This passionate and purposeful singer, songwriter, and actor is just getting started.
Well, not exactly.
“It was horrifying.
AB+DM for The Only Agency
No, terrible,” says Andra, 36.
“I was dead scared.
I’m not an actor, and I felt totally out of my depth.
AB+DM for The Only Agency
In fact, what Andra did in her debut film role was just the opposite.
“The world never knew that, which was part of the design of systemic oppression.
To expose it was really incentivizing.”
Dress: St. John.AB+DM for The Only Agency
To prepare for the part of a lifetime, she effectively turned herself into Holiday.
“I had to adopt the way she approached everything: conflict, joy, life.
I lost 40 pounds.
I started smoking, drinking alcohol, and even cussing more.
You feel emboldened yet ravaged after a role like that.
But she made me feel that I’m braver than I thought I was.
I can speak my mind and not be worried about the consequences because she did that.”
“I can speak my mind and not be worried about the consequences.”
Using her voice has always been Andra’s forte.
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She’s working on her third album now, though she admits it’s been a long time coming.
I’m a slow burn,” she says.
She’s not sure when it will be released.
“Soon,” she says.
“Wale is featured on that, and he’s amazing.”
“It’s a story I really want to tell,” she says.
Here, the star tells us where her strength and dedication come from.
Put In the Work
“Ibuilt a little gym in my garage.
I’ve got to do cardio I hate it, but I need it.
So I run on the treadmill.
But I’m more of a lifter.I like using weights.
It’s motivating to see certain muscles develop.
I mean, everybody wants a great butt.
And I like to switch up my workout.
I need a change of pace pretty regularly.”
I feel more oriented.
Working out helps me feel more capable.
It helps me make better decisions.
It’s an exciting feeling."
The other side of it is to eat balanced.Eat healthfully.
Eat organic as much as you’re able to.
Try not to go too crazy when you’re eating Cheetos Flamin' Hot.
I was like, Damn.
Nobody in my family taught me that.
Generally, I just venture to do better than worse.
I’m a vegetables person.
I focus mostly on vegetables andlean protein.
And if I’m doing grains, I’ll have something likefarro.
When it comes to what I really crave, though, there are three things: Ilovepasta.
Also, my mom makes this yellow cake peach cobbler that’s murderous.
And I’m from San Diego, so I love the Mexican food there.
She was an athlete.
She’s stunning and gorgeous, and she’s 85.
I keep her photo on my phone all the time as an inspiration of what 85 can be."
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That 40-Pound Weight Loss Was Damn Hard
“I love eating.
So losing the weight was definitely difficult.
I had afood-delivery serviceand a trainer coaching me every day.
I was drinking a ton of water.
But your body has to adjust.
I was extremely fatigued.
I was like, ‘I can’t keep my eyes open.’
For the role, I couldn’t look like I had been eating healthfully and exercising.
So I had to look more dehydrated and gaunt.
I got to a point where I was starting to starve myself.
I’d starve myself, binge eat a little, then starve myself, then binge.
I’ve had people hit me up and say, “How did you lose the weight?”
I’m like, ‘Don’t do it this way.’
It doesn’t give you the brain clarity.
It’s very disorienting.
It makes you sleepy and confused.
Afterward, once I started to get back to a healthier state, it felt good on my system.
Now, I’m enjoying the way my body feels,my mobility, all that stuff.
For Me, Health Is Spiritual
“My healthiest habit is my relationship with God.
I make a run at spend time praying, reading, andmeditating on what I readevery day.
I do it as soon as I wake up, or at night before I go to sleep.
I sometimes do both just to keep my head focused.”
I support the school that I went to in San Diego and other schools around the area.
Helping others is tied to my existence, the reason why I’m here.
That’s tied directly to my faith, directly to my God.
My identity, in the end, is wrapped up in service.
I believe I was put here to be in service of my God and people.
That doesn’t mean I’m not going to do dumb shit or random selfish stuff.
I’m still human.
it’s possible for you to stop needing people to live their lives according to your expectations.
I don’t think there’s anything more dangerous than that agenda.
Service is integral to who I am.”
