Andra Day

Published Apr 17, 2024, 10:00 AM

On this week's episode of The R&B Money podcast, Tank and J Valentine welcome the multi-talented singer, writer, actress, ballerina, and all around vibe, Andra Day. From her humble beginnings in Southeast San Diego to winning a Golden Globe for her captivating portrayal of Billie Holiday, Andra shares her incredible journey of perseverance and artistry. Tune in as they discuss the power of music, the importance of owning your narrative, and Andra's highly anticipated sophomore album, 'Cassandra'. Get ready for an inspiring conversation filled with laughter, wisdom, and a whole lot of R&B money!

 

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R and B Money.

We are.

Take BLOCHI. We are the authority on all things R and D ladies and gentlemen. My name is Tank Valentin and this is the rmy Money podcast. This sorry on no Things R N B Oh. Yeah? Is it in your soul?

Yeah?

Yeah? You feel it? Can you can you feel it?

Can you feel it?

Is you?

Multi talented man? How can you write? Can you sing it? Can you act it? Is it jazzy? Is it?

Can we tap.

Into that to the renaissance? Yeah? Doesn't make you rise?

Doesn't make you.

Thank you?

Man?

You're like you're like so cool. Like your energy is like it's like the best energy in terms of how you make people feel welcome, how you make people feel like you care, how you make like it's like certain people have that, you know what I mean, where it's like this nurturing kind of instinctive like you're not it's just you, you know what I mean? Like like even your in your essence when you walk by and your smells.

I dont want to hang out of her house.

It does smell good.

I'm like, what is that essence where I just kind of want to, you know, hang out of her house, Like it's some beads at your house. Yeah, there's a felt you know, there's a jaguar somewhere.

There's definitely the palasanto and the candles.

And.

It's just for me, like that's how I was raised, you know what I mean, And those things like kind of just defined my childhood from it being my grandmother, my great grandmother, my mother, my cousin, my uncle, my great all in all in one house. I felt that I felt that energy and that love and that spirituality, and you just you carry that with you everywhere.

Thank you. That's listen, no.

Matter what you got on jeans, right now, you got this. It's the whole.

I also have a broken ail.

I would like to start this whole thing by just admitting it so I don't have to hide my hands.

I was thinking about doing the whole.

Podcast because because the thing is that you know what I mean, or just to hit you with what I mean. No, I did, bro, that's so random to say that. I was literally with rants the other day and I'm terrible, I'm trash.

He's like, you play.

I was like, no, I was a ballerina, but you know what I mean, drop a little three you know what I mean.

Drop a little ballerina that would drop a little tree. Listen the terminology lets you further know that's not really her thing. Yeah, I drop a little thing.

Shot exactly down, mom.

So no, no playing ball. That just they betrayed me today. So this is where we're at.

So you said you you you're a ballerina.

I was. Yeah, I danced for like twenty two years.

I was. I danced for twenty two years.

That's how talented people thought. I didn't. That's how talented people say. It's a miss stint in my life for a year. I doubt I don't. I don't understand that it is.

A Fortnite the.

London, England. They know who I am. Okay, fortnit it back? Do you use it?

Do you you know? I have it for a while.

But I actually did decide on this album cycle I do want to incorporate dance more. I miss it, you know what I mean, Like it's like exercise regular for me. I enjoy it, but dancing is what it's still a passion of mine.

I would love Yeah, I am definitely to.

See you on stage doing that, Like I would love to see a performance with that incorporated. Like always like like like my daughter she modern, yeah, all of that, all of that from Harlem School of the Arts, professional for more or like all of that, she has all of that. I'm like, we have to use.

All of it. Yeah, yeah, absolutely, like.

Singing Pink on stage doing all of their so Lacey, it's crazy.

So it's interesting too, because I think we're kind of taught, especially in music. It's like you have to do it a certain way. But I also feel like now it's like the wild West, you know what I mean. I look at even this album and like all the art and the stuff surrounding it, the activations, I look at it as like installations, right, our installations. So I'm like, yeah, of course you can incorporate dance, and it doesn't just have to look like this and be a routine with you know, certain costumes. It can be more interpreted, it can like play with the music a little more.

So I agree.

I think using everything is actually a lot more engaging and interesting for the I like stuff like that, So I want to like give that to people.

You know what I'm saying, I'm gonna need you to do.

Okay, chop you go ahead, because absolutely not Okay.

I was going to say no to you. Don't have to say that.

You know.

The energy and your big time.

I would love I would love for you to dance in the piece.

Yes for me, Yes, I definitely plan on doing that. Yeah, so you're going yes, that's a yes for sure?

Yeah for for me? For me?

Oh really, okay, I would do that. Yeah, that would be a lot of fun.

I think that would be crazy. I have just the thing. Okay, it's so opposite, but it would be so dope.

Oh, I love that.

I can see you visualizing it to be money.

So I already knows what happened, gone, and.

I got your permission already. He has all the dance sh it in his head. I can't my body.

Yeah, yeah, you can bring your elbows together.

Even I didn't know either, just now, can you?

I could definitely bring my albols together. I'm not buffing on. Yeah, pretty pretty tested.

Okay, it's very easy.

I didn't know I couldn't do it. Can you do it?

That's crazy?

These niggas.

You feel bad?

Right, there's no drug testing, R and B music.

Okay, no rules.

From trying to stay young. Let's do this. Let's go back to the beginning. I start thinking, let's go the beginning San Diego Southeast Southeast. That's so like, listen, listen, listen, it ain't sweet. I've been Nick Cannon is down, Mitchie Slick is the home I'm going on. Yeah, I'm surprised you can come in green today.

No, look, there are a lot of colors out there though. For sure. That's definitely yes.

So when when did you discover or when did someone discover just kind of identify that, you know, you had something something different.

I mean I went I think actually when I was fairly young. I was like about six years old. I think I started dancing when I was like five, so that was first. But my parents discovering that I could sing, I was like six years old. I was just singing Whitney. I think I was singing a Whitney song and that just they told me. They just remember me singing the song and being like, oh, she kind of sound like you know what I'm saying, Like she's hitting the notes, she's doing you know what I mean. But my father actually has a really nice voice, and so does my mother, but my mom's too shy, and you know what I mean.

My dad, he was in the service you know what I mean.

So that was like the first time, and then I went to a performing arts school starting in the sixth grade. It was like six to two senior year actually, same school. Yeah, same school the whole time. It was actually really cool just because like you know, you use the word nurture, and they did. They really nurtured just the creative arts. It was a performing arts school, so we did shows, we did plays, you know, I learned I did jazz, vocal production, and classical and danced there as well too. So it was at a fairly fairly young age six and then really kind of dove into things when I was like around ten eleven.

So did you decide to go or did your parents let you decide to go to performing arts school or was that something that was sought after?

I think it was always So I went to it's what's called a feeder school. I went to a school called Valencia Park. Shoutout a VP, but I went to a feeder school. It was like a few feater schools in San Diego, Zamorano, Oak Park. Valencia Park was one of them. Oh fair well, and so it was just kind of always a known thing. I always loved dancing. I always loved performing and I heard I knew about SEPA, My parents knew about SEPA School for Creative and Performing Arts, and so it was kind of natural. I went to Valencia Park and it was a feeder school for that performing arts school. I did dance at VP as well too, and so it's always.

Been a thing.

I don't know, I can't really pinpoint a moment of like this is I'm gonna do this, you know what I mean? It just has always been always. My parents have always loved music, They've always loved the arts. So I just think like it was always there was never really a plan b EXCEP. For one time, I wanted to be a palaeontologist and then they were like you should keep singing, and I was like all right, I know.

I just was.

Dinosaurs. I was just like, oh my god, this is amazing.

Do they have dinosaurs in San Diego?

They have a great they have a great zoo.

I was like, amazing zoo.

