Billie Holiday returns to the spotlight this February in the film “The United States vs. Billie Holiday,” directed by Lee Daniels and starring Andra Day as the late singer.
“She was hugely influential,” Day told the PBS NewsHour’s Jeffrey Brown about the singer dubbed Lady Day. “I mean, that’s where she’s kind of my namesake.”
With a singular voice that has long captivated audiences, it was the “emotion” that Holiday brought to her music that acted as an inspiration for Day.
“Her songs were rooted in truth, in her experience and how she perceives things and how she felt and what was right at the time. And it was beautiful,” Day added.
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