Q&A: Andra Day talks new album, playing a villain and regaining confidence after injuring vocals

By JONATHAN LANDRUM Jr.
AP Entertainment Writer

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Andra Day gained acting acclaim after her starring role in a 2021 Billie Holiday biopic, but the soulful singer nearly lost the strength of her powerful voice during the process. Day says she injured her vocals after smoking cigarettes as part of her role in Lee Daniels’ film “The United States vs. Billie Holiday.” It took some time to recover after she experienced hemorrhaging in her vocal cords, but now the singer sounds as if she’s returned to form with  her latest album “Cassandra (cherith),” which released earlier this month. “Cassandra,” which is Day’s first name, is her first album in nine years since her 2015 debut “Cheers to the Fall.”