They But did you know your mind, like when you're young, I'm idiotd my mind go on tangents. I'd be like, I'm a lawyer, you know what I mean. But and I just like dinosaurs. But then they were like, well, mainly you're just gonna have to dig through a bunch of dirt to find these skeletons. I was like, oh, yeah, you're right, I'm gonna just sing and I'm gonna singing dance, you know what I mean.

That's the only other thing you've ever wanted to do well.

When I was that age, you know what I mean?

Now I have, like there's a lot of companies and a lot of things that I'm doing and want to do so Andvies became one of those things, producing movies, writing, co directing.

Yeah, but you were in like it's like my daughter the same way, like getting this space where it's almost like early college where you're where you're like you're hyper focused on that thing. Like, yeah, I was supposed to go to a school, you know, uh performing our school, but they didn't have a football team.

Mine didn't either. But because we didn't have a football team, you were allowed to play for other schools in the area, Like you could choose. So if I wanted to play for.

In high school, yea and high school, yeah.

That's like Lincoln Park, I could play for Lincoln.

It was two man niggas walking around smoking cigarettes with church for me to go to school to the arts.

I was like, I want to say, that's completely inaccurate, but.

Right, I don't know what y'all doing.

I was.

No football.

You can pick though, at least in California. I didn't know. Yeah, in California it's like Maryland.

So if you go it was if you go to a school of the yards, the un lets, you pick what high school you want to.

Play sports for everything.

Yeah, so we'll still get the experience, okay, because you don't you know, you can't be with the band niggas and the hoop team.

It can't be all. Yeah. I just needed a different experience. My high school was horrible, fire shooting. We played football in basketball was like y'all gated No, we was gated up. They had it was east Side High the front of the school, no front of we had. We had chains on the door so you can get out of one door. But you know what I'm saying, you knew what that was. No, it was different. But see I was also the church kid, so you know what I'm saying that all the people was like, you know they love me. You know what I'm saying it was like blessings.

That the one door.

Protect right protector in these church that say protect They needed me because I was the prayer royer. So at what point do you say it should be a profession, because even as you're being groomed in this space, it's still just you know, it's still just love at this point, you know what I mean, It's still just.

It's still it's definitely love.

But I think the school that I went to, you know what I mean, it was singing at home, singing in church, singing in school, like and but it was such The school was amazing, honestly, you know, you really got familiar with putting on a stage show.

It was Broadway focused. That was amazing.

And I have friends, amazing friends. A good friend of my, Shandra Prophet, made it all the way to Broadway. She's in The Lion King, you know, and so so it was kind of really geared toward that. And you got to see the whole production, and you got to do the music and the dancing and you know, learn the lines. But the kids did also the production. They did behind the scenes, you know what I mean, They were the lighting tesests. Yeah, it was really it was really like all encompassing. So so the school kind of geared you toward doing that as a profession, you know. I think for me, it was just like do I want to dance? Do I want to do Broadway? Or do I want to And I think around the age of sixteen, I was really clear that I was like, now I really want to be a recording artist, Like I want to write my own music. I want to I like the idea of creating and kind of forging my own path, you know what I mean. So, plus, I was like, I'm not gonna lie to you. I was like, how much do you get paid not being a principal on Broadway? I was like, I'm good. This is R and B money, right, Yeah, No, So it was cool. I love like it was just the passion of creating things, making things and just you know, I just loved, you know, the work of so many artists and that really inspired me. And so I'm like, okay, cool, they're writers, those people are making their music there, you know what I mean, And that's that's what I want to do.

This It was about like sixteen, any things that you were connected to in San Diego that kind of gave you an inkling of what the business was.

M that's a good question.

Things that I was connected to, oh you know, but again it was still more theater based. Like there was a there was a theater that I would do during the summertimes. It was called like Theatre Noir, and there was this director and he would just put on shows.

He did Fame.

I did Fame there, I did uh Boogie Knights, which is just kind of like a Medley show. I met some managers. I went to a few studios. I actually used to record with a few producers out there. Actually, if you know San Diego is on Peter pan Av If you don't Skyline, I don't know Peter. That's good, no, But uh yeah, so I don't know, you know, I don't know that there were things that gave me an inkling. I was just very I was obsessed with it, you know what I mean. So I feel like I was looking up stuff all the time.

And because I asked you that, because going to school of the arts, right, and I think people feel as if from putting their kids in these types of schools, obviously you learn the arts, yeah, but then at some point you got to learn the business.

Business Yeah, the business was definitely on the ground, like that was experience, you know what I mean. I feel like there were things in San Diego, but there were things. There was just some things that when you want to be a part of this your whole life, you know. But again, I'm looking at it from the other side, right, things are so different now. But it was like a record label is the best thing to have, and you've got to get a manager and you gotta you know what I mean. So it was like trying to find people in San Diego, and I had like a manager out there, but he was kind of an unofficial manager, you know.

And so I don't know.

It's kind of funny because figuring it out on the ground kind of you have good experiences like I won't I feel like it made my skin a little bit thicker, sure, but then you also have experiences that you're like, I don't want my kids to go to and I don't want you know what I'm saying. Like, so, but that was it was just I always wanted it. So it was like wherever I have to go, you know what I mean, and whatever I have to do. I would kind of try to get money together to travel up to La as much as I could, you know, to sing, and.

You know, I was telling people.

I was like the thing at a certain time was like you get into a party and then you got to meet somebody famous, so you can get them you're down, you know what I mean, Like that's what you would think, you know what I'm saying, Or printing CDs and I would sell them on the beach in San Diego or like you know.

So it's just whatever I did the whole thing, that's why.

Yeah, oh yeah, definitely. And I put on like shows I did something at it's actually the Grove in Anaheim. I remember at the time I was opening for it was like San Diego. So I was opening for Polladanda and Baby Bash like that whole exactly.

Yeah.

So, and I had to put everything together, had to do the booking. I was kind of like my own promo person and was hoping to meet people through that. Put together the background singers and the show and the track and the all of the promo materials.

And you know.

So it's like it's really when I try to recap it, it's really like it's there's a lot of tentacles. It's really nebulous because it was just like, cool, if this good, I'm.

Gonna go do that.

You know what I mean.

It's probably a long way around, but.

Well no, it's it's actually like you didn't skip. You just didn't skip. No steps, no steps. Yeah, it's some little steps.

Soon steps and then going to like you know, they used to have the like modeling agencies and the acting agencies, the John Robert Powers and what's the other one, what's the Casablanca or whatever.

It's just a cattle call people.

Yeah, when you're young, you just this is this. Every opportunity felt like the opportunity and the big shot.

Did you ever go there?

Yet?

I got convinced. I got convinced to go to one thing.

Mm hmmm.

I stayed for five minutes. I was like, I hell no, broke.

I did not close.

I was just like auditioning, you know what I'm saying, for for parts. But it's like like a couple of auditions I walked in to. You know, of course it's a big call, and I'm like when I see the big call and I see all these people, I'm like, no, I can take that. But then but then you see an a lister walk in, You're like, what you doing? I'm going on for that party? Like I remember, I can't remember who it was. They walked Oh my god, who was it they walked in and I walked out. I cannot remember who it was. It was. It was somebody though it was it was like why I wanted to get an autograph. I want to take a picture, but we're here for the same spot. So rather than like lose my cool, I'm gonna just get on out of here because I know, damn well, yeah. I think the thing I went to is like he supposed to be in the background of something, and I was eighteen. It was like, you're going to be in the background of some independent movie.

We're gonna pay you forty dollars.

I would go to these audition things are like great, now all you have to do is pay us seven hundred dollars for pictures.

And I was trying to.

Be like, I think I have seven dollars, Like it's just everybody. It's like again, when you're young like that, it's just like every opportunity seems but.

It also separates who really wanted and who doesn't. I didn't want to be that, you know what. I mean, it was just another that at that particular moment for me, was just a hustle.

I didn't want to sell more drugs. You know.

Prison wasn't where I wanted to be. So I'm like, okay, I gotta stop selling dope. I'm gonna go out here and think I'm gonna be an actor in the back of somebody's movie.

