Six years ago, almost to the day, Weekly Music Commentary chose to feature a young singer on the rise – Andra Day. That was one of the best choices I made at the time. As I look at her accomplishments I have no reservations about the timing then, and today. Many developments may come about in the span of six years, and of course in the career and life of Andra Day there have been more than a few. However, possibly the biggest accomplishment came in the form of a movie role. In her first major film role, Day starred as the iconic singer Billie Holiday in the biographical drama The United States vs. Billie Holiday, for which she won a Golden Globe for Best Actress – Drama.
Of course, during that same period of time there have been other developments. All of which have brought Andra Day to a new level of fame. That is why it is important to continue where we left off, six years ago. She was gaining notice and support from many big names in the entertainment industry. Andra Day’s music was really gaining traction. That’s where our second Andra Day story should begin.
Andra Day’s first studio album, Cheers to the Fall, was released on August 28, 2015. It was met with critical acclaim with NPR’s Katie Presley saying Day’s voice has “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 (an event at which she also performed). The album also peaked at number 48 on the Billboard 200 list. In September 2015, “Rise Up” was used in an advertisement for Beats by Dre that featured tennis player Serena Williams.
Her song, “Rise Up” became an iconic anthem that played around the world and helped spearhead several causes. The song was used in several commercial endeavors as well. Day entered into an agreement with McDonald’s and Coca-Cola that saw her image on around 50 million cups at McDonald’s. The partnership was part of the “Share a Cup” lyrics program and featured lyrics from Day’s “Rise Up”. Purchasers of the cups at McDonald’s could enter a sweepstakes that would have allowed them to see Day perform at the Essence Music Festival in June 2016. Her Cheers to the Fall Tour began in November 2016 in her hometown of San Diego.
Day performed on the second day of the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia to rousing applause. She followed immediately after a moving address by Mothers of the Movement, a group of black mothers who had lost a child through encounters with police and gun violence. “Rise Up” was Andra Day, and Andra Day was “Rise Up”. The song propelled her career to major heights and then had legs of its own as you could not find a person on the planet who had not heard it at one time or another. In 2020, Day became one of the most-requested artists among Jazz Joy and Roy Global Radio listeners.
Today, this post will center around that movie role mentioned at the beginning, the biopic The United States vs. Billie Holiday. Day provided a wonderful and inspiring performance that in the end garnered a Golden Globe and Academy Award nomination. In an interview with vegasmagazine.com Day provided her feelings about the movie role and where she is now in her career.
“I definitely didn’t anticipate winning a Golden Globe. I think I was just so terrified. When they first brought it up to me… I wanted [the story] to be told, but I didn’t think I was the person to do it. I thought I was going to mess it up and be terrible. I definitely actively shunned the role. But I had a peace about moving forward and doing it. For me, it was about honoring Billie’s legacy, and being a support and a sister and a comrade to everyone I am working with on set. I was not anticipating any of this. It is a blessing.”
David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter wrote, “Day mesmerizes even when Lee Daniels’ unwieldy bio-drama careens all over the map with stylistic inconsistency and narrative dysfunction, settling for episodic electricity in the absence of a robust connective thread. It’s a mess, albeit an absorbing one, driven by a raw central performance of blistering indignation, both tough and vulnerable.” Reviewing for Variety, Owen Gleiberman praised Day’s performance and said, “In this sprawling, lacerating, but at times emotionally wayward biopic set during the last decade of Holiday’s life, Day gives Billie a voice of pearly splendor that, over time, turns raspy and hard, and we see the same thing happening to Billie inside.”
Of course Andra Day is not the first singer who made headlines acting in a film. In fact, remember Diana Ross also did a very nice job playing Billie Holiday in Lady Sings The Blues. That film was released in 1972, almost fifty years ago. Every once in a while the movie is broadcast on television, and I watch it once again like I have many times throughout my life. Interestingly, I haven’t heard many speak about Lady Sings The Blues. I thought there would be more comparisons between the two portrayals. Nevertheless, both did quite well, and Andra Day has taken the next step in her entertainment career.
The bigger question is after this role, has anything changed for Andra Day? She said, “I think prior to the role, I was just able to say ‘yes’ in the most uncomfortable situations. I feel like this role really chose me even more than the other direction. It definitely made me braver and more authentic as far as the things that I experience, how I experience them and what I go through. Just to be honest with myself.”
I’ve always stated that lives and careers come in chapters much like a book. Some of you reading this post are much younger than I. Then there are some who are older. Once a person has lived a while, they have experienced much and understand my statement about life. Right now it appears that Andra Day is going through one of those career changing moments. What might be next? Well, It appears next has already started.
When asked about her most recent release “Phone Dies”, Andra Day explained the meaning of the song and why she recorded it at this time. “It’s a picture of a Black woman—a woman of color living in America—perceiving the world… Still discovering myself, even at 36. I think we’re constantly doing that. I think it’s a question of what my role as a woman actually is as far as the community goes and romantically, just sort of everything. It’s hard to pinpoint, and it just was who I am. This is just everything about who I am and what I was doing.”
Refreshing perspective! Andra Day’s readiness for the next chapter is inspiring. Thanks for the insightful commentary!