Andra Day Chats Sophomore Album, 'CASSANDRA,' Why It Took So Long To Release It & More | BET Awards 2024

Billboard, we are here with Miss Andra Day. How you feeling? I feel good, I feel blessed. You know, culture's biggest night, so excited to celebrate these artists who I love and have supported throughout the years. And we're presenting tonight. So I'm excited about that. I also get to enjoy the show, which is not always the case. And we're promoting the album, excited about that, the tour, I'm excited. Listen, not everybody could say after nine years they can put out their sword boy 2015, you know, but how did it feel when you released the album Cassandra and able to get that off your shoulders after almost a decade? You know, it felt amazing. There was a lot of anxiety that went with it. Of course, I mean we filmed like three different movies on the in between and so those are two three completely different head spaces and and. But it felt amazing. I think of her a long time. I was really unsure about where we were going, the direction, how people would receive it. I did not anticipate that it would be 9 years. I was, I was, I did. I was thinking I'd be one of those every two, every three years artist. It didn't work out like that, but but I'm happy and I was able to bring my band, you know, Nando Rio Shagado and Dave Wood, Charles Jones, John Dakara, Kevin Randolph, Jean Pierre, Jayla Darden. Like I was able to bring people that I love off the road and into the studio with me to be producers as well and create this record. So it's very much a family affair. I'm excited. It's called Cassandra, it's out everywhere now. Go check it out. Listen, what are your favorite artists? Odd day. She drops every God knows. And guess what? It's funny, in the beginning of my career, they asked me that question, Who do you want to model your career after? And I was joking at first, even though I love her, right? But I was like, oh, Sade, just to scare them. They're like, she only drops the record every nine years. I was like, it won't be like that. It turns out it was like that. So thank you. Thanks a lot, Sade. Last question before I let you go. I thought this was a very interesting nugget. I run in the interview with you that you sometimes get nervous to perform in front of people. Still, still to this day. Coming outside, you gotta be like, no, I do. I get nervous all the time. I think I hear from the greats all the time that they the way they encourage me is a I'm a praying person, right? I always try to remember like God is bringing me everywhere I'm supposed to go. So I am aligned. I am where I'm supposed to be. Even if it's scary, I have somewhere to put it. And then also reminded like the nerves are good. It means you still care. So you just stay in it for sure, But I'm terrified, yes, every time.