Right, that's real. And that was the thing at the time too, You're right. It was for modeling. Acting.

That wasn't my focus. But I thought, well that could be a way into me. I can meet somebody and you know what I mean. So it's just all all connected, you know what I mean? But now, oh yeah, I wrote a song called is It Love?

Is it love? That makes you feel this way? She love Love Love Love. Yeah, it was a song I wrote.

I was.

I was probably like I was, oh, you know what. That was the first solo song I wrote. I think. I was like, well, you were in sixteen. I was about to be seventy.

When I was sixteen, I was in a group with like like a few homegirls in high school and we were called Intimate, Intimate, Intimate Yeah, now, yeah, so we had our little groups. We wrote some things together, but the main one I wrote was that that is it Love was the first one that I wrote, and I was also in actually very very briefly, but it was like they weren't really I think the group was kind of disbanding at the time.

But I had auditioned that one of their members was leaving for the group. Remember the R and B group isis back in the day.

Yeah, yeah, so they one of their members had had left, and so they were auditioning people and then I ended up getting the part. But we never really did anything because I think they were kind of disbanding at this point.

But yeah, like I said, I was down. I was like, I was do it, you know what I mean, Like your first.

Sound way better than mine. Your first song sounded.

Great, that was definitely ABC.

That is not giving a b C. That is like we should do that, now give it.

But I didn't know. I wasn't in love. I was like, this feel right? Is in love?

Right?

Yeah? I wasn't.

Exactly.

I was like, you know my favorite I'm gonna put this in here. Yeah you know.

So yeah, so you're going through all these progressions, of course, not skipping any steps in anywhere to get it? When when? When is when it? Where's your discovery?

Yeah, so that was I actually started working with this manager that which was I will I say names it was actually you listen.

It was a terrible experience, but still some good things came from it.

And so I won't I will say that, but I do say that because I always like to remind people like those experiences can happen, but they don't have to take you out, you know what I'm saying. So, so my my big break actually really came through Stevie Wonder that he's kind of like like I look at him as like my godfather when it comes to the business and singing.

Yes, didn't get expensed.

So you were in l A at this point though you no.

No, no, I was still in San Diego at the time. I was just commuting back and forth, you know, It's like, and so I was working with this manager and he happened upon actually Kyle Miller Morris who was his wife at the time, with Stevens all the time, and they were just in a pastry shop, he says, And I had come up to La to sing. I was singing in front of a couple of songs that I wrote, you know what I mean. It was kind of like a retro soul vibe to it, and I was singing a couple of songs I wrote at a rip mall and Malibu. I look, we was just still there and in front of like some shoe store, and so he just had some clips to that.

So he played it.

For her while she was in there, and then she revealed to him after she saw it. She was like, well, I'm actually Stevie Wonder his wife.

I love this. I want to play it for him, you know.

So she played it for him and he actually really liked it, and so they orchestrated a call, which I'm in San Diego.

Let me tell you something.

I'm in San Diego sitting my mother's entire apartment.

It was definitely smaller than this room.

I was like, I was like, it's about the size, and this would have been luxury lower the roof closing the walls. That's like my mother's spot. So I was sleeping on her futon and it was just like a tiny little apartment behind seven.

To eleven, next to a dumpster, you know.

And then I'm sitting there on the phone with Stevie Wonder like, hey, and he's like talking about a certain type of song he wants to write and asking me about my music. And he was asking me like detailed stuff like wow, you know, I think he loved that it had like the sort of retro soul and jazzy or feel to it, and so we would ask me things like how come they're only two minutes long? And I love that he clocked that because I loved some of the records that I love from Billie Holliday and people back in the day were sit order, you know what I mean, And I love it was just a taste. And then he talked about this song that he wanted to do with me. He also asked me what my sign was and went into that for a while. And then my mother was like, do the dishes, and I was like, I'm actually super busy right now, I'm on the phone with Stevie.

So for me, yeah, no, I still.

So she did not believe me, and right, yeah, and I got exactly but no.

So that was really so.

But to that point, it didn't end up working out at the time, and what I was told was that they didn't like you.

You weren't good enough.

You know.

The conversation wasn't good enough us? Okay, you know what the music?

Yeah, that's what I was told from the person I was working with at the time. So I didn't find out until a year later when my idea was up with that manager. They held onto my information, Kai and Stevie and they reached out to me again and were like, hey, we hope you're not still with this person, And they explained to me what happened, which is that he told them like they have to pay something like fifty thousand just to just to meet me in the studio, you know.

What I mean.

So I didn't know about that. I just thought I wasn't good enough, and it is what it is, you know what I'm saying. So I say that because that's why I say, like things like that don't have to be the end, you know what I mean. Like, so they actually introduced me to my producer who did my first record, and so that's the rest of us kind of like history from there. Yeah, so very grateful.

God, Yeah, I just that's just that's the unfortunate part of this business. Just sometimes we just we go through things like that with people who just have very heartless individuals in this business, and you know, I attribute it to them just not having any talent, not having any gifts. Yeah, and so when it becomes a thing where you'll do anything for money, like you that's the thing, you'll do anything to people, Yeah, you know.

And I think sphere, I think it's really truthfully, at the root of it is a fear based you know what I'm saying, Like you just don't you have to get yours by any means necessary, and you don't think you'll ever have something or you don't you got to hold on to it because you're scared if you lose it, and all this stuff as well. I think it's definitely like a fear thing, you know what I'm saying, Like, which I think is what kind of like makes me have empathy, you feel me Like, I go, all right, cool, I could sit and be mad at this person and be like but I'm like, you know what, You're just scared, you know what I mean, And that's where you're operating from. So I hope you God willing, you know what I'm saying, by his grace, I hope you find a way.

Out of that, you know what I mean. Yeah, So I.

Haven't take that however you want to.

Squashing, I don't wish you well, that's a balance, I get it. That is our balance.

That's why this works. I like exactly.

You know what I'm saying, understand you, right that. So they introduced your producer, who does your first single, your first.

Album, first album? So that was Adrian Gerbitts was his name. He was a producer. He was a very unknown producer as far as I knew here out of London, you know what I mean. He was an English dude, and so it was just you know, he just he loved my voice. He was passionate about it, you know. And and then and so we did the record together. And then from there I was introduced. We did kind of the label circuit and we're like, you know, doing the kind of this meeting with the labels.

Everybody was doing this with no no a lot of the time.

Yeah, I know, he was. He was more hands on with this. But and then from there I was introduced to Rafael Sadik, who also like produced, So it was Adrian Gravitz and Rafael Sadek that produced my first record. So yeah, it was cool. It was you know, things were happening. I was like, okay, can you know what I mean after all this time, like.

Rafael still ain't done no record for me.

Let's okay, let's put it on wags right now.

Ray, I would have really love to do a record.

No, he's amazing. Yeah, he's really amazing.

Yeah, he's so cool too, Like he's really He let me sit in there and mix the record too, you know what I mean. I had some people mixing it. But I can be huh. I can be quite controlling sometimes I'm working on me, but so I need there's just details that I wanted to hear. So he let me sit in there with his mixed engineers Jerry Bobby Campbell, uh Ari, and we just kind of mixed the record and worked together, and then he worked on songs with music weal two. So yeah, he's amazing. He's definitely someone I'm always gonna work with. He did music with billy billy music with musical too.

And what was the call out from the first album?

What was the first track? Yeah, oh, the first thing.

Well, it was a song called rise Up Yeah.

Put your Order in three Booth, which I would tell.

You was not on the album originally, by the way, that was a very that was a last minute addition to the record.

Yeah, I wrote that the album was done already.

It was done, completely done.

Yeah, and so, and I had been doing the whole I was actually really I think tired, Like you said, no skip steps, you know what I mean. So by this point I was just like, oh my, I'm with the label now and I'm going to these sessions and writing all these songs, but the album is done and I'm not loving what we're coming up with and all the things.

