Andra Day Talks About Mental Health, Family and More in Candid Interview (Exclusive)

Andra Age’s fresh magazine, Cassandra (cherith), is out now by the use of Warner RecordsThe mission arrives nearest the R&B superstar earned Grammy and Blonde Globe Awards for her immersive portrayal of Billie Ease in 2021’s America vs. Billie Ease, which was once tough for her to recuperate fromThe singer and actress has since positioned focal point on her psychological fitness and hopes to begin a folk quickly

Andra Age has lived moderately somewhat of era within the eight-plus years that’ve handed since her endmost magazine, Much appreciated to the Fall, was once excepted in 2015 — from portraying Billie Ease in 2021’s America vs. Billie Ease to successful Grammy, Emmy and Blonde Globe Awards and appearing on the 2024 Tremendous Bowl. 

Extra importantly, then again, Age discovered an entire accumulation extra about herself. The R&B singer and actress excepted her fresh magazine, Cassandra (cherith), on Would possibly 10, a 16-track mission chronicling her ongoing exit of self-discovery — establishing with its name, which marks a reclamation of Age’s start identify, Cassandra Monique Batie.

“I was just uncomfortable in myself, in my own skin,” the 39-year-old “Rise Up” musician, whose level moniker combines her start identify with Ease’s “Lady Day” nickname, tells PEOPLE. “Then, I got to know what my name meant, ‘Truth teller, encourager of men,’ and I realized showing up as me is perfectly fine — more than fine. It can actually be encouraging or a blessing to people.”

Rising up in San Diego, Age frequently felt introducing herself as Cassandra felt “phony and weird” and selected to accomplish below a level identify to deliver to form “a slight separation.” The selection suited her for a hour, as she was once found out by way of Stevie Marvel and his ex-wife, Kai Millard, in 2011 and signed to Warner Information a pair years then prior to freeing the retro-influenced Much appreciated to the Fall to immense good fortune. 

Nice-looking briefly, Age went again into the studio with what appeared like a sunlit concept for her upcoming mission: “an empowerment album that’s a little more cold-blooded, a little more in your face, talking about the system.” Then getting began, she auditioned to play games Ease in 2017, landed the function a yr then and remodeled herself into the “Strange Fruit” singer bodily and emotionally. 

Entering into Ease’s footwear took a toll on Age’s wellbeing, as she started consuming, smoking and taking a look on the global via Ease’s visuals. “There’s confidence I got from her. There’s definitely toxic traits I got from her as well too, especially when it comes to relationships,” admits the performer, who crack from a romantic spouse hour wrapped up within the function. “I realized I had to kind of just get real with myself and be like, ‘Wow, I’ve not been making good decisions.’”

All over the making of America vs. Billie Ease, Age discovered herself not able to paintings on track of her personal. Following the movie’s press cycle and productive awards season, it was once presen to renew operating on her magazine — however tough to seek out herself once more. “I wish I would have known, though, before going in, that they actually have therapists to help you undo characters,” she says. “I have a therapist now.”

As Age attempted to reconnect with herself, she endured to assemble songs, later paused as she landed movie roles in Displaying Oblivion and The Deliverance. “Diving into other projects would help me to shed the character a little bit. I would pick up some of the new character, but I shed a little more of the old character,” she displays.

In the long run, Age notice she had to restrain searching for out the individual she was once prior to enjoying Ease and include a fresh model of herself.

“As soon as I just started writing from a place of what I was experiencing — love, loss, my own personal growth — that’s when things started to flow. So it just became a super, super personal album, and that’s why I named it Cassandra,” explains Age. “I have this weird history with my name and the meaning of it, but also it was the only way to describe the album. It just felt like, ‘This is me in the last decade.’”

Cassandra (cherith) additionally options inclined explorations of Age’s psychological fitness exit. She was once identified with ADHD as a kid, however her mother, creator D. A. Batie, have shyed away from giving her recovery in hopes of letting her thoughts assemble freely. Thru more moderen visits with therapists and psychologists, she discovered she was once nonetheless experiencing ADHD signs as an grownup.

“It’s very, very hard to focus, very hard to be on time. And then you get hyper focused because you’re chasing a dopamine rush. I think it has presented itself in my relationships and at work and everything,” says Age, who wrote about her psychological fitness enjoy, particularly as a Dim lady in the US, at the fresh magazine song “Heavy on My Mind.”

“I’m still in the process of discovery, which is crazy to say at my age because you feel like you should have it under control. But I had no idea,” she explains, noting that the analysis “has actually helped me to stop telling myself I’m this horrible person who’s so broken and can’t do anything, and I’m a failure, and waking up feeling so heavy sometimes, because I’m like, ‘You are just neurodivergent, you are just wired differently. That’s OK.’”

Past Age is absolutely nonetheless understanding the upcoming steps of her psychological fitness exit, “There’s something about the process that helps already,” she says. “Everything feels less hopeless.” 

Instead than simplest taking a look again at the pace few years of her era, Age is now ready to consider the moment. In spite of being unmarried, she’s now starting to consider the chance of motherhood. 

“I think I’m going to just pop out these babies and do it by myself. I got God and my mama. I’m good,” quips the superstar, who plans to freeze her eggs inside the upcoming yr. “I’d love to be in love, I’d love to be married, I’d love to have a family, all the things. But I’m not going to let that stop me.”

Age’s flow, grounded point of view has additionally impacted her outlook on good fortune with regard to Cassandra (cherith). Her endmost magazine earned 3 Grammy nominations and spawned a wreck strike, so she naturally hopes to succeed in the similar stage this presen round. “But I will tell you, I made an album that I really love,” she says.

“I try not to be so nihilistic, like, ‘Oh my God, if this doesn’t go well everything is over.’ No, no. You just make more music, put more music out and just keep doing it,” continues the vocalist. “I want both. I want people to like it, but I also just want to make sure I’m free of placing my personal value on that.”

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These days midway to EGOT condition, Age has come some distance from when she was once found out by way of Millard and Marvel. Since later, then again, she’s saved involved with Marvel or even carried out on the similar gigs because the “Superstition” icon, who’s confirmed her that even probably the most mythical musicians have to place in paintings to stick inventive and progressive.

“We were having brunch one time, and he wanted to play me these songs that he was working on. His mentality was so like, ‘I just really want to know if you like it. Do you think people will like it?’ And I’m like, ‘Why would you ask me anything?’ Like, ‘Bro, you have done this,’” recollects Age. “But I think there’s something so special about keeping that hunger and keeping that drive.”