Andra Day (born Cassandra Monique Batie; December 30, 1984) is an American singer, songwriter and actress from San Diego, California.[1] Her debut album, Cheers to the Fall, was released in 2015[2] and peaked at number 48 on the US Billboard 200 chart.[3] At the 2016 Grammy Awards, the album was nominated for Best R&B Album and the album's main single, "Rise Up", was nominated for Best R&B Performance.[4] Day also appeared alongside Stevie Wonder, who is partially credited for her discovery, in an ad for Apple TV in late 2015.[1][5] Her Cheers to the Fall Tour began in November 2016.[6] She is set to star as the iconic singer Billie Holiday in the upcoming biographical drama film The United States vs. Billie Holiday.
Day was signed in 2011 to a development deal with Buskin Records founded by Jeffrey Evans, who Day asked to be her manager in 2013. Later Day & Buskin earned a record deal with Warner Bros. Records in part because of the popularity of her numerous unplugged covers and mashups on her YouTube channel, most of which were filmed in her sister's bedroom in San Diego.[1][2][4] Her covers include Jessie J's "Mamma Knows Best",[9] Eminem's "Lose Yourself",[10] and Muse's "Uprising" among others.[11] She was also known for mashups including one that patched together The Notorious B.I.G.'s "Big Poppa" with Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On" and another that combined Amy Winehouse's "He Can Only Hold Her" and Lauryn Hill's "Doo Wop (That Thing)".
Her first national tour took place in August and September 2015 when she opened up for Lenny Kravitz. In October 2015, she sang "Rise Up" at The White House and again performed the song for A&E's live special, Shining a Light: A Concert for Progress on Race in America.