By Mariel Concepcion
NEW YORK (Billboard) - Jennifer Hudson may have taken
longer than fans wished before officially announcing the
September 30 release of her self-titled debut album. But early
signs indicate it might've been worth the wait.
The 26-year-old Chicago native won the Academy Award last
year for her supporting turn in the musical "Dreamgirls," three
years after being voted off "American Idol."
The lead single from her Arista album, "Spotlight," is
currently No. 51 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart,
two weeks after debuting at No. 99. It was written by rapper
Ne-Yo, and produced by Stargate, the moniker used by Norwegian
producers Tor Erik Hermansen and Mikkel S. Eriksen.
Ne-Yo notes there were challenges in choosing the first
single, but says he's "really, really proud" that his song was
picked for the job.
"They were really trying to figure out where to take her,"
he says. "The main issue with Jennifer Hudson is her voice is
so huge, so how do you take that and radio-ize it, make it
radio-friendly? She can't do ("And I Am Telling You I'm Not
Going" from "Dreamgirls") every song because you'll eventually
be tired of it. So ("Spotlight") is kind of a classy midtempo,
and I hope and pray it does well because Jennifer is an amazing
talent."
According to Arista senior VP of marketing and artist
development Scott Seviour, the track is intended to not only
tide fans over until the fall album release but capitalize on
Hudson's role in the "Sex and the City" film, which opened in
the top spot at the North American box office last weekend with
sales of $57 million. The soundtrack, with the Hudson track
"All Dressed in Love," debuted this week at No. 2 on the
Billboard 200.
Aside from having been on a radio promotional tour since
the beginning of May, Hudson will star in and campaign for the
movie "The Secret Lives of Bees," set to hit theaters in
October. "She has some stuff to do for the movie in June, so
that keeps her in the public eye," Seviour says.
In addition, "Spotlight" will be made available digitally
June 10, and multiple remixes of the track will be serviced to
the Internet and radio. July and August will be reserved for
additional radio and TV appearances.
