Olivia Newton-John has sent U.S. musician Olivia Neutron-John a cease and desist letter over her stage moniker.
The Washington, D.C. based performer, real name Anna Nasty, started recording as Olivia Neutron-John around 2013, but has been forced to drop the stage name after facing objections from the Grease actress herself.
"The show with Stereolab at Brooklyn Steel was my last show as Olivia Neutron-John," she penned in an Instagram post on Monday. "I thought about booking a goodbye show, but I couldn't have planned a better way to go out."
Explaining the difficult situation, she continued: "In July, before the record had even been out for two months, I received a cease & desist from Olivia Newton-John's legal team. Because I have very limited resources, I was unable to fight it."
However, Nasty is taking the opportunity to "step back and reinvent" herself, assuring fans: "I'm excited for a new beginning. I'll be back again, under another name. Thank you again for everything. It's been such an incredible year."
Sister Polygon Records, the star's label, said they were "so upset" by Newton-John's complaint, adding: "It is absolutely soul-wrecking to see someone's life work get trampled on this way."
"Anna is one of the greatest living artist we've ever met, and it is so upsetting to see a group of lawyers representing someone with a disproportionate amount of money and power get in the way of their expression for some non-existent capital gain," they wrote. "Please support ONJ (Olivia Neutron-John) in any way you can right now. I know it would mean a lot to them as they regroup and rebuild. Anna, we love you and can't wait to see what you do next!"
