Take one look at Andra Day, with her saucy rockabilly-inspired look (she routinely rocks a bouffant and red-stained lip) and you know you’re in the presence of a unique individual. The San Diego-bred singer and songwriter’s eye-catching personal style complements her brassy, yet alluring voice, as well as her music, which is both groovy and bluesy. “I call it retro-pop-soul,” she says. “It’s a blend of jazz, soul, doo-wop, plus a little bit of rock, and a little bit of hip-hop on the underbelly.”
Andra Day says her influences come not only from the Motown records her father loved and the rock artists her mom favored, but also the jazz, doo-wop, and blues she was exposed to while attending the San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts. ”During those years I fell in love with Billie Holiday, Nina Simone, Etta James, Lauryn Hill, and Janis Joplin,” she says. “Women with big voices who can really communicate the emotion they’re feeling when they sing. One of my favorite songs by Billie Holiday is ‘You Let Me Down’ because it’s so true. You can practically hear her crying on the record.” After graduating from SDCP, Day began working with various producers and posting clips of herself performing on YouTube. Stevie Wonder’s wife stumbled upon one of the clips, which she played for Wonder. The R&B legend called Day and said he’d love to work with her, a moment Day describes as “surreal.” Though the timing didn’t work out, Wonder introduced her to singer-songwriter/producer and hard rock pioneer Adrian Gurvitz (The Gun, Stevie Wonder, The Bodyguard soundtrack) who signed her to Buskin Records and they have been writing and recording for the past year. “Adrian has been in the music industry for decades and has worked with everyone from Jimi Hendrix to Whitney Houston,” Day says. “He brings experience and depth to the music and gives it a timeless feel.”
After holing up for eight months and writing an album’s worth of songs, Day and Buskin decided to post a series of covers on YouTube and see how the public would respond to her sound. Day’s jazzy, soulful takes on Muse’s “Uprising” and Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” were so well-received that a buzz began to build. Ellen DeGeneres called and offered to help the singer get recognized. It wasn’t long before a bidding war erupted between record labels. Everyone wanted to sign the statuesque beauty with the unforgettably angelic voice.
Andra Day: Gold (Live Acoustic Video)
Day is now signed to Warner Bros. Records through Buskin’ Records, which will release her debut album later this year. Adorning her siren sound with uncompromising poetry, Day writes about the mistakes she’s made and the heartbreak she’s both caused and experienced. “They lyrics highlight the lessons I’ve learned,” she says. “My goal is to speak the truth,” she says. “It sets you free.” Excitement builds for the road ahead as andra day puts the finishing touches on her debut album. Reggae legnd ziggy marley joins andra on her first single, due out this fall. Andra’s voice, fun loving personality, image, and character are the makings of a star. Everyone who has worked with her knows that andra day is destined for great things. And soon the rest of the world will know, as well
Andra Day: Gold Lyrics:
He don’t know I call him the teacher
He had a hard lesson for the kid
I get I put you through hell
He put me under the same spell
He lied man, he stressed me out
You loved me like a precious gift
And he loved me like a sloppy kiss
You would tell me your heartaches
Now I understand the pain
Oh why did I let you drown
Baby would you believe
That I’ve been broken
You say memories
Play again and again
I see the reel now it’s real to me
I gave up gold
For grains of sand
Slipping through my hand (2X)
You had no problems with commitment
Like a king is loyal to what’s his
You looked for a ring to fit
While I played wifey with a kid
Oh the irony makes me sick
He tried to make me look crazy
Nothing new about his kind of scheme
I laugh when I think about
His face when truth nearly spilled out
He looked like me I get that now
Baby would you believe
That I’ve been broken
You say memories
Play again and again
I see the reel, now it’s real to me
I gave up gold
For grains of sand
Slipping through my hand (4X)
Baby would you believe
That I’ve been broken
You say memories
Play again and again
I see the reel, now it’s real to me
I gave up gold
For grains of sand
Slipping through my hand (4X)
