Academy Award winning actress/singer Jennifer Hudson claims the No. 2 spot with her eponymous debut album on this week’s Billboard Top 200 Albums and R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts, according to Nielsen SoundScan. With a total of 217,720 units sold, the chart-topping entry of Jennifer Hudson is the biggest first week for a debut R&B female since Fantasia’s November 2004 debut album Free Yourself. The release of Jennifer Hudson also marks the largest selling debut album for RCA Music Group this year.
“Jennifer’s album debut is amazing! I never take this for granted,” comments Clive Davis, Chief Creative Officer of Sony BMG Worldwide and Producer of the album. “It’s a genuine thrill to be a part of a truly spectacular start of a major new star.”
Ushered into the “Spotlight” by the hit single of the same name, the September 30th release of Jennifer’s debut album is the realization of her childhood dream of becoming a bona fide recording star – and the critics agree. The New York Times states: “Whether cooing her way through the midtempo ‘Spotlight,’ or singing a self-esteem anthem like ‘Invisible,’ she always builds to a wailing climax – the moment when she ceases being merely a skilled vocalist and becomes Jennifer Hudson, star.” Billboard adds that Jennifer’s “self-titled debut showcases a voice so big, with an interpretive talent so natural, that it seems to burst beyond the confines of the recording. All hail the new diva.”
In the weeks leading into the release, Jennifer was virtually inescapable as her single “Spotlight” saturated the airwaves and was complemented by television appearances/performances on Good Morning America, Oprah, The View, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Jimmy Kimmel Live, Dancing With The Stars, half-hour performance special on BET, as well as the nationally televised performance of the “Star Spangled Banner” during the Democratic National Convention in Denver. On October 13, Yahoo will launch a special Pepsi Smash performance of “Spotlight” while Jennifer continues to travel the world for various promotional events in support of the album.
In 2004, television viewers got the chance to witness Hudson’s musical journey as a contestant on the third season of American Idol. Two years later, she told the world that she wasn’t going during her unforgettable portrayal as “Effie White” in Dreamgirls, and subsequently won 29 awards including the coveted Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Jennifer’s performance of “Love You I Do” for the Dreamgirls soundtrack yielded a Grammy Award for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media. Hudson continued her acting career in this past summer’s hit film Sex and the City and will follow up with another role in the October 17th release of The Secret Life of Bees. Now with the chart-topping release of her stellar debut album, the multi-talented Jennifer Hudson has established that she’s here to stay as she conquers the worlds of film and music.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.