As they gear up for the release of their first studio album in over a decade, the Dixie Chicks are opening up about their hiatus from the spotlight.
The group, consisting of Natalie Maines, Martie Maguire and Emily Strayer, recently appeared on an episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show where they shared their thoughts on being blacklisted and explored how the backlash might've been different in today's society.
"I think we were one of the first people to feel that ‘cancel culture’ and I think, you know, what we said — or, what I said — back then would not even be a thing today because it was really mild compared to what people say today," Maines said in the interview.
The backlash came in 2003 after Maines criticized then-President George W. Bush while on stage in London. "Just so you know, we're on the good side with y'all," the singer said at the time. "We do not want this war, this violence. And we're ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas."
Her comments outraged country music fans who ended up boycotting their music, sending the Dixie Chicks' career to a halt.
"On one hand, everyone has this forum where they can say whatever they want to say, but on the other hand this platform can move really quickly and ruin people’s lives," Maines said to the talk show host.
DeGeneres went on to acknowledge that society does have a tendency to turn on celebrities who share different opinions.
"I think we need to get back to where we all just celebrate our differences, and we all have different opinions and it's okay to have strong opinions," DeGeneres explained. "As long as you're not hurting somebody else, you can speak your opinion."
After chatting with DeGeneres, the group took the stage to perform the lead single from their highly-anticipated new album, "Gaslighter." Check out the full performance below.
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