Jennifer Hudson claims her royal title!
After taking the stage at the 2024 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony to perform with the legendary Dionne Warwick on October 19, Hudson opened up about how she feels like her love of Christmas earns her a special festive title.
However, american idol alum would never have dreamed she would be coming for her Christmas-loving friend Mariah Carey’s crown. “I think Mariah is the queen of Christmas and I’m the princess of Christmas,” Hudson tells PEOPLE. “At least I named myself.”
The title is fitting considering the EGOT winner released her first holiday album, A gift of loveOctober 18. The album features a selection of holiday favorites, including “The Christmas Song,” “O Holy Night,” “Winter Wonderland” and “Little Drummer Boy,” as well as original songs like “Almost Christmas,” which features her boyfriend Common.
Common and Jennifer Hudson in October 2024.
Melanie Fidler/NBAE via Getty
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Hudson considers each song on the album a gift to his listeners.
“I look at it as a Christmas tree with lots of different songs,” she says A gift of love. “Whatever song you like, I’ll give it to you for Christmas. I hope you accept it and choose your song. I can’t wait to find out what gift you got.”
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Jennifer Hudson in October 2024.
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As for her favorite holiday song, the self-proclaimed Princess of Christmas says her picks are always changing.
“I love every single one of them. I feel like they all represent a part of me. So ‘O Holy Night’ is my favorite holiday song,” she says, before adding that “Hallelujah” is “the reason I made the whole holiday album.”
While A gift of love is Hudson’s first holiday album, it’s far from her first foray into the realm of Christmas music. In 2020, she teamed up with Carey, 55, and Ariana Grande for a new rendition of “Oh Santa!” Queen of Christmas. for Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas Special on AppleTV+.
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Last December, Hudson and Grande, 31, joined Carey on stage to perform a live remix of the Merry Christmas One and All singer’s “All I Want for Christmas” for the first time! A stop at Madison Square Garden in New York.
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During the episode Show Jennifer Hudsonthe chat show host said the whole experience “felt like Christmas”. She added: “It turned into a reunion or something. It felt like I was with family.”
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Source: HIS Education