Andra Day delivers haunting performance as an icon in The United States vs Billie Holiday trailer

Andra Day is making her big-screen debut with a once-in-a-lifetime role.

And the two-time Grammy nominee is sure to become our favorite leading lady if the first look is any indication.

She offers a haunting performance as she embodies a music and Civil Rights icon in the first trailer for Hulu’s Lee Daniels-helmed biopic The United States vs Billie Holiday.

The 36-year-old stars as the titular jazz singer in the untold story of her 1939 song Strange Fruit, which protested the lynchings of Black Americans, making her a target of the FBI.

She stars alongside Trevante Rhodes, Garrett Hedlund and Natasha Lyonne in the film, which premieres February 26 on the streaming platform.

‘Don’t you know who this is?’ asks Lyonne, who plays movie star and Billie’s lover Tallulah Bankhead, as she and Day’s Billie Holiday pour over a selection of jewels.

‘She was thinking of something more special,’ Lyonne adds, as Day sells her portrayal with an adjustment of her fur shawl and a perfectly strung out delivery: ‘I’m downright flashy, you know?’

It then cuts to the leading lady in a glam ensemble, gracing a packed audience from under a spotlight onstage, before giving a taste of her stunning vocal performance. 

The young talent basks in adoration from her fans, as a voice notes: ‘NAACP says Billie Holiday is the voice of our people.’

Billie expresses some big ideas to her clarinetist and trusted confidant Lester ‘Prez’ Young (Tyler James Williams): ‘I think we should integrate the audience for the show, change it up a little bit. You know, Blacks and whites sitting together.’

All seems well, as she tours around the country with friends, while having an affair with Jimmy Fletcher (Rhodes), a Black federal agent who was hired by Federal Bureau of Narcotics leader Harry J Anslinger (Hedlund) to lead a sting operation.

The sting was all a cover for the government to silence her and derail her career over the powerful words of Strange Fruit. 

When asked, Jimmy tells her that Strange Fruit is his favorite song of hers, to which she responds: ‘That’s a song about important things, you know. Things that are going on in the country.’

A group of men are shown plotting against the singer, arguing that her lyrics ‘provoke people’ and her music is a ‘starting gun for the so-called Civil Rights movement.’

‘She’s a drug addict,’ one agent notes, as they think up a plan to silence her, Hedlund responding: ‘Exactly!’

‘I sing what the f*** I want,’ Billie argues, as her team tries to stop her from singing Strange Fruit, which attracts police presence at her next show, ripping her from the microphone as soon as the song begins.

The singer faces jail time, while fighting a drug and alcohol addiction and intimidation from police, which lasted until her death.

In a climactic moment that embodies her strength and perseverance, she utters: ‘You think I’m gonna stop singing that song? You’re grandkids will be singing Strange Fruit.’

Although the long overdue story is a tragic one to behold, Day’s performance is sure to captivate audiences and honor Billie Holiday like few can.

Day recently joined director Lee Daniels for her V Magazine cover interview, in which she revealed why she took the role: ‘The truth of it all actually mattered to me. Because, as Lee knows, and we’ve laughed about this a bunch of times—at first I was terrified. I was hesitant, and I was like, “I don’t know if this is a good idea.” 

She also credited Diana Ross’ performance as Billie in the 1972 biopic: ‘Also, I loved Lady Sings the Blues. I love Diana’s performance. So it was actually part of the reason I did not want to do this. She killed the role. It’s beautiful what she did. 

‘But Lee, I remember we sat down and had dinner at Soho House, and the first thing I really liked was actually your energy. We bonded over good stuff and bonded over the bad. It was your character and your need for authenticity that I really enjoyed.’

Meanwhile, Daniels admitted that he initially didn’t want her for the role: ‘My managers, people who work with me, they were like, “[Andra] is who you have to hire.” And I was like, “F*** y’all.” I was like, “Poor girl, she doesn’t stand a chance.” 

‘But then we met and when I first looked at her, I saw her spirit. I got chills. She wasn’t a desperate actress that just wanted to do it. I could tell she was questioning whether she was good enough. To me, that is when you know that you are really dealing with a perfectionist. She wanted to do the role justice. That’s all you’re looking for as a director.’

Catch Andra Day in The United States vs Billie Holiday, which premieres February 26 on Hulu.