About
Cassandra Monique Batie—better known as Andra Day—is an American singer-songwriter and actress whose raspy, soul-drenched voice first soared into the public ear with the 2015 anthem “Rise Up.” A San Diego-raised R&B and soul stylist, Day parlayed that breakout single and her Grammy-nominated debut album Cheers to the Fall into a string of high-profile honors, including a 2021 Golden Globe win and an Academy Award nomination for her powerhouse portrayal of Billie Holiday in The United States vs. Billie Holiday. After a reflective hiatus to heal strained vocal cords, she returned in May 2024 with her deeply personal sophomore studio album, CASSANDRA (cherith), a 16-track set that folds gospel, jazz, and contemporary soul into stories of heartbreak, faith, and renewal. The record’s release was followed by a free SummerStage concert in New York’s Central Park, underscoring her commitment to accessibility and community.
Before Fame
Day was born on December 30, 1984, in Edmonds, Washington, but her family relocated to southeast San Diego when she was three. Sundays meant church, where young Cassandra belted choir hymns and soaked in the jazz records her father kept spinning at home. Dance lessons from age five polished her stage presence, and the San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts nurtured her love of musical theater before she graduated in 2003. Post-high school, she took service jobs while uploading retro-soul covers to YouTube—clips that caught the eye of Kai Millard Morris, then-wife of Stevie Wonder. Wonder called the stunned singer in 2010, opening doors to professional sessions and, eventually, her Warner Records deal.
Trivia
- A commercial that kept on giving. Apple’s 2015 holiday spot paired Day with Stevie Wonder for a cover of “Someday at Christmas,” introducing her voice to millions outside R&B radio.
- Method dedication—ink and all. While filming Lee Daniels’ 2024 Netflix thriller The Deliverance, Day wore a “temporary” tattoo bearing her fictional children’s names. Two years later, the ink still hasn’t faded, and fans often assume the kids are real.
- Anthem on her own terms. A proud advocate for social justice, she once declined an invitation to sing “The Star-Spangled Banner,” explaining that the song’s history conflicted with her values; instead, “Rise Up” remains her go-to hymn for causes ranging from racial equity to mental-health awareness.
- Healing and honesty. In recent interviews she has spoken openly about therapy, adult ADHD, and the intense emotional toll of embodying Billie Holiday—experiences that shaped the raw confessions threaded through CASSANDRA (cherith).
Family Life
Day credits her close-knit Christian upbringing for grounding her amid fame’s storms. Both parents cheered beside her during her virtual Golden Globe victory in 2021, a moment she calls “full-circle gratitude” for their decades of patience with her artistic dreams. In 2023 she surprised her mom with an award shout-out on Instagram, admitting that public praise helps her mother accept compliments she often deflects in private. Though she is currently single and child-free, Day has shared plans to freeze her eggs, saying she hopes to balance eventual motherhood with music and acting when the timing feels right.
Associated With
- Stevie Wonder – early mentor who championed her talent and collaborated on the Apple holiday duet.
- Common – hip-hop luminary who joined Day on the Oscar-nominated civil-rights anthem “Stand Up for Something” from the film Marshall.
- Diane Warren – legendary songwriter behind “Stand Up for Something,” cementing Day’s status as a voice for empowerment ballads.
- Lee Daniels – director who cast her as Billie Holiday and later in The Deliverance, deepening her acting résumé.
- Billie Holiday – the jazz icon whose life Day channeled on-screen and whose emotional rawness heavily influences her vocal phrasing.
