Twenty years ago, Jennifer Hudson hit rock bottom. As in the bottom three of “American Idol”—where she was surprisingly up for elimination along with fellow potential front-runners Fantasia Barrino and LaToya London—in the singing competition’s third season. After her powerful pipes led her through covers of Aretha Franklin, Elton John and Whitney Houston, Hudson was the singer murdered that night that shook AmericaBarrino eventually won the 2004 season by finishing a surprising seventh.
“I feel like everything happens [for a reason]And I wouldn’t change a thing about it,” Hudson, 43, tells Alexa. “Everyone has their own track, and there can be only one winner at that time. And, you know, I think Fantasia deserved to win – and I deserve to do everything I’ve gotten to do, too.
In fact, that controversial elimination would prove to be “a gift” to the Chicago native, who scored an Oscar-winning role in 2006’s “Dreamgirls” and won Grammy Gold for her 2008 self-titled debut album. After winning a Daytime Emmy in 2021 for her virtual-reality venture “Baba Yaga,” she Full EGOT Status As the creator of “A Strange Loop” when it won the Best Musical Tony in 2022.
Not bad even for “American Idol.”
She wasn’t kidding when she famously told us: “And I’m telling you I won’t go.” As she chats up other stars on the third season of “The Jennifer Hudson Show,” she’s also returning to her old roots as a singer with a new holiday album: “The Gift of Love.” Although she clearly hasn’t gone anywhere, it’s been 10 years since Hudson’s last LP (2014’s “Jhood”).
“I feel like it didn’t happen [a decade] Because I sing in everything I do,” Hudson says. “Through films, commercials and different things, I have never stopped singing. So I didn’t care that I didn’t have Jennifer Hudson’s official album… but time flies, especially when you’re busy – and I’ve been a busy girl.’
As busy as his career has been, “The Gift of Love” was a labor of love. “What better way to come back than with a Christmas album?” She says. “This has been a dream of my entire career. “I’m a fan of vacations…so it just made sense.”
Hudson began recording the album after her talk show went on summer hiatus. “I remember riding a bike, listening to Christmas music on the beach,” she says. “And I was like, ‘We should probably listen to holiday music more during the holidays because it gives you peace and relaxation. ‘”
But her “Singing Summer” still had challenges as she was walking through sand instead of snow.
“I love Christmas songs, and…how can you limit what to record?” The singer says. “But holiday music, at least for me, is sentimental. So, like, ‘The Christmas Song,’ my grandmother loved this song, so it reminds me of my upbringing and the songs that my grandmother loved or that I would listen to at home during the holidays.
For Hudson, Christmas goes back to the church – where for him it all began – as depicted in “Go Tell It on the Mountain”. She recalls, “Growing up in church, we used to march with candles and hold our Christmas programs whatever the Sunday before Christmas.” “My gospel roots needed to be part of the album.”
But “The Gift of Love” opens with “Hallelujah,” a soulful rendition of the Leonard Cohen classic. “I was like, if ‘Hallelujah’ isn’t on it, there’s no album,” says Hudson. “Some people might not look at it as a holiday song, but… I think That’s what unites everyone.”
No doubt, she’s been bringing the public together since “American Idol” — whether through music, movies or TV. When the opportunity arose to play Effie White in the movie version of “Dreamgirls,” she was ready to seize the moment. “I felt like, ‘I’m not going to let anything hinder my belief or stop me,'” she recalls, “because to be able to get a second chance like that, I’m not going to miss that opportunity.” Was.”
After winning the Best Supporting Actress Oscar in 2007, the stakes suddenly increased for Hudson, who appeared in other films like 2008’s “Sex and the City,” 2013’s “Black Nativity” and 2019’s “Cats.” But she was given “the utmost respect” when she was Aretha Franklin was portrayed in the 2021 biopic “Respect” of the Queen of Soul.
“I felt like, ‘I’m not going to let anything hinder my belief or stop me,'” she recalls, “because to be able to get a second chance like that, I’m not going to miss that opportunity.” Was.”
‘It’s like, ‘Oh my God, Aretha Franklin… it’s my dream to play her!'” she says. “And then it’s like, ‘Oh my God, wait, I have to play aretha franklinIt’s a blessing and exciting, but it’s also equally overwhelming. You know whose footsteps you are following, whose shoulders you are standing on.”
After that royal role, Hudson moved from the movies to the couch, launching her own talk show in 2022.
“I come from a family of very talkative and outgoing personalities,” she says. “So if we’re not talking you down, we’re talking you down. When the opportunity came to do a talk show… I said, ‘Wait a minute. Do you want to let me know if I would be able to just sit on the couch and talk? Oh baby, turn the camera!”
One of Hudson’s guests was Grammy-winning rapper Common, who made their romance official by arriving with flowers for the host on the January 2024 episode. The two connected over their shared Chicago roots.
She says, “I think that’s how we connected in the beginning, because we were shooting the movie ‘Breathe,’ and one day he was leaving the set and I came to the set, and security was like, ‘ You and Common are great.” Attractive and great for everyone. What is that?’ This is what caught our attention. There is a similar energy within us which connects us together. We are similar types of people in many ways. And I attribute that to being from Chicago. This sounds familiar. it feels like home.”
Hudson — who has a 15-year-old son, David, from a previous relationship with former pro wrestler David Otunga — gushes about the special connection she found with Common. “It’s so beautiful – it really is,” she says. “It was affected differently. There is nothing like that, that is 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 to her,” he said on “The Breakfast Club” radio show in July.
“He keeps saying that,” Hudson replies, laughing. “That’s a very strong statement.”
Common is featured rapping on the original song “Almost Christmas” in “The Gift of Love”. And his flow and finesse with words inspired the hip-hop version of “Jingle Bells.” “We were on the phone, just chatting, and it was around Christmas,” Hudson says. “And I was like ‘The night before Christmas and all over the house…’ and he turned it over and started freestyling. And it never left me.”
Hudson will take her Christmas show on the road with an intimate tour, kicking off at Brooklyn’s Kings Theater on November 24 before heading to Chicago, Los Angeles and Las Vegas. “It’s going to feel very festive, very familial and very personal,” she says. “I’m looking forward to coming home to my musical family. That’s why I’m still here.”
Wherever she goes from here, Hudson won’t forget her “Day Ones” — the people who have stood by her since she first auditioned for “American Idol.” In a prophetic moment, Franklin’s “Share Sung “Your Love With Me”.
“I can’t believe it’s been 20 years. When I look back, it blows my mind,” she thinks. “I’m grateful for it all – I’m grateful to have been in the industry for so long and for the support and love I’ve received. I don’t take it lightly. And that’s why this album is a gift of love to all the people who have been with me.
Editor: Serena French; Stylist: Ashley Pruitt at The Only Agency; Photo Editor: Jessica Hober; Talent Booker: Patty Adams Martinez; Hair: Albert Morrison in Mastermind MGMT; Makeup: Shannon Pezzetta at A-Frame Agency using Dior makeup; Manicure: Temeka Jackson at A-Frame Agency using GelBottle, On-Set Fashion Assistant: Devonte Goodwin; Dresser: Rebecca Moreno at The Only Agency
