Jennifer Kate Hudson was born on September 12, 1981 in Chicago, Illinois. From her early childhood, she was an outgoing and charismatic person. At the age of 7, she sang in public for the first time in her life and started her career as a singer. She performed in a rousing gospel choir in a church as a lead of congregation. That was a real start for her, because after this, Jennifer spent her childhood appearing in various school talent shows and local music productions.
"American Idol" contest
In 2002, Jennifer turned her passion into a profession. She was a featured vocalist aboard the Disney Wonder cruise ship. After all this, in 2004, Jennifer successfully auditioned for the third season of American Idol contest in Atlanta, Georgia. She was in the first group of semifinalists. Although her incredible voice won over fans and critics alike she only came in seventh. Her failure shocked many of her fans; even Sir Elton John stated in public that he believed racism was one of the reasons in such voting. Though Jennifer herself was happy that she had a chance to be seen in public; she believed that it's just a start for her. Jennifer made lots of friends and fans during this contest. One of the judges of this contest, Simon Cowell taped a congratulatory message to Jennifer, which appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Jennifer Hudson became the third African-American who appeared on the cover of Vogue magazine with the March 2007 issue.
"Dreamgirls"
Jennifer was absolutely right - her way to fame just started with the American Idol contest. In 2005, Jennifer Hudson got a chance to start her singers - actress' career. She easily beat out 781 other actresses for the desired role of Effie Melody White in the musical film "Dreamgirls" for which she won an Oscar, a Golden Globe, a Bafta and a SAG Award. Jennifer Hudson played a role of Effie White, which was originally created in a legendary Broadway performance by Jennifer Holliday. Starring in "Dreamgirls" brought Jennifer amazing success and fame. She easily became one of those well-known Hollywood stars along with her film partners Eddie Murphy, Beyonce Knowles and Jamie Foxx.
Records
Hudson signed a record deal with Clive Davis's label, Arista Records in November 2006. Davis is thinking very optimistically about this young talented lady - he has guided the careers of such famous artists as Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, and Dionne Warwick. It is easy to believe that Jennifer Hudson has very good opportunities and possibilities with this record company.
Jennifer Hudson is currently working to appear in the Rowan Woods movie Winged Creatures, based on the novel by Roy Freirich. It is currently filming and is believed to hit the cinemas in 2008.