Already an esteemed artist due to her Grammy-nominated debut album, Cheers to the Fall, in 2015, Andra Day can now add “actress” to her repertoire — and she’s a decorated one at that. In her first role as a lead actress, starring as the iconic Billie Holiday in Hulu’s biopic The United States vs. Billie Holiday, Day scored a Golden Globe win and an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.
Day chuckled when I asked what the transition was like from her past film experiences — namely, a pre-recorded song at the end of Cars 3 — to her exalted status today. “There was no transition,” she said.
But she knew the subject matter well, having idolized Billie Holiday since age 11. Even the “Day” part of Andra’s stage name is a reference to Billie, who was affectionately known as “Lady Day.”