Andra Day has truly made waves in 2024, transitioning from celebrated singer to acclaimed actress while simultaneously releasing her highly anticipated album, CASSANDRA (cherith).

Nearly a decade after her debut LP, 2015’s Cheers to the Fall, Day has demonstrated remarkable growth in her artistry and ability to seamlessly merge her talents. Her role in the films Exhibiting Forgiveness and The Deliverance showcase her dynamic acting skills, earning her critical acclaim and cementing her place as a formidable presence in Hollywood. As she balances these two creative paths, Day's dedication to her craft shines through, revealing the depth of her ability.

With CASSANDRA (cherith), the decorated actress has delivered what she describes as her most vulnerable and powerful work to date. The project reflects her personal journey over the past 10 years, showcasing her evolution as both a vocalist and a storyteller. Its emotional resonance and lyrical depth capture her growth and reveal a raw authenticity that invites listeners to connect with her on a profound level. Through this project, Day not only reaffirms her status as a musical powerhouse but also proves that her voice — both literally and figuratively — has become even more impactful while echoing her unwavering commitment to authenticity.

How does your spirituality inform your creative process, and how do you see it shaping the projects you choose to take on?

I think spirituality is the root ... At the end of the day, my goal is really to love God and to be loved by God and to show people that everywhere I go.

How do you balance the weight of using your voice for advocacy while ensuring you also leave room for personal joy, fun and lighter moments in your artistry?

It's harder than I thought it would be. When you do a certain thing or when it's uplifting, people expect that and want that all the time. It's a good intention to have in your heart, but it's not necessarily a place that you can live constantly as a human being who is going to go through ups and downs. It's a healing thing because it can be a truthful and hopeful thing. It can deal with your present and how you feel without having to feel guilty about that and also give you hope for a different future.

I love a bunch of different things, and I'm inspired by a lot of different things. I would love to do some house music. I would love to do a fusion of Afrobeats and house. I loved Rema before he blew up, [and] I love me some Burna Boy. I also enjoy rock music, too. I’m also going to reach out to KAYTRANADA — I think he's working [on] a project, but [in] November, December, January, I have a little bit of time to work, so I was like, “I'm definitely gonna hit him.”

Your performance of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” at the Super Bowl LVIII sparked some critical comments. How do you navigate these criticisms that seem rooted in a deeper resistance to change? Do you find inspiration or solidarity in watching figures like Kamala Harris persist under similar public pressures?

It’s absolutely inspiring to watch — watching [Harris] and this campaign [reminded] us of how excellent we are, what we have overcome and what we're able to build ... I was staying at a hotel looking right over Central Park, and everyone's like, it's such a beautiful view. However, when I looked out over the park, [my mind] went straight to Seneca Village and went straight to this Black, wealthy, well off, community that they built for themselves there. [They] did what society told us to do, which is, “Hey, segregate, go do your own thing.” We built wealth and we built an amazing community, and then that community was demolished to build a park. It's easy to focus on one incident, but this is multiple instances... so we are excellent, right? That’s a given, but the idea that we have to be perfect when no one else [has to be] is an issue.

In order for [Harris] to be president, she has to be a perfect human being. I think we’ve confused excellence with perfection. Imperfection is also excellent. It inspires me when I see those things and see Harris because this is a person just being forthright about who they are and how they feel about things. We already knew she would be met with certain criticism because she's Black and she's a woman.

When I was doing the Super Bowl, I didn't know necessarily about all of the criticism until later on as we were getting closer to singing it. I also knew that it wasn't a shock to me. I don't know how to put this into any other more formal words, but white people are always mad when we sing that song. They are always mad, but particularly when we’re doing well or there is a moment for genuine equality and equity. You're not just fighting change; you're actually fighting progress and equality.

What inspired you to revisit the promotion of CASSANDRA (cherith) a few months after its release? How do you feel about the evolving life of the album since its initial drop?

I was very excited to release the album. I know it took a really long time to make, but I was also nervous. You work so long on this project; you never know how it's going to be received. I was very happy with the project, regardless of whether people like it, or they don't, or they gravitate toward it, or they don't. I have peace in feeling like, “Okay, I'm happy about this.”

I also understand I’m a bit of a slow burn — as a human and then also even like my music, because I think when people think of “Rise Up” from [my] last project, they're just like, “Oh, my God, you just dropped the album, and it blew up.” In reality, that took a couple years. It became this anthem for this movement — for the Black Lives Matter movement and global movements. I think it also looked like more of a push, too, because we've been promoting The Deliverance and Exhibiting Forgiveness while promoting the record at the same time. We were optimizing all of those different opportunities. It took eight years to make this album. I look forward to creating some visuals to support the album as well.

There’s a rawness to CASSANDRA (cherith) that feels deeply reflective, as if you’re exploring different chapters of your life. Can you share a moment in your personal life where you felt as though this album allowed you to process or confront something difficult? How has that healing translated into your art?

I don’t know if I may sound crazy, but I feel like I’ve been 10 different people since recording this album. I've gone through a few relationships in that process. I went through a period where I wasn’t making good decisions; I was making selfish decisions. So, it’s not just processing heartbreak for me but also processing [myself] and the mechanisms I’ve allowed. The album is holding myself accountable, too.