Is Golden Globe Winner Andra Day Working on a Second Album?
Andra Day may have burst onto the pop culture scene as a musician, but her recent foray into acting has proven a major success. Just last night, Feb. 28, she won the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Drama for her leading role in The United States vs. Billie Holiday. On top of that, playing the jazz pioneer was only her third acting job ever.
This success in a new medium might lead some fans to speculate about her future in music. With new acting offers sure to come in the near future, when will Day release a second album?
Andra Day released her debut album in 2015
Day cemented her place in the music scene in 2015 with the release of her debut album, Cheers to the Fall. Prior to this, she had been signed to a developmental deal since 2011 and gained some notoriety thanks to covers and mash-ups she made for her YouTube channel.
That album’s main single, “Rise Up,” saw great success and became Day’s calling card in the music business. It was ubiquitous in the wider culture in the years after, appearing in soundtracks for TV series including Grey’s Anatomy, Doctor Who, 9-1-1, and Orange Is the New Black. It was also used in the marketing for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign, and Day later performed it at the virtual inauguration parade for President Joe Biden.
Since then, Day has yet to release a proper follow-up album. In 2016, she released a Christmas EP, Merry Christmas from Andra Day. She also recorded an original song, “Tigress & Tweed,” as well as a cover of Billie Holiday‘s “All of Me,” both for the soundtrack to The United States vs. Billie Holiday.
When will Andra Day release a new album
The frustrating answer to the question of Day’s sophomore album is that it has no official release date or even a release window, but it should be coming soon. Day has been quietly working on a new album since the release of Cheers to the Fall. In 2018, according to an NBC San Diego report, she released a new single, “Amen,” which will appear on the forthcoming follow-up.
One reason why her yet-unnamed second album has been so long in the making was that Day took a two-year hiatus from music altogether to focus on The United States vs. Billie Holiday. According to a profile by Billboard, Day immersed herself in the prep for her role, taking up new habits and dropping significant weight to properly evoke Holiday.
“I started smoking cigarettes, which I don’t do,” Day explained. “I don’t smoke anything. First of all, I have no frame of reference for myself smoking, so it makes me feel like her. It slows me down. She’s like molasses — I’m very fast… And I don’t drink alcohol, but I did drink a lot of gin and bourbon and all of that stuff, even though you’re really not supposed to do that.”
It certainly wouldn’t be beneficial to the musical process to record tracks while also indulging in vices known to have negative impacts on the voice. While unconfirmed by Day, it would be logical for her to pick up where she left off on the second album once the movie awards season is done.
