Jennifer Hudson is excited to write her own music again.
The 45-year-old singer, actress and talk show host is excited to return to her writing and performing roots now that her son, David Otunga Jr., 17, is older.
She told Variety: “This is the chapter of … putting myself first. I’m almost an empty nester, and I’m like, ‘Wow, I’m fixing to get a lot of time back. What am I gonna do with that time? How do you put that into yourself?’ I’ve been disciplined. I’ve crossed every t, dotted every i, and it’s like, but what does it feel like if you take up more space for yourself?
“I only write when I have something I really want to say, and it’s my time for my voice. Carole King and Aretha Franklin both told me, ‘Use your voice.’ That has never left me. And when I use my voice this time, it’s going to be with my words.”
Jennifer – who is inspired by her aspiring musician son David and her partner, Grammy award winner Common – has vowed to be authentic in the latest phase of her career.
She explained: “What comes from the heart reaches the heart. What’s real resonates. If you don’t put meaning behind it, then it’s just a demo of right notes.”
Along with new music, Jennifer has also been revisiting her older songs, recently performing Invisible, from her self-titled 2008 debut album, during the final stop of her 16-city summer tour with Josh Groban.
In the songs chorus, Hudson sings, “And now I’m gonna live my life for me, ’cause this ain’t how it’s supposed to be. No more standing in the back of the line, ’cause I’m invisible for the last time.”
Speaking about the powerful performance, she explained: “I got emotional in the midst of it. The song is nearly 20 years old, but it hit different, as the children say. And I can’t wait to sing it again.”
