Hudson rose to fame in 2004 as a finalist on the third season of "American Idol," placing seventh. She made her film debut as Effie White in the musical "Dreamgirls" (2006), for which she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Following these successes, Hudson was signed to Arista Records and released her self-titled debut studio album in 2008, which was certified gold in the United States, sold over a million copies worldwide, and won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Album. Her subsequent studio albums, "I Remember Me" (2011) and "JHUD" (2014), saw continued commercial success with the former also being certified gold in the United States. Hudson's other acting roles include, in films; "Sex and the City" (2008), "The Secret Life of Bees" (2008), "Winnie Mandela" (2011), "Black Nativity" (2013), "Sing" (2016), "Cats" (2019), television shows; "Smash" (2012), "Empire" (2015), "Confirmation" (2016), and her Broadway debut with the musical "The Color Purple".