Whether you first
fell in love with Jennifer Hudson on American Idol or
it took you until her Oscar-winning turn in Dreamgirls
to jump on the bandwagon, there's no denying that the
sassy girl with the big voice has a huge gay following.
Now, after years of waiting, Hudson is getting back to what
she does best... with her self-titled, debut album.
Chances are, if
you're a fan of American Idol, your love affair
with Jennifer Hudson began long before she took command
of the silver screen with her Oscar-winning turn in
Dreamgirls. For me, it was her performance
of Elton John’s “Circle of Life”
on season three. Her performance was riveting and it
was clear the Illinois diva with the big afro
(who misses that afro?) and annihilating voice would be a
star. In the years since, Hudson has gone beyond
the stars, but she hasn’t forgotten her
gay fans along the way.
Jennifer Hudson
has become a fabric of the gay community in the way of
Judy Garland, Barbra Streisand, and Diana Ross. In
only a few short years, Hudson has garnered a Golden
Globe, Screen Actors Guild award, Oscar, and the honor
of being Carrie Bradshaw’s assistant! With all
the accolades, it’s hard to believe that the
Midwestern girl who made Effie White an Oscar-winning
character is just releasing her highly-anticipated,
self-titled, debut album on Tuesday.
“It was a
year and a half process of recording,” says Hudson.
“I got to work with amazing people like Missy
Elliot, Diane Warren, and also led by Clive
Davis.” Her first single,
“Spotlight,” is already a top-ten hit on
the Billboard dance charts and the buzz for the new album is
foreshadowing another award-winning success.
The former Advocate cover
girl couldn’t let an album release go by
without chatting about the music, her commitment to the gay
community, and more.
Advocate.com:Whatcan your gay fans expect from the new album?
JenniferHudson: Mygay fans can expect just
me, Jennifer. The gay community has always
accepted me so I can only give more of that. Big
notes, big vocals!
Did you have your gay audience in mind when making
the album?
I did! We
actually did a lot of songs that were for my gay
fans. Not everything made the album. We didn't
want to leave anybody out. We tried to make sure
we had something on there for everybody, most
importantly, the gay community.
Ludacris, one of the guest artists on your
album, has had anti-gay lyrics in his
music. How do you reconcile that with your
gay fan base?
You know what, I
have never heard of that. I was never aware of that
at all. To be honest, I don't know what to say to
that. What's interesting is I think the gay
community would love him! [Laughs] Like I said, I
never knew that.
How do you explain this fascination gay men have
with Jennifer Hudson?
I've been trying
to figure it out for years! [Laughs] I don't know,
but I love it and I'm glad. I can only remain
true and try to do whatever I'm doing so I can hold
onto that. But, I still don't know -- I wish I could
figure it out!
Is there anything challenging about having such an
aggressive gay following?
Living up to
their expectations. My thing is if the gay community
thinks I am fierce then I must be fierce! The
expectations are high and you can't half-step, it has
got to be right.
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