Andra Day

Cassandra Monique Batie, known professionally as Andra Day, is an American R&B singer, songwriter, and actress born on December 30, 1984. She is best known for her critically acclaimed musical releases and her performances in film and television. Over the course of her career, she has earned numerous accolades, including a Grammy Award, a Children's and Family Emmy Award, and a Golden Globe Award, along with a nomination for an Academy Award.

Day was born in Edmonds, Washington, and moved to Southern California at age three, growing up in Southeast San Diego. She began singing at a young age at the First United Methodist Church in Chula Vista, California, and took dance lessons starting at age five. She credits Valencia Park Elementary School with fostering her interest in the performing arts. At age 12, she was introduced to jazz vocalists such as Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, and Dinah Washington, who became key influences on her musical style. She graduated from the San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts in 2003.

After high school, Day worked various jobs, including as a children's entertainer. In 2010, she was noticed by Stevie Wonder's then-wife, Kai Millard, while performing at a strip mall. Wonder subsequently introduced her to producer Adrian Gurvitz. In 2011, Day signed a development deal with Buskin Records, eventually securing a record deal with Warner Bros. Records driven in part by the popularity of her unplugged covers and mashups posted to her YouTube channel.

Day released her debut studio album, Cheers to the Fall, in August 2015. The album peaked at number 48 on the Billboard 200 and received a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Album, while its single "Rise Up" was nominated for Best R&B Performance. To promote her music, she performed on various television shows, appeared in commercials for Apple TV and Beats by Dre, and opened for Lenny Kravitz on her first national tour in late 2015 before launching her own headlining tour in 2016.

Day continued to perform at major events and collaborate on high-profile projects. In 2017, she performed "Stand Up for Something" with common for the movie Marshall, leading to an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song and a performance at the 90th Academy Awards. She also sang at the 2016 Democratic National Convention, the March for Our Lives rally in 2018, and performed "Lift Every Voice and Sing" at the Super Bowl LVIII pregame show in 2024.

Day made her major acting debut portraying Billie Holiday in the 2021 biographical drama The United States vs. Billie Holiday. Her performance earned her the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress. She also won a Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media for her work on the film's soundtrack. That same year, she won a Children's and Family Emmy Award for her contributions as a writer and performer on the series We the People.

Following her breakthrough role, Day expanded her film and television work. She was cast in Lee Daniels' horror film The Deliverance, secured the role of the Greek goddess Athena in the Disney+ series Percy Jackson and the Olympians, and acted in the Bradley Cooper-directed film Is This Thing On?.