So I forgot.

I had done a session with this lady named Jendall Sevio and we did Rise Up. And so when I was in the meeting with Warner, they were like, hey, you know, we love it, blah blah blah, but we really want to play you a song. And I was like, they were like, you wrote it. I was like, well, let me hear it. Put it on the love put it on it. I mean, let me if you said I wrote I was right because I was like at this point, I was like side eye and everybody. So and they played it and I was like, oh, it like kind of just quieted the room for a second. I was like, yeah, no, it was just very very apparent. I was like, this absolutely has to be on the album, absolutely has to be the first single. They tried to go in and do do the drums remix and get the big DJs, the and all the stuff to put the stuff on there, you know, but I was just the whole time was just kind of like, ya, I think the song is like what it is, you know what I mean, Like, I think the song is like this is who I am, and so it just nothing ever worked, nothing ever sat properly. So it just what it what exactly what we made it to be is what ended up out there and what people heard.

I have one question about it. Each other, Yeah, well.

It just felt better. I mean, what what was the thing is that? Because I wanted to.

Time it comes on, I'm like, you know what each other.

I had this thing that I was really like, I wanted to play with vowel sounds, and I wanted to do I don't like the feeling of like no no either that or I was just like really like wold and but I just I like playing with vowel sounds, and so I'm like, you know what if I just twist this vowel a little bit, or twist certain things and it feels better like that. The other part is I'm like, if I really love the performance of something, you know what I mean, like the feeling of the performance of it, and I'm like, I'll try to reapproach it. Yeah, but I'm like, it's probably just gonna have to have that mistake in there if I'm really like, I can't. I can sing it better, but I can't get that film. Yeah, I can't get that feeling.

But that's not a mistake, that's feeling.

Yeah, it was a feeling, and I think at the time, so I was very much I was like, I just want to sing and things that sound weird, not that it's for weird sake, but just because, like you know, I just hate being limited, like this is how I sing and I have to sing this way. And I'm like, yeah, but I'm I'm feeling like changing the place I'm singing from or so I'm experimenting with stuff like that.

Honestly. Yeah, I had to ask, you know what I mean?

So rise Up just goes crazy. Yeah, it just goes. It goes crazy. Like my daughter Jordan at her graduation, she that's the solo she sang for her graduating class. I cried a little bit, you know, I cried crazy, you cry crazy. I cried enough, But it was but it was just like the song and that the moment, like all of these things, the song is such a defining moment for so many moments, like not skipping the steps. Do you feel a sense of like finally, when when this record becomes because this is a different level of hit record.

Yeah, yeah, different level global.

It's global, it's it's on TV. Yeah, it's American Idol, it's it's everywhere. Yeah, that's not a normal hit record. That is a phenomenon.

Wow. Yeah I got the I got.

The account to prove it.

I really know.

Yeah, yes I did. Actually Actually, to be honest with you, that's what I always tell people.

I was like, I really you know what I mean. It's not just like fake humble tip.

It's just like like we freestyled it right, which sounds like, okay, a flex But it was one of those things that I realized like like when we freestyled, not the whole thing, but like most of it, like rise up, do it a thousand times again. It was just she was playing these chords and it's like it's just simple chords, simple four chords, you know what I mean, repetition whatever. And I was like, I literally prayed. I prayed when I was in the car, and I was like, God, I don't even want to be here, to be honest with you, you know what I mean. I was like, friend, it had been diagnosed with cancer, like you know, just weren't happening in the career, and it just felt like such a long time, and like I think it was the first time. I started to be like, is this not going to happen, Like, you know, I don't know what else to do. I don't know, you know. And so I just prayed and I was like, Lord, just you speak, you know what I mean. I don't want just like you inhabit the space you speak and let whatever come out. So she started playing these chords and I just started singing, and a lot of the song I have it.

I'll find it at some point, I'll find it. I'll send it to you.

A lot of the song came out just in that first kind of like playing around take and so I would tell people, I'm like, yeah, I did write it, but like it was definitely you know, the moments where you're clear you're a vessel, you know what I'm saying, And you're like, okay, so that's why you know the song doing what it did. I I will say, like, yes, it felt like yes finally, but it also felt like whoa that I didn't expect you know what I'm saying like that, I did not anticipate it. I didn't anticipate it doing what it does for people, or like being the anthem for Black Lives Matter. I didn't anticipate it, Like I'll put it like this, I didn't anticipate it being like life changing and saving. Like when we do tours and we do like meet and greets, right, I always tell my team because they'd be like, Andrew, you know what I'm saying, meet and greets, Like we got to get out of here. But I'm like, my nigga, who do I rush the nigga who's like parent was diagnosed with cancer or the nigga who just tried to kill herself, you know what I'm saying. Like, I'm like, so it's like I get a lot of that and it's amazing where you would think it would depress you. It just re reminds me of like the power of music. Which I believe is at its core. I believe it was designed to be healing. But I get people all the time it's like, wow, I was literally going to kill myself. I listened to your song. I did, and I'm like, wow, you know what I'm saying, Like, or I just or I was had the bottle of pills, or I had this, or I'm going through depression, or I lost a family member or I had one family. Say this woman she was diagnosed with cancer. We were on stage and we brought her up and so we just had the audience. We just prayed over her. You know. She did end up passing away, and then her family was like, oh, you know, her request is that you're there during her dying moment.

And so it was like me, her and her family, and I.

Was like, like, you know, it's one of those things that you're like, you guys, I really don't you know what I mean. I feel like this feels very intrusive, and I don't, but you're just reminded like it's not about you. They just want what they believe that spirit is, you know what I'm saying, like, And so I definitely did not anticipate it doing what it did, and I'm super super grateful.

Yeah, yeah, amazing record. Thank you.

I was just when you said, like, who do I rush, It's like, yeah, rush, Yeah, I'm so connected.

You're like, sorry, I'm busy. We have to you know what I mean.

I'm like, spot, it's hard because this person has been waiting since they heard the song, you know what I mean, to come to this show for however long, the year, whatever, and has this heavy, heavy story and that's what they want to get off. And so it's hard to be like, I don't have time to hear your life change, you know what I mean. I'm like, it's you just got to make time. You gotta figure it out, you know what I'm saying.

And I think because a lot of times we're on the other side of it, we're so we're so used to just just ring and bing the vessel and just doing what we're called to do that we never really get to stop and and kind of visualize and understand the effects of what we do, like to really have those conversations, like I really just I just make it a point to just just stop and talk to anybody, you know what I mean, just see where it's going and it's like he said, some of the craziest conversations, some of the craziest connections. And then for me, like Jai'll tell you, like I've never met a stranger, I'll just treat connection.

I can see that, and I like that.

We'll just talk till we figure out some common ground.

When I first met you all those years ago, that's I was like, you were so nice. It was actually me and Ed Sheeran. I don't know if you remember that night, no way, it was before he blew up. It was crazy, you know, he was docular. Yeah, he was doing his circular singing dah da dada, and all the ladies in the audience was like, oh my god, this white boy ginger. It's like my brawls off and throw it.

It was crazy. Yeah, the night was nuts, and you were just so kind and so cool, and I.

Believe it was that that was a time to We used to have a time at Army.

Yeah, it was so fun. It was so fun. It got crazy when he went to the Key Club too.

I remember so many nights. I remember we saying jeousy. One night, it was a Grammy night. I think it was we say the Grammy Knights, Lonnie, I think texts he Joousy. I remember when Brandy sang and all the dudes and was in the corner hugging each other like it was just like they were funning over Brandy, like Brandy, like Christopher Williams. You know what I'm saying, pull it up on the motorcycle. God knows what his book bag. You know, I said, don't touch my bag, nigga, shout out Christopher Williams. He is not a game. I gotta get here on it. But that time, it was like, you know what a time.

And I said, one of the steps.

