Jennifer Hudson

Jennifer Kate Hudson (born September 12, 1981 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American singer and actress. She is both an Oscar and Grammy Award winner. She was one of the finalists on the third season of the reality/talent-search television series American Idol.

Prior to American Idol, Hudson had worked as a singer and actor aboard cruise ships, but never had any formal musical training.

Hudson auditioned for the third season of American Idol in Atlanta, Georgia. 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 contest judge Randy Jackson.
Jennifer Hudson struggled to gain popularity in the early stages of the 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.
On April 21, 2004, Hudson became the sixth of the 12 finalists to be voted off the show, finishing the competition ...