FKA twigs Could Be Forced to Change Her Name Again

FKA twigs, the London-based singer and songwriter hot off the success of her internationally acclaimed album LP1 continues to deal with legal issues regarding her name. The singer – whose real name is Tahliah Debrett Barnett – was formerly known as Twigs, but was forced to modify it after a band from the ‘90s named The Twigs (who hold a trademark on the name) threatened legal action against Tahliah and her label. Despite an offer of $15,000 for the name on the table, The Twigs refused to deal, forcing Tahliah to change her name. She cleverly made lemonade of the situation by changing her name to FKA twigs – the FKA stands for “Formerly Known As.” However the modifier has still not satisfied The Twigs, who are still demanding a more substantial name change, or a new monetary offer to settle. There is precedent for bands sidestepping trademark issues by adding modifiers to their name (e.g. Blink-182, formerly known just as Blink), so we’ll see how FKA twigs and her label decide to deal with this. However, with FKA twigs possessing one of the most passionate and groundbreaking voices in R&B, it wouldn’t appear that petty legal issues could keep her down.