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Jennifer Hudson Takes Back Her Spotlight

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.
An Advocate.com exclusive posted September 26, 2008
Jennifer Hudson Takes Back Her Spotlight

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: What   can your gay fans expect from the new album?

Jennifer Hudson: My gay 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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Cane is a writer and the blogger behind ClayCane.net.

Reader Comments

These comments are reproduced as written by visitors to this Web site. They have not been edited for content, grammar, or spelling. The viewpoints appearing here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or views of advocate.com, The Advocate, or its affiliates.

  • Name: Tommy Marx
    Date posted: 2008-10-02 4:45 AM
    Hometown: Portland OR

    Comment:

    I genuinely like Jennifer and wish her the best - I loved her on American Idol and got pissed when Simon kept saying she made faces when she sang, she felt the song, dude! But I agree that this interview was way too gay-centric. Seriously, the man asks 14 questions, and 9 of them are gay-specific. I realize Advocate is a gay-centric magazine, but chill out. I am much more interested in her vision of her album, who she emulates, what inspires her, how she feels she's suceeded and how she feels she's failed, and just what makes her tick. You know, like a real interview in a real magazine. I get the idea that she likes gay people. But - shocker - I don't buy singers' CDs because they like the gays, I buy them because they're good. It would have been nice if this interview had given me one reason to think that the music might be good instead of obsessing over whether she likes gay men.


  • Name: mDavis
    Date posted: 2008-09-29 4:04 PM
    Hometown: NYC

    Comment:

    Harsh words from the New Yorkers. Can't say I'm shocked, bitter crowd! I'm also a NY'er but Clay, i see where you were going with the interview. Good work. Note to Bsomers: The "too theatre-ish" album redo was already addressed in other interviews and is not accurate. If you're going to correct people on their spelling and be pompous it's important to do your OWN homework! Jennifer is far beyond 15 minutes so get used to seeing her around. 4 Movies and 2 albums later..and you do WHAT exactly? That's right. Shut it. I enjoyed the interview. I thought your questions were intersting, light hearted (some) and valid. Thanks Clay. Keep up the good work!


  • Name: LCasey
    Date posted: 2008-09-29 12:27 AM
    Hometown: Cleveland, OH

    Comment:

    I loved the interview. It was fun and made me laugh. Jennifer Hudson seems like a sincere person and I will definitely pick up her album on 9/30. I hadn't heard about it till now!


  • Name: Joselyn
    Date posted: 2008-09-28 9:56 PM
    Hometown: new york,

    Comment:

    this was quite a boring interview. There was no substance and every question had to do with something 'gay'. Can we as a community stop looking for the straight communities approval.


  • Name: bsomers
    Date posted: 2008-09-27 12:48 AM
    Hometown: New York, NY

    Comment:

    Yawn. What a paper-thin interview. This album is going to tank as her 15 minutes are up. BTW it is "Barbra" not "Barbara". Couldn't you ask her anything of substance? Like how Clive Davis, closet case, asked her to redo her album because it was too theatre-ish?


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