nod to the Little Feat song "Dixie Chicken."
"We were literally teenagers when we picked that stupid name," Maguire said.
Back in 2003, The New York Times reports, the trio was ready to distance themselves from the name.
"We wanted to change it years and years and years ago," Maines said. "I just wanted to separate myself from people that wave that Dixie flag."
The group said they often didn't feel accepted by the country music industry.
"They accepted us because we made them a lot of money, but they didn't get us or like us," Maines said
The Chicks will release their new album Gaslighter on July 17.
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