You know what I'm saying, It's one of the steps, Like I think that, and it's like very fond memories. So it was a long journey, but I'm they're all fond memories, you know what I'm saying. So like and meeting you for the first time too, because I was just a big fan of your voice and your music and it's like, wow, he's just so cool. You know, that felt like another step, This is my big opportunity, you know, Yeah, yeah, I know it was. It was actually that experience was amazing. So yeah, that was actually when I first met you is there.

Tour after that? Is? Did we do we go straight on a world tour?

Like after we after we dropped the album? Oh, actually, how fast? I don't remember how quickly. My memory is terrible. I don't remember how quickly we went on tour after that. I think it was fairly quickly. Actually after we released the Yeah, no, we started touring pretty immediately. But my first tour was opening actually for Lenny Kravitz, which I thought was just like, so, yeah.

Some tequila.

Listen, So it's gonna be it's gonna be one of the nights I'm gonna easy to just keep coming back, could.

You right hand?

Flat?

No, it was actually, well, it's funny. Touring with Lenny was an amazing experience. A he was just really amazing and it was just like mister sir Kravitz.

But yeah, it was great.

Touring with him just because it was a great experience learning a lot watching him. Also what was really interesting too was just to see like his audience. You know what I'm saying, It's a really really I had no idea who was going to show up and who would be in the audience each city we showed up, you know what I'm saying, So it was like really interesting to be surprised by like the diversity and like the group of people in his audience. I was like, Okay, this is really interesting, Like you know, he's like tapped something here, and so it was just I mean, he's a legend, and so it was just great watching him how he manured with his band and with you know what I'm saying, like and he runs a tight ship in a great way, and then he puts on a great show because of that, you.

Know what i mean.

Like, but the first time, I'm not gonna lie to the first night I was tricked on that tour because the first night I got to it was Toronto. Toronto was the first date and that was the first time I had been to I think it was the first time I had been in Canada. But I get in my hotel room and I'm like, nigga, I opened the door and I close it back cause I was like, oh shit, like I accidentally opened the wine cellar, you know what I'm saying. I went, so I got to had to go back get the key and doll stuff, and they were like, no, that was your room. I opened it up. I was like, no, the wine cellar was just a huge middle section. My room was massive. I was like, this is the biggest thing I've ever been in in my life.

It was so huge.

It had multiple rooms with a pool table and an entertainment room and it had a whole wine nigga. I was like, is this Did they accidentally give me Drake sweet Like? I was like, this is so nigga. I was like, what is going on? And then we get to the first day of tour and they had this huge spread and they was like all of this charcouterie boards and seafood and you know what I'm saying, like everything. It was like so amazed. I was like, yo, tours lit like I don't know what Michael Jackson was talking about.

That shit fire Like amazing. You know, I love tour. But next tour day I was like it was me in a roach in my time at the hotel.

I was like, road, that's for you, bro.

The first day had me up. I was like, I've some trouble right now. That second day was very clear.

I was like, what is all.

That I've been in rooms?

Right?

I don't take my sweat, I'm not sleep standing up in the middle of the room. I stood like to be like, Jay, is the day room exactly. I was like, day room, but these bad bugs are gonna last for a couple of weeks.

I'm like, yeah, I'm not sleeping in here.

We're the same when the coups of that, oh, we're definitely I'll go back for that.

Because they got a book hotels, Correc got a book hotel all the time, and I'd be.

Like, I'm like, bro, it's fine, it's the days in, but it's the upgraded version, upgraded days.

In the day.

Wait, what's the days in? What's the upgraded days in?

I don't know, hotel.

You know what I'm saying.

So as you walk you just know it's chicken.

I feel so bad. I feel bad.

They walk into a room and they could look around and they look at me. They they'd be like, we're not staying here. Don't even drop a bag, We're leaving immediately. I just yeah, dirtiness, it's more you.

Travel, you just be like, bro, niggas are dirty. Bro, planes are dirty.

Some cities you go to they don't have free stars. You know, many times a promoter has said that to me on the phone. You're right, yeah, and I'm like, yeah, so how far is the nearest four.

Or five stars city?

Right, let's the contracts running four stars are better.

So you were like, what's the nearest city so we can read route the day and give me a two hour commute time.

Because I'm like, no.

I remember plenty of nights where because you know I sleep.

In the suv. I was sleeping the suv before I.

Was big South.

Oh yeah, yeah, in two thousand, two.

Thousand, and I remember many nights, God rest his soul brother, Window was sleeping in the chair in his room. In the chair. Yep, I can't get in that bed.

I'm not doing it. No way, I'm not doing it.

I'm not doing me. I'm but nig in sept I can't know there we got in the morning.

I'm not mad at you, because that's why you sound the way you say.

You prioritize sleep. I was like, they gonna get this twenty four hour no sleep performance. I was like, I am not getting in it because some things last a lifetime. You never know, you know what I'm saying. I'm like something some bikes. Yeah, I'm not mad at it.

I wouldn't. I didn't get spoiled they.

Would have started with the Roach Hotel, I would have been good. You know what I'm saying. But I was like, I know, but.

I also started as the background singer too, so I wasn't part of the A group. I was part of the B group, So you know what I'm saying. It was definitely motel life where you just walk out of your room outside. You know what I'm saying.

You're right, You're right yet so.

For me, it was just like, okay, this is no.

There's a little bit of that in me too, because there are moments now that I think about it, I was like, yeah, there were moments like we just started out. I would literally be asleep on coats on the airport floor, you know what I mean. So yeah, that's something I would never do that, would never do that. Now, I'm not gonna lie. I'm terrified, you know what I mean. People's feet, but.

Everyone has their everybody it has Yes, I don't know, like.

Like you were a big questions give me.

You know.

You dropped the bottom.

I feel you a little bit. I feel you all that definitely.

Okay, so you go crazy on tour. Is the movie next or the movie comes after your next project?

Uh no, the movie came right after.

So this is actually the album that we're releasing is only my second album, Like it's just been such a long time. So the movie actually came like after we did the whole album, so like, and we did a couple of tours too. I did a solo tour as well, and then we toured with Leon Bridges and so yeah, we did a few tours and festivals and we did the whole circuit, you know what I mean. It was an amazing experience, and it just because of the nature of Rise Up, it honestly just kept going and kind of does keep going.

Like I tell people, this sounds so bad, y'all. I don't even know.

I'd say this, but Rise Up is sometimes I feel bad because I'm like, Okay, I gotta, We're just we gotta.

We just donate, you know what I'm saying.

And we gotta donate because I'm like, Rise Up will stream and it's amazing because the song has that power and it's oftentimes people are like I need this to get through this moment or yeah. But like during the Black Lives Matter movement in the march, if there's a huge crisis that happens. Oftentimes it was Skyrocket because it just becomes the song of them are feeling bad. I'm like, I feel like this is like a war weapon, like I need to do something with this. So it lasts kind of The Psycho lasted quite a long time. And then so once we kind of really finished, and I really decided in myself too, I was like, Okay, I'm grateful for this, but I really want now.

I want to start working on new music.

I'm in that place, you know, And what I wanted to do this time was like I wanted to produce more on this project, and I wanted to I loved my touring band, like they're my family. They've been with me since the beginning. And there's something about them, you know when you find those players that you're like, they're so genius, but you're also comfortable enough to like, yeah, you're connected, they understand you. It's instinct like, and you're comfortable enough to fail around them. Does that make sense? Like I always tell people I don't play. I wish I did. I want to learn. I'm working on it, actually, but I don't play, you know what I mean? So everything is guesswork for me? You know what you want to hear I do, so it's all my you know what I mean. And they're really like tapped into that. So I was like, okay. And then we know, like in the business, like we work in the music industry, and the people who are treated probably the worst are usually musicians, you know what I'm saying. So I was like, and dancers, absolutely, and so I'm like, well, I'm tired of kind of fighting for them, so I just want to bring them in the studio, make them producers, you know what I'm saying, because they all have great years, they're really visionary. So I was like, that's what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna just build this next record, and it's just gonna be us in the studio producing, doing what we do on the road, you know what I'm saying, and like, and so it definitely took a lot more time than I had anticipated, but it was worth it, you know what I'm saying.

