Jennifer Hudson is ready to spread the holiday spirit!
The first holiday album of the singer and actress, A gift of lovewill be released on October 18, she announced on Friday, September 6.
The star, 42, teased the record with a trailer she shared on Instagram showing her singing a jazzy rendition of “Jingle Bells” while placing presents under the Christmas tree.
“I can’t wait for it to be yours!” she captioned the post.
The album, Hudson’s first for Interscope Records, will see the EGOT winner cover seasonal favorites such as “The Christmas Song,” “O Holy Night,” “Winter Wonderland,” “Little Drummer Boy,” “My Favorite Things,” “ Go Tell It on the Mountain”, “Jingle Bells” and “Auld Lang Syne” along with original songs.
Show Jennifer Hudson the host also enlisted boyfriend Common to join her on new song “Almost Christmas,” while South African quintet The Joy appear on the classic “Carol of the Bells.”
A gift of love will be the first album in 10 years for Hudson, whose talk show is set to return for a third season on September 16.
Her last record, JHUDit came out in 2014 and entered the top 10 Billboard Top list of 200 albums.
In 2021, she covered Darlene Love’s “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home),” telling PEOPLE at the time that the holiday season was her “favorite time of year.”
Jennifer Hudson.
Courtesy of Interscope Records
“It’s no secret that Christmas is my favorite time of the year and one of the things I love most is holiday music,” she said. “For me, it’s all about creating a feeling of love and warmth to celebrate the season, so I hope this song can do just that for everyone, especially my amazing and die-hard fans who have been looking for that Christmas album!”
That same year, she told PEOPLE that she’s a self-proclaimed “holiday fanatic” and is focused on giving back.
“It’s such a natural thing for me,” she says, that it’s part of her upbringing. “I think I would have to give that credit to my mother, who inspired me to start the Julian D. King Gift Foundation, because we come from a family of givers.”
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education