- Andra Day’s new album Cassandra (Cheris)is on sale from Warner Records
- The project was announced after the R&B star won a Grammy and a Golden Globe for her immersive portrayal of Billie Holiday in the 2021 film. America vs. Billie Holidayit was difficult for her to recover
- Since then, the singer and actress has focused on her mental health and hopes to start a family soon
Andra Day has lived quite a life in the eight years since her last album. Cheers to autumnreleased in 2015 – from the portrayal of Billie Holiday in 2021 America vs. Billie Holiday He won a Grammy, an Emmy, a Golden Globe, and performed at the 2024 Super Bowl.
But more importantly, Day learned even more about herself. The R&B singer and actress has released a new album. Cassandra (Cheris)a 16-track project that chronicles her ongoing journey of self-discovery, beginning May 10 with a title that refers to the reuse of Day’s birth name, Cassandra Monique Batty.
“I was feeling uncomfortable with myself, with myself,” the 39-year-old “Rise Up” musician, whose stage name is a combination of her birth name and Holiday’s nickname, “Lady Day,” tells PEOPLE. Told. “Then I learned what my name meant, which meant ‘Truthteller, Encouragementer,’ and I realized that it was perfectly okay, or even okay, to show up as myself.” I realized that it can actually encourage and bless people.”
Miriam Santos
Day, who grew up in San Diego, often introduced herself to Cassandra because she felt it was “false and strange” and chose to perform under her stage name to create “a slight amount of separation”. This choice suited her for a while, as she was discovered by Stevie Wonder and his ex-wife Kai Millard in 2011, and a few years later signed with Warner Records and released an album with a retro feel. was. Cheers to autumn To great success.
Soon, Day returned to the studio with a clear idea of his next project. It’s an “empowerment album that’s a little more ruthless and talks about the system a little more head-on.” After starting her career, she auditioned for the role of Holiday in 2017, and she won the role a year later, helping the “Strange Fruit” singer physically and mentally. I have transformed.
Stepping into Holliday’s shoes, Day began drinking, smoking, and seeing the world through Holliday’s eyes, which took a toll on his health. “There’s a confidence that I got from her. I definitely have toxic traits that I got from her as well, especially when it comes to relationships,” she said, adding that she broke up with a romantic partner while being obsessed with her role. The performer approves. “I realized I had to really sit down with myself and go, ‘Wow, I’m not making the right decision.'”
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Throughout the production America vs. Billie Holiday, Day found himself unable to work on his music. After the film’s press cycle and fruitful awards season, it was time to start working on albums again, but it was difficult to find myself again. “But I wish she had known before she went in that there was actually a therapist out there who could help her get her personality back together,” she says. “I have a therapist now.”
Day continued to write songs while trying to reconnect with himself, then took a break to land film roles. show forgiveness and rescue. “Being involved in other projects will help me shed that character a little bit. I’ll bring in a little bit of new characters, but I’ve shed a little bit of the old characters,” she reflects.
Eventually, Day realized that she needed to stop looking for the person she was before playing Holiday and embrace her new self.
“Things just started flowing as soon as I started writing based on things I had been through, like love, loss, and personal growth. I added cassandra” Day explains. “I have a strange history with my name and what it means, but it was also the only way to describe the album. I was like, ‘This is me for the last 10 years.’ ”
Cassandra (Cheris) It also features a vulnerable exploration of Day’s mental health journey. She was diagnosed with ADHD as a child, but her mother, writer DA Batty, avoided giving her medication, hoping that her mind would develop freely. Through her recent therapist and psychologist visits, she learned that she was still experiencing symptoms of ADHD as an adult.
“It’s very hard to concentrate, it’s very hard to be on time. And because I’m chasing that dopamine rush, I’m very focused. It shows in my relationships, my work, everything. I think so,” Day says. Day writes about her own mental health experiences, particularly as a Black woman in the United States, in her new album’s song “Heavy on My Mind.”
Miriam Santos
“I’m still in the process of discovery, which is crazy to say at this age because you feel like you have to be in control. But I had no idea,” she explained. And because of this diagnosis, she said, “I was able to stop telling myself that I was such a broken person that I couldn’t do anything, that I was a failure, that I was a failure. And when I woke up, this was how I felt.” says. Sometimes it gets really heavy because I’m like, “You’re just a nervous wreck, you’re just wired differently.” that’s ok. ‘”
While Day is certainly still figuring out the next steps in her mental health journey, “there are things that are already helpful in the process,” she says. “Everything feels less hopeless.”
Day is now able to think about the future rather than just looking back on the past few years of her life. Despite her singleness, she is now starting to think about becoming her mother.
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“I’m going to take these babies out and do it myself. I have God and my mom. I’ll be fine,” quipped the star, who plans to freeze her eggs within the next year. “I want to be in love, I want to get married, I want to have a family, I love everything. But I’m not going to let that stop me.”
Day’s current, grounded perspective also influences her prospects for success in: Cassandra (Cheris). Her last album was a smash hit, earning three Grammy nominations, so she naturally hopes to reach the same level this time around. “But I’ll tell you, I made an album that I really love,” she says.
“I try not to be nihilistic, like, ‘Oh my God, if this doesn’t work out, it’s all over.’ No, no. Just make more music, put more music out, and do that.” Just keep going,” the vocalist continues. “I want both. I want people to like it, but I also just don’t want to put my personal value on it.”
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Now halfway to EGOT status, Day has come a long way since he was discovered by Millard and Wonder. But since then, she’s remained in touch with Wonder, appearing at the same gigs as the “Superstition” icon, and has revealed that even the most legendary musicians take effort to maintain their creativity and ambition. taught her.
“One time, we were having brunch and he said he wanted to play me these songs he’d been working on. His mentality was, ‘I just want to know if you like it. “It was that kind of feeling. Do you think people will like it? And I think, “Why are you asking me something?” I’m like, “Brother, that’s right.” end This is it,’” Day recalls. “But I think there’s something very special about maintaining that hunger and maintaining that drive.”
