About this Artist

A two-time Grammy Award-winning recording artist, Academy Award-winning actress, and best-selling author, Jennifer Hudson is an extraordinary talent. From humble beginnings, Hudson began singing in a small Chicago church where, week after week, she brought the congregation to its feet. From there, she’s gone on to worldwide acclaim.

Hudson can be seen this fall as a returning coach on the 15th season of NBC’s The Voice alongside Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, and Kelly Clarkson. Earlier this year, she returned for season 7 of ITV’s The Voice UK with fellow coaches Tom Jones, will.i.am, and Olly Murs. This year she also stars alongside Jeffrey Wright, Jennifer Ehle, Nas, and A$AP Rocky in Monster, based on Walter Dean Myers’s award-winning novel of the same title. The film premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. In 2017, Hudson completed season 13 of NBC’s The Voice with fellow coaches Adam Levine, Miley Cyrus, and Blake Shelton, as well as season 6 of The Voice UK alongside fellow coaches will.i.am, Tom Jones, and Gavin Rossdale. (Mo Adeniran from her team won the competition.)

In 2016, Jennifer appeared in NBC’s Emmy-nominated production of Hairspray LIVE!, where she wowed audiences as powerhouse Motormouth Maybelle alongside co-stars Harvey Fierstein, Ariana Grande, and Kristin Chenoweth. The same year, she was honored with a Grace Kelly Award by the March of Dimes. Additionally, Hudson was a featured voice in Universal’s animated hit Sing and portrayed Angela Wright in HBO’s 2016 Emmy-nominated television film Confirmation. In 2015, she appeared in Spike Lee’s Chi-Raq, for which she received a 2016 NAACP Image Award nomination.

Hudson made her Broadway debut as Shug Avery in 2015 in the Tony award-winning production of John Doyle’s re-imagination of The Color Purple. The show, produced by Scott Sanders and Oprah Winfrey, earned rave reviews and a Grammy win for Hudson. She was also nominated for a Drama League Award in the Distinguished Performance category.

In September of 2014, Hudson released her third critically acclaimed album, JHUD, which opened in the Billboard Top 10. The album, released by Sony/RCA, features hit tracks like Grammy-nominated “It’s Your World,” “He Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere,” “Walk It Out, and I Still Love You.” Hudson’s album garnered serious attention in the U.S. and abroad with recognition of her thoughtful new direction and fearless rendering of work produced by some of today’s most prolific collaborators.

2013 was an equally exciting a year for Hudson, most notably, when she received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She was privileged to have the honor of performing at the Presidential Inauguration, Super Bowl XLVII, and the Academy Awards. In addition, Hudson was honored by the Recording Academy at the Annual Grammys on the Hill for her philanthropic efforts, specifically with her organization, the Julian D. King Gift Foundation. The same year, Hudson was honored at VH1’s Do Something Awards for her charitable work and at Variety’s Power of Women luncheon with the Samsung Galaxy Impact Award.

Hudson’s sophomore album, I Remember Me, debuted in March 2011 at No. 2 on Billboard’s Top 200 and R&B Albums charts and has since been certified RIAA Gold in the U.S. She went on to receive a 2012 Billboard Music Award nomination for Top R&B Album as well as taking home two 2012 NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Music Video and Outstanding Album. Additional recent collaborations include Think Like A Man with Ne-Yo and Rick Ross for the title track of the film and critically acclaimed single “Night of Your Life” with David Guetta for his most recent hit album Nothing But The Beat.

Hudson’s 2008 self-titled debut won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Album, which was presented by one of Hudson’s idols, Whitney Houston. She received three additional nominations including Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals, and Best R&B Song. The album then went on to win three awards at the 2009 NAACP Image Awards including Best Album. The RIAA Platinum-certified album entered Billboard’s Top 200 at No. 2, marking the biggest first week sales for an R&B female entry since 2004, and has since sold over 1.1 million albums worldwide.

In 2007, Hudson won an Academy Award for her role as Effie in the smash hit Dreamgirls, a film adaptation of the Broadway musical. Her breakout onscreen performance also garnered a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a BAFTA and an NAACP Image Award. Additional honors include recognition by the Broadcast Film Critics Association, the National Board of Review, and being named Entertainer of the Year at the Soul Train Awards. Additional film and television credits include The Secret Life of Bees, Sex and the City: The Movie, Lullaby, Black Nativity, Winnie Mandela, The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete, The Three Stooges, Call Me Crazy: A Five Film, Smash, and Empire.

Expanding her triumphs in the arts, Hudson added ‘author’ to her list of accomplishments in January 2012 with the release of her New York Times best-selling memoir, I Got This: How I Changed My Ways, Found Myself and Lost Everything that Weighed Me Down.

In 2009, Jennifer, along with her sister Julia, founded the Julian D. King Gift Foundation, as a catalyst for change in children’s health, education and welfare. The Foundation exists to provide stability, support, and positive experiences for children of all backgrounds so that they will become productive, confident, and happy adults.