Like you're saying, this is going to be your second this is the second. Start counting the years, Yeah.

It's been seven it's been since I released my last record.

It's been nine years.

Yeah, And we did we did do three movies in between, so it wasn'ttive.

No, well you know what's so funny? So funny? No, no, I want no no.

But when she do, you know, when she don't pull up on me, we will be right back here talking about it.

But no, she's so.

But it's funny because in the beginning of my career they asked me. They were like, you know, they ask you crazy questions. Who do you want to model your career after. I'm like, y'all, come on, bro, like just you know, like it feels like a weird question to answer.

I don't know.

Maybe I was just arrogant at the time, but I was like, I don't like that, you know what I mean, Like, let's just I can tell you artists I like.

But they were like, we really need to know, we really need to talk. It's okay.

So I was like, and one of the people I named was Shade, and they were like, well, she only releases some records like every seven years, every nine years, every whatever. And at the time I was like, no, no, we're going to release more records. I just you know, I like the vibe.

I like, what no. Nine years later exactly, So it just happened that way.

Is that. Of course, I know you take your time making music, but also is that kind of a testament of the success of that first record, Like you said, that record has not come to a close. And from a business standpoint, you've you you as a writer and a producer. If you know that language, you continue to do very well. So it's not like you have to rush. Yeah, thing, is that part of it?

I think I think that. I definitely think that's a part of it. Like I said, the cycle was really long, and it does all right. Yeah, there's a little bit of like not feeling like I have to rush, like I want to take my time to and I'm like that I really I am a perfectionist, which is terrible sometimes, you know what I'm saying, because you can really self sabotage that you really can be in your own way, and that is a balance that I'm trying to learn.

Like be precious but not too precious, you know what I'm saying.

Because so it does afford you time, not as much time as I've taken, but but it does afford you to Also, I just have ADHD I get distracted.

Everything's interesting, you know what I'm saying.

Everything I keep staying at that curtent. I'm like, why is that one different from the rest of them?

You know what I'm saying, Well, we're still working on that right over.

I was like, you know it turn over, but I like it. I like the variation, you know. No, so there was like taking at the.

Track at all.

I was like, I want to kidding right, no, but yeah, So it definitely does afford you time, but also the time in between the record because I'm so hands on, you know which, like I said, I'm really learning too in my life. I'm like, all right, cool, this is great, hold on to this. This is a detriment, like grow from it, move on, you know what I mean. But I'm also like it was also the movies, Like, so we I started the record, we started producing the record and writing in twenty seventeen, and then I got the call.

I got the call.

At the end of twenty seventeen about like, hey, we want you to do Billie Holiday.

And I was like, the hell are y'all talking about?

You just got the call?

Yeah? They had, Like no, I hadn't at this point yet. I did.

I ended up auditioning for it, but they just got a call to meet with Lee, you know, because his team and everybody was like, she's the perfect person for it, which makes me laugh so much to this day because my response was like, what are you talking about?

I just love Billie Holiday. I'm not an actress, you know what I mean?

Like they know about that, that that call you went on earlier, that that model.

Saw my stuff on John Robert Powers on the pictures that I right, I pay some for the pictures. I was like, I'm gonna go another way.

But yeah, so so I think that it took a long time because we ended up doing that movie and then we've shot i think two other movies on the in between, so that definitely took a lot of time.

COVID hit, you know what I mean.

It's just like the timing of everything was crazy, and you're right, like Rise Up still does its things, so you know, it's definitely I'm looking at my team now.

There's definitely more pressure. Now, my god, look can.

Do you? I mean, I mean we just can't glance over you know, over Billy. It's hard to glance over that when you were nominated for an Oscar. You want to that golden globe that you you won that yeah, you won that Grammy Grammy. Yeah, uh, a celebration. Celebration of course you were, as you say, because I'm not an actor. As you just say, said that that is so.

Wrong.

It's not even close to not You're not you. I don't know what you were thinking at the time, but when you got in front of that camera, Jesus.

Christ, thank you so much.

Well at the time, I was not though. If they would have shot the movie at that time, you would have been like.

Jesus, so, how long did you so you went to prep?

I did, Yeah, definitely, so so I once I actually agreed to do it because Lee and I were both skeptical. You know, his team's telling him you got to meet with her. He's like, why would I meet with her? She's not an actress. My team's like, I mean, I'm like, I'm not an actress. Why But I was like, you know what, the long way around, not skipping steps to say, you know what, Lee Daniels is a good person to know. I should probably just meet him, you know what I mean, Like, definitely not going to do this movie, but why not?

You know what I mean?

If I want to do music or play some music or whatever, something like that let's just let me just chop it up with him real quick and just see, you know what he's talking about. So we met and it was just like, I'm such a huge fan of Billy Holliday, So I like that she's really probably one of my foremost inspirations and she is actually I'm just like.

But so I really really love her.

So meeting with him and his passion he was he was a fan of ladies sings the blues, that was his thing. And so once he discovered more about Billie Holliday and her fight with strange fruit, like most people's idea of her is that she was a godmother of jazz music, right, you know what I mean. She was probably the most famous jazz singer you know at the time, and and she was a tragic drug addict, which is not the case, you know what I mean. Those things were true in her life, you know, but she was hunted and so like I knew that as a study of her because I became familiar with her when I was like eleven years old, and I just was a huge fan of her. Like I said, the way she's sang, you know, I was trying to play with my voice more because I love her identity, and so I really love I sat with him and he was really so enamored and so passionate.

About this story.

He was like, people need to know this about her, And so he breaks down what he's gonna do and how he's gonna like, you know, just he's trying to vindicate really her legacy. He was like, I'm making this for black women, Like I'm you know, I want people to know she's a fier. I'm so moved by her story and by this song strench Fruit. He wasn't even really familiar.

With the song and so.

And so I was.

I really loved that. I was like, I really love how passionate he is.

But I'm excited for him and whoever he gets to do the movie.

But I still yeah, because I was like, I love her.

So I told people, I said, my biggest fear was like people would be like, oh, I love Billie Holliday, Oh my god, you remember the amazing you know, Diana Ross and Ladies Sings the Blues. Oh you remember the amazing Audrey McDonald on Broadway. Oh you remember when Andrew did it?

You know what I mean? Like, I didn't want to be that.

I was like, oh my god, like everybody, yo, bro.

Yeah exactly, like wow, you are Prince Petty.

That is our friend.

So so yeah, so I was like I can't.

So yeah. So I met with him and he introduced me. He was like, you know what, he didn't.

What I love about Lee is he didn't just kind of throw me to the wolves and be like whatever, let's see. So before we even did the audition, he got me with Tasha Smith Smith, who was my acting.

Coach, who is.

An amazing director, actress coach. Like she's just all the things and a sister, you know. So he linked me with her and to prepare me for the audition. So I just thought that was really Like That's why I tell people. I'm like, you know, I'm grateful, and I'm grateful that people love the performance, but it would not have been that performance without eight I think there are very very few, and when I say a handful, I mean maybe like three fingers directors in Hollywood that can pull performances out of actors the way Lee does, you know what I mean, There's just like very very few people of Scorsese's like that. Lee is like that, Like, so it was a combination of like her coaching, her believing in me even more than I did in the beginning, and him believing in me and his direction, you know. So he got me with her. And then he said he saw a little tape of He always when he tells the story, he says he saw a tape. She sent him a clip of me, just like going through the scenes, he said. And in that moment I knew. He's like, you weren't acting, you were just being you know what I mean? He was like, that was the moment I knew you were billying so so, and then they did this thing where like I was preparing for the role like a lot before before because I got it at the top of twenty eighteen and start filming until the very end of.

Or did I get it twenty seventeen. I can't remember.

