diff --git a/packages/netlify-cms-core/src/backend.js b/packages/netlify-cms-core/src/backend.js
index e5228c49..e6d83354 100644
--- a/packages/netlify-cms-core/src/backend.js
+++ b/packages/netlify-cms-core/src/backend.js
@@ -100,7 +100,7 @@ const commitMessageFormatter = (type, config, { slug, path, collection }) => {
       case 'path':
         return path;
       case 'collection':
-        return collection.get('label');
+        return collection.get('label_singular') || collection.get('label');
       default:
         console.warn(`Ignoring unknown variable “${variable}” in commit message template.`);
         return '';