Jennifer Kate Hudson was born on September 12th, 1981 in Chicago, Illinois.
"Singing for thousands of people, and to be paid to do this, it’s amazing!."
Before American Idol, Jennifer worked as a singer on a Disney cruise ship.
Jennifer Hudson grew up in south Chicago. At the age of seven, her vocal skills were cultivated in the church choir. Jennifer credits her vocal talents to her late grandmother, Julia Hudson, who was involved in the church and Jennifer's early informal training. Throughout grammar and high school, Jennifer entered talent shows and competitions showcasing her incredible vocal skills as well as performing at clubs, weddings, and benefits in her hometown and the surrounding areas.
In the fall of 2002, Jennifer won the role of “Calliope”, the head muse on the “Disney Wonder” line of cruise ships. Instead of renewing her contract with Disney, Jennifer chose to fly to Atlanta and audition for American Idol: Season 3. There, Hudson became a semifinalist in the first group. Despite impressive performances, Jennifer was not voted through to the final round. Instead, she was brought back as a ‘wildcard’ by Idol judge Randy Jackson.
Despite being amongst the favorites to win, in the sixth week of Idol: Season 3, Jennifer Hudson was the contestant to be voted off. The reaction by the public was unprecedented. Many, including Sir Elton John, publicly lambasted the outcome and questioned Idol’s voting system. The strong performances of all contestants in the bottom three that week, who all happened to be African-American females, also sparked debate about racism and sexism within the competition and the American public.
During the competition, Barry Manilow stated, "My catalog of songs requires that you have range, you cannot do what Jennifer is doing, she takes it to a whole other level."
Not only does Jennifer take her singing to another level, she is also taking her career to higher highs. In November 2005, Jennifer was cast in the role of "Effie White" in the film adaptation of Dreamgirls which also stars Beyonce Knowles, Jamie Foxx and Eddie Murphy. In a twist of irony, Jennifer beat out a throng of hopefuls for the role including Season 3’s Idol winner Fantasia Barrino. Filming began on January 10, 2006, and the film is set to be released on December 22, 2006.
ShoWest, the largest annual convention for the motion picture industry, named Jennifer “Female star of tomorrow” in February 2006. With that acclaim, Jennifer joins the ranks of past winners Cameron Diaz, Nicole Kidman, Hillary Swank, and Naomi Watts. Jennifer Hudson plans to reenter the recording studio and release her debut album in early 2007.
