IN CONVERSATION WITH ANDRA DAY

interview by JANA LETONJA

Emmy, GRAMMY, and Golden Globe Award–winning, Oscar-nominated singer, songwriter, actress, and activist Andra Day bridges music, film, and meaningful cultural impact. After captivating the world with her transformative portrayal of Billie Holiday in ‘The United States vs. Billie Holiday’, she has continued to build an extraordinary screen career with acclaimed performances in ‘The Deliverance’, and ‘Exhibiting Forgiveness’. She is now starring in Bradley Cooper–directed ‘Is This Thing On?’, premiering on 19th December, and in Disney+’s highly anticipated ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’. A powerhouse vocalist best known for the global anthem ‘Rise Up’, Andra returned to music with her 2024 album ‘CASSANDRA (cherith)’, earning widespread praise while championing activism through organizations like Global Citizen and The Kering Foundation. With new films, new music, and a legacy of artistic courage, Andra Day continues to shape culture in profound and resonant ways.

gown VALDRIN SAHITI
earrings SHINE LIKE ME

You excel across music, film, and activism. How do you maintain a unified creative identity while working in so many powerful mediums?

That's a really great question. The first thing that comes to mind is that I don't know that I've really maintained a unified creative identity. I think there's probably points that I can look back on and be like “How does that connect to that?” But I will say, I feel like I have had a revelation in the last five or six years, or I have found personally that I don't necessarily have to look that hard or work that hard to figure out how to have a unified identity like that. Because, you know, I am who I am. And I think the more we look internally and are authentic about the things that we like and the things we don't like, and the things that work for us, and how we move in the world, and as honest as we can be with ourselves about those things, we sort of inadvertently create what people may perceive as a unified creative identity. And I think maybe that's how I've been able to do it over the last few years. 

And obviously, a big part of it stems from my faith and wanting to be a person steeped in service, whether that's just giving a very truthful offering in music or in movies and something that people can identify with and relate to, or whether that's actively physically serving other people. I've just worked on being more and more honest with myself and more and more authentic in the things that I decide to be a part of.

gown PAMELLA ROLAND

What personal or artistic shift do you feel most clearly marks the evolution from ‘Cheers to the Fall’ to ‘CASSANDRA (cherith)’?

That's a heavy question only because when I think about it, there was so much time between ‘Cheers to the Fall’ and ‘CASSANDRA (cherith)’, and so much happened in that time. I was in a relationship that ended and then I was in a longer relationship that ended. I ended up getting into acting for the first time in my life and playing Billie Holiday in the ‘The United States vs. Billie Holiday’, and that season of my life really affected me. But I will say, through all of those experiences, it made me clearer about things that I want and things that I don't want, and things I won't tolerate. And it made me a little less polite, or really actually it was a process of sort of healing my people pleasing. 

I can be very much a people pleaser, like playing Billie Holiday. She was just such a straight shooter and she could be really almost intimidating in that way. And I feel like I was really impacted by that aspect of her because it's something I've always desired for myself. All of those things and the different relationships, the ones that worked and the ones that didn't work for a variety of reasons, just helped me to be more clear in understanding people and reading people, which had a huge impact on the project and more deeply understanding myself and being able to use my voice in a clearer and sometimes more stern way when necessary. And I think that sort of marks the difference between the two. It was a lot of growth, honestly. 

Your voice is instantly recognizable and deeply emotional. How do you approach vocal storytelling differently now compared to when you first started?

It pertains to telling stories with my voice, my actual vocal choices. I've just been playing a lot more in my lower register. I think before, I just get in the studio and I'm like singing up in the rafters, and then I'm like “Girl, you have to do this live over and over and over again”. So, while it's enjoyable and it's fun, sometimes that's the best way to convey a certain message. I also just like sitting in my lower register and that warmth, that sort of lo-fi feeling. I've been playing a lot more with it because it's something that I really enjoy listening to, and I enjoy singing. It's kind of like a therapy for me as of late.

gown MATICEVSKI
shoes LESILLA

‘Rise Up’ continues to resonate globally nearly a decade after its release. How do you feel when you see the song’s impact endure over time?

It's interesting that you asked that actually because I feel like I've always been incredibly grateful for the song. What I say is that the Lord wrote this and I was just chosen to be the vessel. And I'm really grateful for that. Although, I feel like that way about a lot of music, by all type of different artists. I recently, like as in the last few months, sort of regained a new appreciation for the song. I don't know, I've heard it in multiple different ways now, and I've had a few different encounters with people. And I think that it happens often with the song. I think it continues to evolve because I meet people or I go and I perform in different places, and then it's a new story about how they survived their battle with cancer and they were listening to the song the entire time, or how they overcame grief of losing a family member, or decided not to unlive themselves because they were listening to the song. And so I think I just feel rejuvenated. 

