Jennifer Hudson is an American singer, one of the finalists on the third season of the reality/talent-search television series American Idol.

Hudson is originally from Chicago, Illinois. Hudson auditioned for the third season of American Idol in Atlanta, Georgia; she was a member of the first group of semifinalists, but was not voted through to the final round. Hudson was instead brought back for the wildcard round and put through as a finalist by contest judge Randy Jackson.

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

Hudson's underwhelming performances on American Idol kept her under the radar until her spectacular rendition of Elton John's "The Circle of Life" on April 7, 2004. On April 21, 2004, Hudson became the sixth of the 12 finalists to be voted off the show. Because Hudson and the two other black female singers on the show were all in the bottom three, the event became a bit of a controversy in the media as some, including previous guest Elton John, suggested that the vote's result was racist, while others thought that the "divas" merely split the same demographic.

Hudson's web site is http://www.jenniferhudsonmusic.com.