A Divine Connection: Andra Day Is Embracing The Season of Change With New Album 'Cassandra (Cherith)'
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Andra Day unveils her journey through romance, self-love and spirituality on her new album Cassandra (Cherith).
Navigating through the seasons of life can be tricky, as you’re not offered a detailed map to guide every twist and turn each year brings. For Andra Day (@andradaymusic), to remain focused along the course, she has to be devoted.
The singer, songwriter and actress shares that she just completed her spiritual devotions before speaking with me. It makes sense, as her aura is calm but still sparkling with joy (that cackle of hers is so infectious).
So, what led her to this moment? Well, it’s a mix of many things.
Raisa Vanessa dress, raisavanessa.com PHOTOGRAPHED BY MYRIAM SANTOS
Day (born Cassandra Monique Batie and raised in southeast San Diego) first emerged in 2015 as a soulful R&B singer with her Grammy-nominated debut album, Cheers to the Fall. In 2021, the artist made her acting debut, portraying one of her idols— Billie Holiday—in Lee Daniels’ biopic The United States vs. Billie Holiday.
Day won the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. This year, she’s balancing both music and film with her sophomore album, Cassandra (Cherith), out this spring via Warner Records, and a lead role in The Deliverance (Daniels’ supernatural horror thriller out this spring).
It’s been nearly a decade since Day has released an album. And naturally, there’s personal growth that comes with that length of time. “The big thing for me is ownership, and that translates into my personal life and my career. I’m more interested in not just being an entertainer but being an artist and fully fleshing out all of the manifestations of that,” Day explains.
“This friend of mine is a minister and he was just praying over me. One of the things he was saying was, ‘You have the grace in the season to do what you need to do to and work with who you need to work with.’ So, I’m just giving myself grace to go through life’s ups and downs and then letting that inform the art that I create.”
That perspective is clear on Cassandra (Cherith). The album reflects all of her womanhood: She gets curious about a former lover on “Where Do We Go,” exudes sensuality on “Nervous,” seethingly fires back at an exflame on “Maybe Next Time” and “Narcos,” freely enjoys libations on “Champagne Flute” and is thankful on “Still.” Despite the messiness that can sometimes come with love, the velvety warmth in her voice assures that her hope hasn’t faltered. And her faith carries her through it all.
“‘Cherith’ is a term in scripture called the ‘Brook Cherith.’ It means to cut away the place of isolation, and it’s a place... where you go empty and you go to be filled up. That’s what my relationship with God is right now. There’s mature moments; there’s immature moments,” Day says of the album’s title. “I don’t want to always say the right thing. I want to try and take the high road, but sometimes I don’t want to. I wanted it to bring up questions and be more confident in the lows. I might not be doing the right things, but I wanted to give myself a space to express all that.”
The United States vs. Billie Holiday premiered in 2021, yet Day has been recording Cassandra since 2017. The role not only amplified her career but also shifted the perspective of her music.
“She helped me to be more confident in a lot of ways. I got much messier in love after Billie Holiday. Thank you, Lady Day, for that,” she says with that infectious laugh that makes you feel like you’re catching up with a girlfriend over a glass of wine. “I thought I had it together, girl! It’s funny when people tell me, ‘You’re so unproblematic.’ I’m like, I’m super problematic. So that’s definitely on [the album].”
PHOTOGRAPHED BY MYRIAM SANTOS
She continues: “Love languages… I don’t like touch; I don’t like gifts. I feel like I owe you. I don’t like words of affirmation. Just stop. I don’t need that. You know what I mean? Then I discovered through this year’s process that, wow, I actually love so intensely. I feel like no one could handle it. So it’s just really, really helped me to observe all of these things, both the good and the bad. I don’t know that I would have been able to put it all on an album prior to that, but it made me more confident to do that.”
PHOTOGRAPHED BY MYRIAM SANTOS
That confidence has made Day (who initially turned down the role of Holiday) lean further into acting and even producing (both on this new album and for upcoming TV and film projects).
But music is still at the forefront—the creative outlets just fulfill her in different ways: “So, acting, I love the idea that I have license to just be this whole other person. The things that you do when you’re young in your bedroom that make you look crazy, they praise it. Like, ‘Yes, pretend to be somebody else! Have all of these different nuances and have a different accent today.’”
“I’M JUST GIVING MYSELF GRACE TO GO THROUGH LIFE’S UPS AND DOWNS AND THEN LETTING THAT INFORM THE ART THAT I CREATE.” -Andra Day
“Before acting, I was just crazy, but now I got somewhere to put it. I loved the idea that Aisha [her character in Exhibiting Forgiveness, an independent film released in January] had it together, so I got to pretend that I got it together,” Day says, laughing at the memory. “With Billie, she can be destructive but so lovable, and there’s something so freeing in that space.”
But she deems music as more nerve-racking: “It is my self-expression. It is me cultivating my experiences, the things that influenced me and the people around me. So it’s a very vulnerable and exposing experience. I think I need that level of anxiety and pressure and nervousness in order to produce and actually perform. Is there a day that they may not be fulfilling? Possibly, but right now, as an artist, I believe I’m supposed to be expressing myself through music, movies and production.”
“I’LL STILL BE AFRAID SOMETIMES, BUT FEAR IS NOT GOING TO DICTATE HOW I MOVE.” -Andra Day
Raisa Vanessa dress, raisavanessa.com Styling: Wouri Vice Hair: Tony Medina Makeup: Porsche Cooper
Our conversation took place at the start of 2024, and we realized we’re on a similar path. This year, I want to lead with fear rather than letting it overwhelm me. As for Day? She wants to live in a mental state of being already full rather than from a place of lack. Day’s wisdom is nearly tangible, so I was curious to know the steps she’s planning to take to feel more abundance (which happens to be the theme of Cassandra).
“I realize everybody’s beliefs are different. But prayer and devotion are big things for me. I’m prioritizing not just my faith, but my relationship with God. There’s a scripture that says, ‘Let them be filled with the fullness of God and the knowledge of the love of Christ.’ I need to know that I’m loved. And that’s a huge step,” Day explains.
“As you said, I’ll still be afraid sometimes, but fear is not going to dictate how I move. I can accept the fact that even if I feel afraid now, I can put that down and do what it is that I need to do. There is a reason why I’m here.”
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Photography by: MYRIAM SANTOS; Styling: Wouri Vice Hair: Tony Medina Makeup: Porsche Cooper