Twenty years ago, Jennifer Hudson was at rock bottom. Like the bottom three of “American Idol,” she was on the brink of shocking elimination in the singing competition's third season, along with fellow contenders Fantasia Barrino and LaToya London. After belting out covers of Aretha Franklin, Elton John, and Whitney Houston with her powerful pipes, Hudson became the vocalist of the night that shook America, and was the surprising winner of the 2004 season, which was ultimately won by Barrino. He finished in 7th place.
“It feels like everything is going to happen. [for a reason]and I wouldn't change anything about it,'' Hudson, 43, tells Alexa. “Everyone has their own course and there can only be one winner at any given time. And, you know, I think Fantasia deserves to win, and I also think that everything that needs to be done deserves to be done. I will.”
In fact, the controversial loss is a “gift” for the Chicago native, who won an Oscar for 2006's Dreamgirls and a gold Grammy for her 2008 self-titled debut album. Probably. After winning a Daytime Emmy Award for her virtual reality venture “Baba Yaga” in 2021, she is set to take on EGOT's producer status following her 2022 Best Musical Tony Award win for “A Strange Loop.” will be completed.
I also ran on “American Idol,” so it’s not bad.
She wasn't kidding when she famously told us: “And I'm saying I'm not going.” While speaking with other stars on the third season of “The Jennifer Hudson Show,” she sings on her new holiday album, “The Gift of Love,” He is also returning to his glorious roots as a singer. Although she's clearly not going anywhere, it's been 10 years since Hudson's last LP (2014's “JHud”).
“I feel like that never happened. [a decade] Because I sing through everything I do,” Hudson says. “Through movies, commercials, and different things, I've never stopped singing. So I didn't realize I didn't have an official Jennifer Hudson album…but especially when you're busy, you just don't know how the time passes.” It's early. And I've been a busy girl.
Although her career was hectic, “The Gift of Love'' was a labor of love. “What better way to come back than with a Christmas album?” she says. “It's been a dream of mine my whole career. I love the holidays, so it makes sense.”
Hudson began recording the album after his talk show went on hiatus over the summer. “I remember riding my bike and listening to Christmas music on the beach,” she says. “And I thought, 'Maybe I should listen to holiday music more than I do during the holidays, because music gives me peace and relaxation.'
But her “Singing Summer” still had challenges left as she ran through sand instead of snow.
“I love Christmas songs, but how do you narrow it down to know what to record?” says the singer. “But holiday music, at least for me, is sentimental. So, like 'The Christmas Song,' my grandmother loved this song, so it's about my upbringing and the songs that my grandmother loved. , reminds me of a song I used to listen to at home during the holidays.
For Hudson, Christmas goes back to the church where it all began for her. That's reflected in “Go Tell It on the Mountain.” “Growing up in the church, we always had candle marches and Christmas programs on the Sundays leading up to Christmas,” she recalls. “I needed my gospel roots to be part of the album.”
But “The Gift of Love” opens with “Hallelujah,” a moving recreation of Leonard Cohen’s classic. “I thought, if 'Hallelujah' isn't on there, there's no album,” Hudson says. “Some people may not consider this a holiday song, but I just think it brings everyone together.”
Without a doubt, she has been uniting the masses through music, movies, and television ever since “American Idol.” When the opportunity came to play Effie White in the movie version of Dreamgirls, she was ready to seize the moment. “I was like, 'I'm not going to let anything get in the way of what I believe in or stop me,'” she recalls.
Expectations skyrocketed for Hudson after she won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar in 2007, and went on to star in 2008's Sex and the City, 2013's Black Nativity, and 2019's Cats. He also appeared in other films. But she was given the “ultimate honor” when she was cast as Aretha Franklin in the Queen of Soul's 2021 biopic Respect.
“I was like, 'I'm not going to let anything get in the way of what I believe in or stop me,'” she recalls.
“I'm like, 'Oh my God, Aretha Franklin…my dream is to play her!'” she says. “And I'm like, 'Oh my god, wait, I have to play.' aretha franklin! It's a blessing and it's exciting, but it's equally overwhelming. You know whose footsteps you are walking on and the shoulders you stand on. ”
After completing that prestigious role, Hudson left the movie theater and sat down on the couch to start a talk show in 2022.
“I come from a family with a lot of personality and a very talkative family,” she says. “So it's not that we're disrespecting you, it's that we're disrespecting you. When the opportunity comes to do a talk show…we're like, 'Wait a minute.' Are you saying we can sit on the couch and just talk? Oh baby, roll the camera! ”
One of Hudson's guests was Grammy Award-winning rapper Common, who showed up with flowers for the host on the January 2024 episode, making their romance official. The two bonded over their shared Chicago roots.
“I think that's how we first connected,” she says. “We were filming the movie 'Breathe,' and he was leaving the set one day, and I walked onto the set and the security guard was like, 'You and Common are very close.' It was. He has a great personality and is very kind to everyone. What is it? 'That was what caught our attention. We had a similar energy ourselves, and it brought us together. We are similar types of people in many ways. And I attribute that to being from Chicago. It feels nostalgic. It feels like home. ”
Hudson, who has a 15-year-old son David from a previous relationship with former professional wrestler David Otunga, speaks passionately about his special bond with Common. “It's so beautiful, it really is,” she says. “You got it wrong. There's nothing like it, that's for sure.”
In fact, Common recently hinted that he might be ready to put a ring on it. “If I'm going to marry her, it's going to be her,” he said on the “Breakfast Club” radio show in July.
“He keeps saying that,” Hudson replies with a laugh. “That's a very strong statement.”
Common is featured on “The Gift of Love” and raps an original song, “Almost Christmas.” And his flow and dexterity with words inspired a hip-hop version of “Jingle Bells.” “We were talking on the phone, and it was right around Christmas,” Hudson says. “And I was like, 'It was the night before Christmas and all over the house…' and he turned it around and started freestyling. And it never left me.”
Hudson will be touring the Christmas show on an intimate tour that begins November 24th at Brooklyn's King's Theater and continues to Chicago, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas. “It's going to be very festive, very family-oriented, very personal,” she says. “I’m looking forward to coming home to my musical family, which is why I’m still here.”
No matter where she goes from here, Hudson won't forget her “Day Ones.” These are the people who have been with her since she first auditioned for “American Idol” and, in a prophetic moment, sang Franklin's “Share Your Love with Me.”
“I can't believe 20 years have passed. Looking back, I'm shocked,” she recalls. “Being in this industry for so long and having the support and love, I’m grateful for everything. I don’t take it lightly. That’s why this album is to everyone who has been with me. It is a gift of love.”
Editor: Serena French; Stylist: Ashley Pruit of The Only Agency. Photo Editor: Jessica Hover; Talent Booker: Patti Adams Martinez. Hair: Albert Morrison of Mastermind Mgmt. Makeup: Shannon Pezzetta from A-Frame Agency using Dior Makeup. Manicure: Temeka Jackson from A-Frame Agency using The GelBottle; On-Set Fashion Assistant: Devonte Goodwin. Dresser: Rebecca Moreno of The Only Agency
