ANDRA'S DAY
When Andra Day said that legendary vocalist Billie Holiday "transformed me with this role" during her Golden Globes acceptance speech, she wasn't kidding.
The Warner artist, who took the Best Actress trophy for The United States vs. Billie Holiday (becoming only the second Black woman to do so, after Whoopi Goldberg in 1985's The Color Purple), had not only never acted before but evidently ventured into further uncharted territory with this imposing part.
"The Andra I know is not one to smoke, drink or curse, and has a profoundly deep connection with God," relates Je T'Aime Media's Andrew Gould, who inked Day to a publishing deal early in her career. "She completely threw herself into the role of Billie. What an outstanding performance and well-deserved win."
The San Diego-bred artist, born Cassandra Monique Batie, took her stage moniker as a tribute to Lady Day; in many respects, her huge success as the star of a film about Holiday feels fated.
“Andra is a prolific songwriter and phenomenal singer with a gorgeous voice all her own," said Warner COO/Co-Chairman Tom Corson when the Globes nominations were announced. "Now she takes that stardom from the stage to the screen as Billie Holiday and stuns us with her spellbinding performance. She's also just finished an incredible new album we can't wait for the world to hear. All of us at Warner Records are blessed to work with the incomparable Andra Day."