We didn't start filming until the end of twenty nineteen. So I was kind of in her headspace changing for a long time. I started smoking cigarettes, I started drinking alcohol, started cussing for which I didn't do.

It still hasn't gone away, but and you just went you just yeah.

Yeah, yeah, what she told She trained me from a different thing, she said, But what you did, sis is you did what I trained you. But she also trained me to just do what you need to do to get it, you know what I mean. And so she trained me in this particular way and then she said, you also incorporated some method and so it was just like and then they we didn't get in and start coaching heavily until that was Lee's call. Lee was like, I don't want you to get with her until two weeks right before we go to film, and then intensively work with her because he really and it worked because he had this idea that he was like, I want the anxiety and because Billy would have that in her life during this.

Period of her life.

I want the anxiety and the nerves, and I want her to be super present and I want all that to work for her. And so it was a combination of all of my preparation those intense.

Two weeks so smart.

I was super grateful just it all came together, you know what I mean.

You are absolutely amazing.

Thank you. I appreciate it taking movie special that afforded me some more time.

I just didn't like the way you left your band in the middle of it.

No, yeah, it's exactly this fake turner. Nigga cocaine is a hell of a drug, Like you do some crazy things. Yeah right, it was like, come on, Billy, No, there were so many moments they were like working the script because she's super lovable, like when you read her biography and all the things. But she did crazy ship too, you know what I mean. So, and she would do stuff that you would be like, wow, I really can't stand that. But for whatever reason, people still loved her.

So they it was an artist.

Yeah, she really was, and she was. She Also here's the thing about Billy. She was a woman of a different time, you know what I'm saying, Like, and you forget that like she was like her saying was like I didn't want to be nobody's I didn't want to you know what I'm saying.

She ended up working.

She started working in a she was raped at ten, and then she started working in a brothel by the age eleven.

I think with her mom, you know what I mean.

So, and she had women too, She ran girls like she was a She was a hard woman and she was from a different time and she had to survive. And so her saying was like I didn't want to be nobody's damn maids. So she used to like clean the steps of people's houses and like wealthy white people for like a nickel in Baltimore.

Or you know what I mean.

And so she just like she dealt with a lot of men who were super abusive, you know what I mean. She was stolen from oftentimes, and you know, she was abused physically, abused sexually all the things. But she it made her hard and it made her very like you know, but truthfully, it also made her a fighter and made her who she was. You know, So like people forget like to be a black woman in the twenties and the thirties and the forties, it's way different.

It's way you know what I mean.

Like, so yeah, it's interesting. So yeah, she was, she was out there. You should read her biography if you haven't read, it's funny as well.

You just did amazing. It's just tough to do. It's just it's just because, like you said, to be that to be that one person out of all the people who've come before you to not nail it, Oh my god, right, that that pressure is tersting.

That was terrible.

But for leaders say, let's use that.

Yes, exactly. Use that anxiety.

Use that anxiety, and that's why a part of it why she was using drugs.

Absolutely well, and her people forget about that all the time. I'm like that she didn't just be like, oh, let me pick it up. And a lot of these drugs were planted on musicians, you know what I mean, This was put like that's like people, the drug war was not in the eighties. That started in like the thirties and the forties, you know what I mean with jazz musicians, particularly black jazz musicians.

You know, so, and it's still and it's still.

The thing is it's so you know, once again, we always we try to have moments as many moments on this podcast as possible to be informative.

Yeah, and you know, for me.

I would just you know, to any young artist that's out there, understand when they're giving you these things is to control you, you know what I mean, because you're you're not on your dean at this point, you're not standing on your platform. They're knocking you off of it by telling you, oh, it's just gonna take the edge off or it's gone. Now you're on lean. Now you're smoking way too much weed. Now you're doing coke. Now you're doing whatever the.

Thing is, Like, you look cooler. It's cool as an artist for you to do this thing. And that's the vibe. And that's all this stuff. Like I love that you bring it up too, because I tell like, you know, like I said, the drug world to me, when I go we talk, we can go back like chattel slavery right, you know, segregation right, Jim Crow, reconstruction, you know, lynching and America. The thing I believe as a community that took us out the most is drugs because it took our soul and our drive and our motivation. We went through chattle slavery, and we still became land on owners and community owners. Like when people go, oh, black people, we need invest in charice businesses, we have. We have done that over and over and over again. Every time you walk through Central Park, that was a thriving black community. Every time you go to these major lakes and enjoy the water, those were wealthy, thriving black communities, right. And so the drugs, I feel like, is the thing that I look back on that I'm like that that's a part of the institution and that's what took the soul and the drive, you know what I'm saying, like not that we are still going to thrive and we still get it back, but I agree with you. I definitely feel like the thing that you that's to control. You absolutely took the men absolutely.

Which was absolutely that's the foundation.

Yeah, absolutely, what we were are.

The strong men in our community. It's the fathers, the grandfathers, you know what I mean, and all that being passed down, it started missing generations because yeah, they were either strung out or sit in jail.

Right exactly.

Yeah, yeah, wow, Yeah, so you did amazing. You got two more movie. You did two more movies which helped you pass you know, the nine years. What's going on?

I started buying property.

It was like just small, like small things. We were filming the Lee and I did a movie called The Deliverance.

I'm so excited about that.

It was like and this was like Leah is so amazing, Like I honestly he has really just loved and supported me and put me in great positions. So like this cast, like to be able to lead a cast like you know of Oscar winners and nominated actors and actresses. It's like my castmates were Glenn Close, Monique Andrew Ellis, Caleb McLoughlin, Demi Singleton, Uh, Anthony Jenkins. Like it was just it was such an incredible cast of of of actors. And so when I was in Pittsburgh, I was kind of looking around at the market and I was like, you know what I mean, Like it was like, there's a lot of new bills, there was a lot the disparity between housing prices was like pretty drastic because they're building so much. It was like a lot going on. So I was like, I don't know, let me just like dip in and just see, you know what I mean. So, I don't know, it's cool to me. Listen, when you think you're never going to be able to afford to buy a car and you are able to buy a property, I'm like, that's pretty it's pretty exciting.

Give me two of those. It is a long way from the seven eleven, long way from eleven, I mean the first No, I'm gonna just hold them until to the time, you know, Cassandra, Yes the new album. Yes, Ladies and Gentlemen, please go get that. And I think I think you know, also, just on a on a serious note, before I get to this next segment. I just I just think you're needed. I think your talent, your gift, your energy, like that's something and it's a great time for you because because because of how things have turned and how they're now needing what we do.

Yeah right, that's real.

And it's refreshing that ship this whole time.

You know, I didn't know she wanted the one.

I thought it just saying south like get no, right, but you you need. I think I think you're just you know, you're You're a dope example of what I think. You know what I think young girls should be able to see and aspire to.

Thank you. Wow, I really appreciate that. Thank you, Thank you that really does.

That is that is a thing. Thank you to a specially talented moment in our god where I want to get into your mind. You've been inspired by so many, so many of the greats. You've been able to portray one of the crates. But we want to know right now as we vibe you'r we want to know.

Top five, Yeah, your top five, top five, Your top five are the easing.

Whatever.

We want to know that we want to say nothing years your h.

That was definitely one of my top five R and B performances. I love that. Can I say that?

Yes?

Okay, Andre d Yes, I was want to say go ahead.

Somebody told me they were like, it sounds more expensive. I'm like whatever.

When I go into my fortnight and Day, your top five R and B singers, Top five.

Armhi, this is so hard.

I saw that question, I was like, so are we not? Are we doing the all encompassing? Are we not including jazz?

Whatever? Okay?

I would have to say, Okay, there's two worlds I live in, so I would have to say, okay, I'm gonna do two top fives.

Can I do that?

