Jennifer Hudson has signed a new deal with Interscope Records, a subsidiary of Universal Music Group, via JHUD Productions.
The EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony) winner joins a dynamic roster that includes Ari Lennox, Billie Eilish, Ella Mai, GloRilla, Lady Gaga, Marsha Ambrosius, and more.
“It’s official!!! So excited to be joining the @interscope family! Get ready, yal! The music is coming!!!” Hudson wrote in an Instagram caption for a video of her that was filmed the day she went to sign the new deal.
Hudson was previously signed to Sony Music Entertainment, where she released her first two albums — Jennifer Hudson (2008) and I Remember Me (2011) — under Arista Records/J Records and her third album, JHUD (2014), on RCA Records.
With her new label home announced, Hudson is gearing up to release her first-ever holiday album, The Gift of Love, on Oct. 18.
The 16-track offering will include Hudson’s rendition of holiday classics such as “O Holy Night,” “Little Drummer Boy” and “The Christmas Song,” as well as original songs.
The Gift of Love will feature rapper Common on the original song “Almost Christmas” and The Joy, a South African quintet, on “Carol of the Bells.”
According to press materials, the album is executive produced by Ryan Tedder (Beyoncé, John Legend), who co-wrote and produced the title track to Hudson’s I Remember Me.
In addition to Tedder, the album includes production by David Foster, Greg Phillinganes, Kirk Franklin, James Poyser, Fede Vindver, and Peer Åström.
The Gift of Love will mark Hudson’s first album since Respect (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), which was released in 2021 via Epic Records.
The soundtrack included Hudson’s rendition of Aretha Franklin‘s classic tunes, plus “Here I Am (Singing My Way Home),” an original track she co-wrote with Carol King and Jamie Hartman.
Hudson, who portrayed the Queen of Soul, won Entertainer of the Year and Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture at the 53rd NAACP Image Awards in 2022.
Earlier this year, Hudson shared a photo of her in a recording booth, hinting that new music was on the horizon. “Today is the day yal, back in the studio. Back to the music!!” she wrote on Instagram.
Music aside, Hudson is gearing up for the season three return of her award-winning talk show, The Jennifer Hudson Show, which premieres Sept. 16.
See the album’s tracklist and pre-save information below.
Jennifer Hudson’s The Gift of Love Album Tracklist
1. Hallelujah
2. Winter Wonderland
3. Carol of the Bells (featuring The Joy)
4. Find The Love
5. O Holy Night
6. Make It To Christmas
7. Santa to Someone
8. My Favorite Things
9. Little Drummer Boy
10. Go Tell It On The Mountain
11. Almost Christmas (featuring Common)
12. Jingle Bells (Prelude)
13. Jingle Bells
14. The Christmas Song
15. Auld Lang Syne
Pre-save/pre-order Jennifer Hudson’s Christmas album The Gift of Love.