Andra Day, an American R&B and soul singer, performed “Lift Every Voice and Sing” on the Super Bowl LVIII pregame show in 2024. She has won a Grammy, Golden Globe, and Children’s and Family Emmy Award.
Singing talent runs in her family, and her parents inspired her to become a singer. From a young age, she began singing at the First United Methodist Church in Chula Vista, California.
Stevie Wonder introduced her to producer Adrian Gurvitz, who collaborated on her debut album. In 2011, she signed a development deal with Buskin Records.
Her debut album, Cheers to the Fall, released in 2015, gained widespread recognition. It featured the hit song Rise Up, which became an anthem for resilience and empowerment and earned her a Grammy nomination.
Andra also made her acting debut portraying Billie Holiday in The United States vs. Billie Holiday (2021), a role that won her a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress and a Grammy for Best Compilation Soundtrack.
She has collaborated with artists like Stevie Wonder and Common and continues to make an impact in both music and film.
Andra Day’s Parents: The Unlikely Duo Behind a Music & Film Icon
American R&B and soul sensation Andra Day was born Cassandra Monique Batie on December 30, 1984, in Southern California, to parents Joseph and Delia Batie.
The youngest of four siblings, Andra grew up in a tight-knit family where music was a natural gift.
In interviews, she has often credited her mother, Delia, as a talented singer, though too shy to perform publicly. Delia worked for years as a janitor at the First United Methodist Church in Chula Vista, instilling humility and resilience in her children.
When Andra was 17, her parents separated and divorced, but they supported her dreams.
Delia Batie has reinvented herself as a children’s book author, writing under the pen name D.A. Battie. In 2021, she published I Hear the Wind Blow and Wonder, marking the start of a flourishing literary career.
Meanwhile, Andra’s father, Joseph, runs a backyard grill-building business in Las Vegas, while Delia now lives with Andra in the San Fernando Valley.
2021 was a breakthrough year for Andra Day, who won the Golden Globe for Best Actress for her transformative role in The United States vs. Billie Holiday. Due to the pandemic, the ceremony was held virtually, with nominees celebrating from home.
When Andra’s name was announced, her parents were with her, sharing an unforgettable moment of joy.
The people who were in the room with me were, first of all, my family—my mother and father. That makes me so happy because they put up with me for so long.
Andra Day Celebrating Her African American Identity in Music & Film
Andra Day hails from a proud African American family and grew up in Southeast San Diego, a historically Black enclave.
In interviews, the singer-actress has shared how her family, like many others in the community, settled there due to ties with the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Fleet.
Her ancestors and neighbors worked in or alongside the naval industry, shaping the area’s cultural and economic landscape.
Andra made history in 2021 when she won the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama, becoming only the second Black woman to claim the award.
The legendary Whoopi Goldberg had been the first, winning in 1986 for her iconic role in The Color Purple.
Beyond her acting, Andra’s music carries deep emotional resonance. Her powerful anthem “Rise Up,” written after a close friend’s cancer diagnosis, has since become an unofficial soundtrack for the Black Lives Matter movement.
When asked about the song’s connection to BLM, Andra expressed honor, emphasizing that the movement represents resistance against oppression and systemic injustice, a fight she stands firmly behind.
