Andra Day Bio
Cassandra Monique Batie, known professionally as Andra Day, is an American R&B and soul singer, songwriter, and actress. Born on December 30, 1984, she first gained widespread attention with her 2015 debut studio album Cheers to the Fall and the anthem “Rise Up.” She later earned major acclaim for her portrayal of legendary jazz singer Billie Holiday in the 2021 biographical drama The United States vs. Billie Holiday, winning a Golden Globe Award and earning a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress.
Day is recognized for her powerful vocal style rooted in classic jazz and soul influences. Over the course of her career, she has collected a Grammy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Children’s and Family Emmy Award, cementing her reputation as a multi-hyphenate performer who moves fluidly between music and film.
Early Life and Background
Andra Day was born on December 30, 1984, in Edmonds, Washington. When she was three years old, her family relocated to Southern California, and she grew up in Southeast San Diego. She began singing at a young age at the First United Methodist Church in Chula Vista, California, an experience that helped shape her early love of music and performance.
Day also started taking dance lessons at age five, a discipline she continued into her twenties. She attended Valencia Park Elementary School, where she credits her teachers with fostering her interest in the performing arts. At the age of twelve, she was introduced to the sounds of jazz vocalists such as Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, and Dinah Washington, all of whom she counts as early influences on her sound. Day went on to attend the San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts in Paradise Hills, graduating in 2003.
Path to Music
After high school, Day worked roughly twenty different jobs, including a stint as a children’s entertainer, while continuing to perform whenever she could. In 2010, Stevie Wonder’s then-wife, Kai Millard, noticed Day singing at a strip mall and brought her to the attention of her husband. Wonder soon called Day, and although no immediate partnership was formed, the two reconnected about a year later, with Wonder introducing her to producer Adrian Gurvitz.
Day signed a development deal with Buskin Records in 2011, founded by Jeffrey Evans, who she later asked to become her manager in 2013. She and Buskin secured a record deal with Warner Bros. Records in part because of the popularity of her numerous unplugged covers and mashups on her YouTube channel, most of which were filmed in her sister’s bedroom in San Diego. Her covers included Jessie J’s “Mamma Knows Best,” Eminem’s “Lose Yourself,” and Muse’s “Uprising,” while her mashups paired songs by The Notorious B.I.G. with Marvin Gaye and Amy Winehouse with Lauryn Hill.
Andra Day Career
Early Career (2012–2014)
Day formally launched her professional music career in 2012, working alongside producer Adrian Gurvitz on roughly forty original songs that would eventually feed her debut record. Other producers and contributors to what would become her first studio album included Raphael Saadiq, Questlove, James Poyser, DJ Jazzy Jeff, and The Dap-Kings. She performed at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, where she caught the eye of director Spike Lee, who volunteered to direct the video for her single “Forever Mine.”
During this early period, Day also performed at the 2015 BET Awards, the closing ceremonies of the 2015 Special Olympics, the Essence Music Festival, and on national television shows including Jimmy Kimmel Live! and Good Morning America. She recorded Nina Simone’s “Mississippi Goddam” for the soundtrack of the Netflix documentary What Happened, Miss Simone?, signaling her growing connection to the legacy of classic American vocalists.
Breakthrough (2015–2018)
Day’s first studio album, Cheers to the Fall, was released on August 28, 2015, to critical acclaim. NPR critic Katie Presley praised her voice for having Eartha Kitt’s unflappable confidence, Amy Winehouse’s effortless grasp of classic jazz, Billie Holiday’s access to raw emotion, and Adele’s range and pop sensibility. The album was nominated for Best R&B Album and “Rise Up” was nominated for Best R&B Performance at the 58th Grammy Awards in 2016, where she also performed. The album peaked at number 48 on the Billboard 200, and in September 2015 “Rise Up” was featured in a Beats by Dre advertisement starring tennis champion Serena Williams.
Day’s first national tour took place in August and September 2015, when she opened for Lenny Kravitz. In October 2015, she sang “Rise Up” at The White House and performed the song again for A&E’s live special Shining a Light: A Concert for Progress on Race in America. In 2016, she partnered with McDonald’s and Coca-Cola for a “Share a Cup” lyrics program that placed her image and lyrics on around fifty million cups, and she performed on the second day of the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. That December, she received the Powerhouse Award at the Billboard Women in Music event. In 2017, she collaborated with rapper Common on “Stand Up for Something” for the film Marshall, and the song was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song, performed live at the 90th Academy Awards in March 2018.
Notable Works and Milestones
Day’s signature works include her debut album Cheers to the Fall, the anthem “Rise Up,” and the song “Stand Up for Something.” Her portrayal of Billie Holiday in The United States vs. Billie Holiday earned her a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama, a BET Award for Best Actress, and her first Academy Award nomination for Best Actress, while the film’s soundtrack won the Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media.
Andra Day Award Nominations
Andra Day has received several major award nominations across her career in both music and film. Her debut album Cheers to the Fall earned a nomination for Best R&B Album at the 58th Grammy Awards in 2016, while her single “Rise Up” was nominated for Best R&B Performance at the same ceremony. She also received a Daytime Emmy Award nomination for her live performance of “Rise Up” on The View, and her collaboration with Common, “Stand Up for Something” from the film Marshall, was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song.
Andra Day Awards Won
Day has earned recognition from some of the most prestigious award bodies in entertainment. She won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama for her portrayal of Billie Holiday in The United States vs. Billie Holiday, a BET Award for Best Actress for the same role, and a Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media for the film’s accompanying soundtrack. She also won a Children’s and Family Emmy Award for Outstanding Short Form Program as a writer and performer on the educational television series We the People.
Andra Day Family
Andra Day was born Cassandra Monique Batie and grew up in Southeast San Diego with her family after moving from Edmonds, Washington. She began her musical life singing at the First United Methodist Church in Chula Vista, California, with the support of her family and community. Limited verified public details are available regarding her parents or siblings beyond the role her sister played in hosting early YouTube cover sessions filmed in her sister’s bedroom in San Diego.
Personal Life
Day has largely kept her personal life private, and verified public information about her relationships, partners, and children is limited. Her professional focus has remained on her music and acting career, with public appearances typically tied to performances, album releases, and film projects. On July 11, 2019, she was inducted as an honorary member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority, reflecting her ongoing engagement with community and cultural organizations.