Jennifer Hudson Is Ready To Take The “Training Wheels” Off Her Music

Jennifer Hudson has changed quite a bit over the past few years. From her beginnings as a contestant on American Idol to winning an Oscar for her role as Effie White in 2006’s Dreamgirls, this 32-year-old Chicago native has turned tragedy into triumph. In an interview with V Magazine, J.Hud reveals that she is ready to take her singing career into her own hands, transforming her vision into real life. Peep the excerpts below.

Taking control of her music career: 

Earlier in my career I was just a soloist singing other people’s songs, Now I really want to be an artist. I want to lift the people up, have fun, create a moment. I have my own visions that I want to bring to life. People think I sit in church all day or stay at home and stare at my Oscar. It’s like I’m a nun or the president or something. I realized that people don’t really know who I am. It just feels like it’s time to take the training wheels off, you know? Let them see me.

Going to gay clubs when she was younger: 

I used to go out to the gay clubs when I was a kid.  We were 16 or 17 and my best friend would pretend to be my manager. He’d have business cards made up and he’d negotiate for me to sing for $25 a song. I’d have these amazing drag queens style me up and down, honey. They would be up there lip-synching and then I’d get up and sing for real—some Whitney Houston or some old-school Shirley Murdock—and I would make all the money. That was like my training, basically.

Peep pics shot by Terry Richardson below.

[V Magazine]

-@missjohnsonp_