Andra Day reveals she overcame porn, sex addiction

Day also opened up about how playing Holiday shifted how she saw herself

Recent Golden Globe winner Andra Day revealed she overcame porn and sex addiction in a new cover story for InStyle.

Andra Day has had a stellar 2021 so far. From her first Golden Globe Award to her first-ever Oscar nomination, the Grammy-nominated singer’s first foray into film acting was a success, to say the least. In her latest cover story for InStyle, the actress opened up to the magazine about her “new season” in life.

93rd Annual Academy Awards - Arrivals
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 25: Andra Day, earing detail, attends the 93rd Annual Academy Awards at Union Station on April 25, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Chris Pizzello-Pool/Getty Images)

Read More: Andra Day discusses transformation into Billie Holiday on ‘Super Soul’: ‘She freed a lot of things in me’

Breaking down the whirlwind year she’s had so far, Day revealed that she is still processing all that has happened to her in such a short span of time. She tells InStyle, “I can’t even process it…It just feels like a different world, like a different planet. I still feel like a traveler,” she continues. “Kind of a nomadic person in this place. It’s just crazy. I’m so grateful.”

She also shed light on the porn and sex addiction she faced ahead of her work on The United States vs. Billy Holiday. Explaining how her former addiction colored her approach to playing the iconic role, she explained, “I didn’t want any element of sexualization. I had come out of something in my own life — dealing with porn addiction, sex addiction…I’m being very, very candid with you because I’m not the only one. But I knew I wanted all of that very much gone.”

“I feel now, after playing Billie, that I’m honoring her, and the strength that is femininity,” she continued. “I’m definitely in a healthier place to enjoy that because I’m outside of the addiction, if you will. So, yeah, it’s been really fun, because it’s been very new for me.”

Day also dived deep into beauty standards and how playing Holiday shifted how she saw herself. When asked if she herself feels beautiful, she explained in the interview, “I definitely do. And it has to do with Billie. It was almost like she said, ‘Sis, we’re going to have to close this, because I have to survive.’ She opened me up to valuing myself in a way that I hadn’t fully before.”

Read More: Andra Day 1st Black woman to win Best Actress Golden Globe in 35 years

Day even shed light on her future, after giving so much of herself to her acclaimed performance as Holiday. Speaking of letting go after her performance, she told the magazine, “It’s a little scary, because you’re on a precipice a little bit, and you’re going, ‘OK, who am I? And who am I supposed to be? How am I supposed to be in this season?'”

You can read Day’s complete story for InStyle magazine here.

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