Jennifer Kate Hudson (born September 12, 1981) is an American pop and R&B singer-songwriter and actress. She is one of the few actors to have won all four major screen acting awards, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award, as well as a Grammy Award and more than twenty other prizes.

Hudson came to prominence in 2004 as one of the finalists on the third season of the FOX reality television series American Idol. She subsequently established herself as a solo recording artist and film actress, starring in the 2006 motion picture Dreamgirls for which she has won numerous awards. Her self-titled debut album was released in 2008 on Arista Records and soon certified gold by the RIAA for more than 500,000 shipped copies, spawning the number-one single "Spotlight."

In late 2008, with her career at its peak, Hudson's mother, brother, and nephew were murdered. Hudson went into seclusion mourning the loss of her family. In 2009, Hudson re-entered the spotlight. She has since performed at the Super Bowl XLIII, the Grammy Awards, and The Oprah Winfrey Show.

Hudson auditioned for the third season of American Idol, in Atlanta, Georgia. In her audition she commented that she had been singing on Disney Cruise Lines for the past few months (as one of the Muses from Hercules); and contestant judge Randy Jackson said, "We're expecting more than a cruise ship performance from you." Jennifer delivered and all the judges agreed it was the best voice they had heard so far in the competition. She was a member of the first group of semifinalists in the Semifinals. 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, receiving the second-lowest number of votes in two of the first three 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," on April 6, 2004. Among Hudson's worthy performances on the show was her rendition of Whitney Houston's, "I Have Nothing." Contestant judge Simon Cowell commented that Hudson, "finally proved why she was among the 'Top 12,'" and referred to the performance a week later as, "sensational." During the "Top 7" show, Hudson sang a show-stopping rendition of Barry Manilow's, "Weekend in New England," which garnered praise from all three judges. Jackson called the song Hudson's best performance to date; and 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. Despite this praise, Hudson was eliminated during this week, which some blamed in part on a power outage in Hudson's hometown of Chicago due to storms and tornadoes in the area.On April 21, 2004, Hudson became the sixth of the 12 finalists to be voted off the show, finishing the competition in seventh place.

Hudson recorded, "Neither One of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye)," originally by Gladys Knight & the Pips, for American Idol Season 3: Greatest Soul Classics—the official American Idol album for the third season.

She is featured in a duet, "The Future Ain't What It Used to Be," on Meat Loaf's Bat out of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose. She also performed the song "Easy to be Hard" on the Actors' Fund benefit recording of the musical Hair; and she is featured on Ne-Yo's second album, Because of You, on the track, "Leaving Tonight." Hudson has also recorded a new song with rapper Papoose, titled, "Special."

In September 2006, Hudson performed the song, "Over It," live on Fox Chicago Morning News. In the interview she stated the song would be included on her debut album, to be released in early 2007 however this was before she signed with Arista. On The Oprah Winfrey Show, Hudson announced plans to enter the studio in March 2007. Hudson said on The Tyra Banks Show, on February 23, 2007, that she just finished the first song for the album. Hudson also recorded a song called, "Stand Up," which was available for preview on her fan website which was produced by Chicago natives Earl Powell and Herman Little III, who arranged the song. The power-ballad is available on Jennifer's self-titled album (Deluxe Edition), as a Bonus track.

In November 2006, Hudson signed a record deal with Arista Records and has currently released her debut album and has recently finished recording one song entitled, "Depreciate."

In January 2008, it was announced that Hudson would be returning to the studio to record new material for her debut album. Her label was reportedly unhappy with the direction they were sending Hudson musically and decided it would be best to scrap the older songs and instead focus on new ones. Hudson worked with Ryan Tedder and Timbaland on a number of songs.

During an interview in May 2008, Hudson confirmed that her debut album, which will be self-titled, would be released on September 30, 2008, under the Arista Records label. She also announced that later this month her debut single, "Spotlight," would be released in order to promote her debut album. "Spotlight" will impact U.S. radio outlets on June 9 and be available for sale via digital outlets the following day.

"Spotlight" was written by Ne-Yo, who co-produced along with Stargate. Additional contributors on the album include Timbaland, Missy Elliott, Robin Thicke, Harvey Mason, Jr., Diane Warren, Earl Powell, and Christopher "Tricky" Stewart, among others. She has performed the song, "All Dressed in Love," for the Sex and the City soundtrack, which was released on May 27, 2008. Hudson performed the national anthem at the 2008 Democratic National Convention.

Her debut album has attracted much attention including three nominations at the 2008 Grammy Awards. Her nominations include Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for "Spotlight", Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for "I'm His Only Woman" with Fantasia, and the coveted Best R&B Album for Jennifer Hudson. Hudson performed at 51st Grammy Awards that took place on February 8, 2009. Her triumphant performance of "You Pulled Me Through" has been made available through iTunes. She won one of the awards she was nominated for, Best R&B Album.

Hudson sang the national anthem at Super Bowl XLIII. However, her performance was not completely live. She sang along to her pre-recorded track of the Star Spangled Banner at the insistence of pre-game show producer Rickey Minor. Although entertainers can perform live, Minor insisted that Hudson and Faith Hill, who sang "America the Beautiful" before the national anthem, use the tracks the NFL requires them to submit a week before the game. Other professional singers have been known to use back-up tracks for their performances at the Super Bowl as well.