CMA RESPECT: A FEW QUESTIONS FOR JENNIFER HUDSON

Grammy and Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson, whose upcoming appearance on the 11/10 CMA Awards has occasioned much buzz, has been having a big year thanks to her acclaimed portrayal of Aretha Franklin in RESPECT, an endeavor more than 15 years in the making.

Over the last three weeks, Hudson has gone from opera (singing “Amazing Grace” with Andreas Bocelli at his Hollywood Bowl show) to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction of Carole King, where she took the assembled 12k+ attendees to church with her rendition of “(You Make Me Feel) Like a Natural Woman." Awards chatter, meanwhile, is swirling around RESPECT theme “Here I Am (Singing My Way Back Home),” co-written by Hudson with King and Jamie Hartman.

Now Hudson is taking center stage in Nashville. She was approached by CMAs producer Robert Deaton after a screening of RESPECT at The National Museum of African American Music. Their conversation turned into an extraordinary opportunity.

As Tom Petty says, “The waiting is the hardest part.”
It's like holding your breath for 15 years. And it's kind of touching, because even now it's still, like, “How do I approach this?”

15 years? And you were anointed by Aretha Franklin, too.
You think, “When will this happen? And when it happens, will I be ready?” And then how do you even begin to prepare? That legacy extends over 70 years of a career that's so iconic and legendary.

So you say, “What do we tackle? What songs do we sing?” Then, when you think and consider who you're portraying... Oh my God! And I'm a fan first. I'm also a musician, so I understand the prestige, what Miss Franklin represents to the world, to musicians, to all of us. You add all that up? Oh, my goodness, I was literally terrified. All the way, even while filming, I'm like, “Wait a minute. So this is really happening now!” Because, again, Miss Franklin and I spoke about this over 16 years ago. It's been lingering that long.

How did you finally frame her?
Playing her is the most fun and the scariest at the same time. But I think it was about discovering her from a different perspective, like an actor versus a singer. Because again, as a singer, I have always been a fan. But it's completely different when you play this person. You’ve got to start over, learn of her generation.

The era in which she grew up was very intriguing and interesting. Going through this huge timeline, you can't help but have a newfound respect for her. Once you go through that, you understand what it was like to be a woman in that time, to be a mother, a celebrity, a Black woman. So many layers: preacher's daughter, growing up with legends, then seeing how they discovered her musical influences. And if you play someone with so many layers, what do you start with? The piano is where I started, because that was the most basic piece. Aretha Franklin put me back in music school, and I continue to learn.

Country isn’t a forward influence, yet it was in Franklin’s music.
I feel like country music and gospel music are a huge base of it. One of my favorite things to do is tell stories through a song. Music can create a scene that fills in what you didn't even know you had. It brings people into that place or that moment. It brings me to the Country Music Association Awards. Somehow we have common ground because we're all here for the love of music, right?

Do you have a favorite country song?
“Believe” by Brooks & Dunn. I love it so much. Have you ever heard of the Canton Spirituals? They sing a song called “Singing in a Heavenly Choir.” Well “Believe” is kind of like a country version of that song. So yes, that's one of my favorites.