I felt really kind of out of alignment for a while. And I feel like I'm starting to come back into alignment with God, with myself, and with who it is I'm supposed to be in this season. And so it's garnered sort of this new appreciation for the song, and I'm re-reminded and re-grounded in how powerful it is. 

Your portrayal of Billie Holiday was groundbreaking. How has that role continued to shape your approach to acting and performance?

Portraying Billie Holiday, the impact shaped my entire life, my personal worldview. So of course, it definitely impacts the way I approach acting. The main thing I think is that it’s just commitment, hard work. I am one of those believers that it's great to have talent and those things, but I do feel like hard work can top natural talent every time if you're willing to put in the time. And so that's how I feel about acting and every role. I want it to take everything, or I want it to take a piece of me. And being willing to really put in the work and the time, and for it to be an all encompassing experience.

I think that's in general in anything I do, I'm okay with sacrificing some of myself for that, because I think that's how you leave a legacy. I think it should be approached with 150% effort and willingness to do what's necessary to bring this character or this person to life, because you just never know who you're reaching through these different characters. 

gown VALDRIN SAHITI
earrings SHINE LIKE ME

‘The Deliverance’ became a Netflix number-one hit. What drew you to that story and to the emotional weight of your character?

I love ‘The Deliverance’, I love that character, I love that cast. You know, those people are family. That character really meant a lot to me, that family. And that story meant a lot to me also, it being based on a true story. I love true stories like that, where you kind of have to decide whether you believe it or not, for most of the audience. I was drawn to that character because of her journey as a single mother, a sort of butting alcoholic, trying to fight her past and people's expectation of her so that she can be the best mother that she can be, that she can love these kids, and she can provide. And she is so determined not to damage her kids in the way that she felt like her mother and her upbringing damaged her. But obviously, we see in the movie that some of these demons and some of these afflictions have definitely affected her, her mothering and her ability to mother her children. 

I really love that this movie is a journey of faith. It's a really honest one. I think people really focused on the demonic aspect or the horror, of course, because that's the type of film it is. But really, it’s a true story about a woman whose kids got possessed. And then there is the metaphor about the demons that we don't deal with in our past will absolutely affect our children and future generations. 

This woman is fighting the idea that this journey is supposed to be something that's constantly peaceful and beautiful and sugarcoated and perfect and all. I think sometimes we get to the other side and we forget  not to look at people who are in the middle of their journey with such disdain because it's like we were there before, and I think she represents that to me. So, it was an honor playing this woman.

You’re starring in Bradley Cooper film ‘Is This Thing On?’. What can you share about this film and your role in it?

I'm very excited about this movie. It is a story written by Will Arnett, Mark Chappell and Bradley Cooper, directed by Bradley Cooper, and it's actually based on the life story of John Bishop, the British comedian. Through this craft, he was able to be more honest with himself than he had been in a long time. And him and his wife were estranged, and through this process, they found their way back to each other. It's a story that deals with marriage and separation and divorce, but it's actually really just a truthful love story with all the bumps, and deals with this idea that we're transforming all the time, or we should be transforming all the time as people. But if we're not aware of that and we're not communicating those things, then we can find ourselves in this place where we go “Wait, how we haven't been honest with ourselves in such a long time? And why are things not working?” There's no bad guys in this movie, there's no huge violation. They've just changed and have not understood how they got here. And so I love them going on this journey, and I love that it's a hopeful story and that they find their way back to each other. 

My character Christine is a part of their friend group and she's married to Bradley's character, and she finds herself at this sort of crossroads. Bradley really gave me a gift in Christine because I found myself in my own personal life, though I'm not married and I don't have kids, at this crossroads trying to figure out who I am and where do I go with all these different upheavals happening in my life. You know, career, personal life, what direction to go in, what to focus on. And that's where we find Christine. She's always identified through the relationships in her life, as we often do as people, as a mother to their son and a supportive wife to her husband and his goals and his dreams in acting. But now her friends are getting a divorce and her marriage is on the rocks, and her son is going off to college, so for the first time in a very long time, she's having to sit with herself and realize how much of herself she may have not developed or paid attention to. It's just a blessing to be a part of this movie.

left:
gown MATICEVSKI
shoes LESILLA

right:
gown KILIAN KERNER

Fans are also eagerly awaiting your portrayal of Athena in ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’. What excited you most about embodying a mythological figure?

What excited me most about playing Athena, the most famous Greek goddess of wisdom and war? Everything.  I was so excited when I got that call. First of all, I'm a huge fan of the show, but also as a kid growing up, I was a fan of all kinds Greek mythology, Roman mythology, and any of those sort of mythological characters. I've always been such a fan of those things. I've always been so fascinated because I have this huge imagination, like most of us do in this business that we work in. 

