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Jennifer Hudson music biography continued...

Chicago, Illinois, Hudson got her start singing in the Pleasant Gift Missionary Baptist Church choir. As a teen, she worked at her local Burger King before starring as the muse Calliope in Hercules - A Muse-ical Comedy aboard the Disney Wonder cruise. Hudson tried out for American Idol in Atlanta, where she was unanimously given a ticket to the semi-finals in Hollywood. She was not voted through to the final round, although she was brought back on the wild card round and put through as a "Top 12" finalist by Jackson. Hudson struggled to gain popularity in the early stages of Idol's live shows, however, after a change in song choices, she soon became a favorite to win, receiving the highest number of votes in the "Top 9" after her performance of Elton John's "Circle of Life" in April 2004. Simon Cowell noted that Hudson's presence made the third season a, "Battle of the Divas," referencing other powerful vocalists Fantasia Barrino and Latoya London, but shockingly Hudson became the sixth of the 12 finalists to be voted off the show, finishing the competition in seventh place. But it was only the beginning of the next stage of her career.



In November 2005, Hudson was cast as "Effie White," the role originally created in a legendary Broadway performance by Jennifer Holliday, for the film adaptation of the musical Dreamgirls. Hudson beat out thousands of aspirants and ultimately won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress based on her movie-stopping rendition of the classic tune, "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going". In November 2006, Hudson signed a record deal with Arista Records. Despite delays, her debut single, "Spotlight," written by Ne-Yo, was released in June 2008. She also performed the song, "All Dressed in Love," for the Sex and the City soundtrack, which was released in May 2008. Hudson performed the national anthem at the 2008 Democratic National Convention and continues to work on her debut. There is no doubt it will be another Jennifer Hudson stunner.