Because they're like, okay, So we're gonna start with Whitney for sure. We're going to go to ooh, this is so hard, bro Okay, Whitney Aretha mm hmm. We're gonna also say so hard okay. We're gonna say Michael that's too and Shady and Anita Baker. Yeah yeah, but okay, so on the flip side, right, you know what I'm saying, Yeah, it's like a little the jazzier side. We're gonna say Billie Holliday, absolutely, yes, she's definitely. We're also going to say Ella Fitzgerald. For me, it's also Erica, Jill Scott, and Lauren Hill.

Yeah.

Yeah, you see what I'm saying. I'm like, I kind of had to do like who do I leave out? You know what I mean?

Mad Mike.

I love. I was actually thinking about going with like should I do all women do all that? Because that's I'm like, bro, how do I leave out? You know what I'm saying? Luther and Stevie and Beyond. I love Beyonce. Yeah, so I was like, I have to hit him with.

Those are those are two really crazy?

Top five and jazzmine She's still absolutely I'm gonna say.

Your top five R and B songs.

Okay, top five.

I know, Okay, top five R and B songs, hmmm, I'll just mix them all together. This is not this is missing so many songs, but okay, so I'll say to be quick, I'll say God Bless the Child. I love this song, which is more of a jazz but uh human nature Michael Jackson also, you know what I mean, Jesus songs.

This is so crazy.

Uh Oh.

I love Erica's bag Lady too. I love bag Lady by Erica. That's one of my favorite. There's so many though, that's so hard to say. So I'm just gonna you just already know she's one of my favorites.

What I say so far mm hmmmmmm mm hmmm. And angel Anita Baker m h.

That's great.

And then right now I'm just trying to I feel like you can pick any shady song, Like right now, I'm just trying to like pick which you will.

But I'm like, how do I leave exactly? Like, oh gosh, yeah, we're going with that? There's I love.

I love everything she's done. I love everything she's done. So yeah, I'm just gonna have to just say all I can't pick.

I can't pick.

I can't.

M m my god, uh huh oh, you can't just be like vibe for day, Like.

It's bigger than vibe. Like that word is that word is an understate. You learn at that theater in New War figured this.

Let's tell you something.

That was just.

I had a home gro on a school named Jennison Class.

Come on, man, where are you going? Yeah, come on, go down southeast.

Some of that.

I ain't saying no nick hey, I ain't saying no names. I ain't saying no names. I ain't saying no names.

You was.

What you did? Don't say she ain't saying.

Is the greatest part, right, Okay, So yeah, we had a very very very important part of the show segment. That's card I ain't saying no names. Okay, tell us a story funny and fucked up? Are funny and fucked up? The only rule to the game is you can't say no name.

Okay.

And listen, You've been on tours and movie sets, a whole bunch of cool ship so much, so much cool in champagne much.

Yeah, you know, you have all these stories and then you get in like on in the lights and in the camera, and my god, well yesterday I went to.

Wait a minute.

Okay, let's see. I do have a funny story.

But bro, I don't know if I can even tell the story without y'all knowing exactly who it is. Okay, you can say the name, I let me see.

You know, that's the story you want?

Now, that's the what's the one? Which were you thinking of? Which one?

Yep?

Okay, So all right, y'all gonna know. But whatever it is, what it is.

So I just remember, like you know, you meet people sometimes and you know, you meet some people that you're like, you know, you can tell from their artist persona, you can tell from everything You're like, that is a huge personality, super duper ego probably you.

Know what I'm saying.

All the things that and then sometimes you meet people that you would think that and they're really sweet, they're cool, you know whatever.

So I think.

There was one artist entertainer Mogel.

There was one person. No, no, there was one person. One time we were doing Essence best were you? There was this the one which Essence was it.

Was I wasn't there.

I was so no.

I just remember there was one time we were in our dressing room and it was myself and a bunch of other artists, you know what I'm saying, that we're there.

It was like.

And I remember we were just kind of everybody was in their dressing room. It was like a common room. And then everybody was in their respective dressing rooms, you.

Know what I mean.

And this artist like kind of came in. They sent their team and or their security team in, you know what I mean, And they and they were like, this honestly is more funny than anything. But uh so they sent their security team and there was a common room. Each person had their dressing room. This person had their dressing room too, and then we had a common room and they were nice. Dressing rooms was nice. So everybody was in their dressing room and they send their team in and to go like kick everybody out of their respective dressing room. So it was like common area can't be used. And it was like and anybody and these are other artists, like people that you know, you know what I mean, And so they go in and they're just like, all right, this person wants to come in, so everybody has to get out.

Everybody has to you know what I mean, whatever all the stuff, so you know.

Out of this.

We saw them kicking everybody out of the common room and we were like, all right, cool, and then they came in and started kicking everybody out their individual rooms, and so I was like, my god, you know what I mean, you know, so most people, including my team, were like, we're not gonna leave unless we feel like somebody official, you know what I mean, it's telling us this, you know, like, and so everybody kind of stayed in their dressing room. And then so the person finally came into the common area, and no one had left their dressing rooms, and they were like, all right, everybody, we're gonna pray.

And I was like, oh my god, look at me. I had underestimated this person. They want to pray, my bad Jesus, let's go ahead and do it. I judged them that was totally wrong. Blah blah blah blah.

So we all come out of our common dressing rooms and we all get in this massive circle and we start praying. Well, we all bowed our heads to start praying, and so it's like down my head, closed my eyes, I did the thing.

You know what I mean? Were you still kind of looking but you're not.

No, no, not at this point. We're not there yet at that part of the story. So I had my heads bowed, and then all of a sudden, I hear I woke up this morning and I.

Was me and I was like, I was so I was like, and it was a whole thing, and I was like, by the time we were dead, I thought to myself, I was like.

Did they make me pray to them?

Look at that?

Because I damn, I'm gonna go have to repent and be.

Like, God, my bad.

I ain't nobody else I know that God. I didn't know. God, I didn't know he was gonna do that, you know what I mean. So I had to go and be like, yeah, not me at the end of the prayer talking about and Jesus name. Okay, all right, thank you.

No.

So that was a really interesting story.

That was probably my first experience with like something that was that random and that bizarre, but still funny and entertaining.

Like I don't know, I like a good charismatic versus to me. Yeah, I was like I was, I was tricked. I ain't realizing until we said Amen.

I was like to who, Lord, bless these people holding my hand?

No, no, no, you did it wrong. It's me blessed, these peopeople holding Lord, just me bless me.

I'm a blessed these people holding my hands. Wow, I know the way truth and the light. Oh my god.

My whole team was cracking up, kind of like right there you go. Yeah, it was like that.

Watch me work, watch me name name, watch me with with two whips, whip whip, watch me name.

That's pretty much it.

Yeah, it's crazy.

I was like, oh wow, I'm just going down my mental rollerdecks of you know, a couple of people that I know are capable of that anyway. Andrew Day, you are just you're You're really really awesome.

Thank you so much. I love this podcast.

Thank you just to like, you know, just all you know inside and out, you know what I mean. And I think that you know, we need we need more of that. And I and I and I and I pray.

Yea to yourself.

I pray that you you you are, you are blessed to go in as many spaces as possible to be as infectious as you are.

Thank you.

I appreciate that your thing is just that it just becomes contagious and everybody can be more like you.

Thank you so much. And I pray the same for you. Well you've already done it. You're already doing it.

You know it's still still more work to do.

Yeah, thank you so much.

This is home for you, whatever, whenever, whatever you want to do.

I love the aesthetic specific there. This is.

Kick you out. You got two jags, ladies and gentlemen, And this is the Yrvey Money Podcast at the authority on all things R and B. And this has been light, This has been loved. This, this has been fairly man the most beautiful, the most Talented.

And R and B Money.

R and B Money is a production of the Black Effect podcast Network. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Don't forget to subscribe to and rate our show, and you can connect with us on social media at Jay Valentine and at the Real Tank. For the extended episode, subscribe to YouTube dot com, forward Slash, R and B Money

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R&B Money

R&B Money Podcast is hosted by the Legendary Grammy Award winning R&B singer/songwriter/producer TAN 
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