From her humble upbringing in Chicago, Jennifer Hudson dreamed of seeing her name in the spotlight. Eventually finding her way to American Idol, the singer ended her run in 7th place. With fans shocked over the decision back in 2004, Hudson used her time on the show to help shape her future. Since that moment, Hudson appeared in films like Dreamgirls and in Broadway musicals like The Color Purple. Winning awards, releasing music, and expanding her career, Hudson decided to take a break from the studio to help kick off the Christmas season when she performed during the 2024 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony.
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Throughout the event, Kelly Clarkson welcomed numerous performers to the stage that included Dan + Shay, The Backstreet Boys, and even Clarkson herself. But for Hudson, the night came just months after she released her first Christmas album with The Gift of Love. Spreading Christmas joy when taking the stage, Hudson proved once more why she deserved to win American Idol when covering “Winter Wonderland.”
Fans seemed to agree as Hudson’s performance received comments like, “She looks so beautiful and I love that voice so graceful and powerful. Love it.” Another person added, “Yay, I really love the song. Beautifully sung. Thank you beautiful Jennifer.”
Jennifer Hudson Had A Little Help With Her New Christmas Album
Although the voice behind her new Christmas album, Hudson revealed that she got a great deal of help from her teenage son David Daniel Otunga Jr. When it came to creating the album, the singer explained, “He’s a holiday fanatic just like me. He’s been very present within this whole thing. We would sit by the fireplace, watch holiday movies together. He even went ‘Mama, this song right here is my favorite song off of the Christmas album.’ Giving his two cents. He’s encouraging, he helped me learn different notes.”
Outside of helping his mother, it seemed that David loves to give back. According to Hudson, “He’s always looking for gifts to give others. He’s a giver. And that’s how he was raised. That’s the tradition that’s within him. He is very much like me. He loves to see everyone come together and have dinner together, have a good time together and seeing the unity in it all.”
(Photo by Chris Haston/WBTV via Getty Images)
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