Playing Athena is like the pinnacle. That was just such a dream, just her representation in this world as a woman, being the goddess of wisdom and war. And I loved how sharp she is. I just love that power and that strength, but that cool calculated power and strength. She isn't a hothead, she's very strategic in everything she does, and I was just like “Oh my gosh, I just want to be like her”. I'm so excited to join this family, what an incredible cast. It was so inspiring to be in this group of creatives.

Activism is deeply woven into both your music and your public presence. What guides your choices in the organizations and causes you support?

What guides my choices in the work that I do or the organizations that I choose to align with or do work for or perform for really is my faith. I'm a Christian, I'm a believer, and my relationship with Christ is really what guides that. There's a scripture that I love that says that the Lord didn't come to be served, but he came to be a servant. And I think that's kind of at the crux of how I look at my life and how I approach things. And I also just believe we are our highest selves when we're serving. I actually find that when we are giving and we are serving, we have more peace and we have more joy, as opposed to just accumulating. 

My faith is absolutely core to why  I decided to live my life that way or engage in the things that I engage in, from giving directly to Unlikely Heroes or the Samoo Project, or the Caring Foundation or Global Citizen. I think in general, everything I approach, whether it's music or film or whatever I'm endeavoring to do, I always want to make sure I'm serving because I believe that's what I'm supposed to be doing. And as far as the organizations or people I decide to work with, are they authentic? Are they transparent? Are they actually doing the work? Do they actually have compassion? Those are huge things for me, so that's how I make those decisions.

left:
gown PAMELLA ROLAND

right:
gown VALDRIN SAHITI

What role do you believe artists should, or should not, play in driving social change today?

I definitely think that artists should be involved in social change. I actually feel like artists are at the helm of social change, and I think we see lots of examples throughout history of that. Even here in America, when we look at the sixties and the seventies and the music that Marvin Gaye started making, inspired by what he was seeing around him, I think artists are vessels. And so we don't just inspire social change, we inspire the culture in general. And I think art is one of the huge pillars through which historians understand ancient cultures. One of the other main ways we understand ancient cultures is through their art and through literature. And so I think it's no different now. To really understand us, looking back a hundred years from now, you'll have to look at our artists, music and movies, through painting, through writing, because artists reflect the things around them, the times, relationships. And I think that when we allow artists to be who they are, as opposed to feeling “Oh, I have to make an inspiring song, or right now I have to make a hit radio record”, we allow them to experience life and to be a vessel, allow them to imbibe the information and then to produce this very honest work of art, and that sort of naturally bring about social change, whether intentionally or unintentionally. I think they hold up a mirror to us and show us clearly where we are and where we need to go. Truly, as a society.

With new music and several major film projects on the horizon, what excites you the most about the next chapter in your career, and what can fans expect next from you?

Fans can definitely expect more music, music for other artists as well. I'm very excited. I'm working on a series of VPs right now with artists and producers that I've always wanted to work with, that I really love.

Someone asked me a while ago if I would ever see myself directing, and I was like “I don't know about that”. I like producing. I did start a production company, so I'm working on a few TV shows and movie projects right now in slow development. But yeah, now I'm at a point where I kind of could see myself directing. 

Also, I always joke that I'm a Capricorn, so I sort of have a mind for business and products that I'm really excited about working with as well. There's a skincare brand that I'm a huge fan of that I'm getting behind, called Puka. I'm really excited to expand that in 2026. I feel like I have my hands in a few different things that I'm really passionate about, and that's kind of my only criteria. 

gown PAMELLA ROLAND

left:
gown PAMELLA ROLAND

right:
cape and bodysuit TONY WARD COUTURE
shoes FLOR DE MARIA

left:
gown VALDRIN SAHITI

right:
gown PAMELLA ROLAND

TEAM CREDITS:

talent ANDRA DAY
photography, videography, and creative director EMILYNN ROSE
photography director MARTY RUSH
styling WOURI VICE
styling assistant SIMONE WHIGHAM
hair B THOMAS
makeup MILA THOMAS
first assistant JOSHUA HAMMAREN
second assistant ALEXANDRA CHANDRA
producer coordinator SPENCER KELLY
production assistants ELEANOR CARTY and DAVID CHOI
retouching KASSIE J
behind-the-scenes videography CHRISTIAN ALMAZAN
video producer ALEXANDER JOHN
video colourist MAKSIM ZVERV
video sound STEVEN VIEGAS via One Ten Media
video editing ONE TEN MEDIA
lighting APUTURE
location HYPE STUDIOS LA
editor TIMOTEJ LETONJA
interview JANA LETONJA
cover design ARTHUR ROELOFFZEN